People have raised objections on the video calling it casteist. (Source: BLUSH/YouTube)
Sofia Ashraf, who became popular after rapping in the viral song video ‘Kodaikanal Won’t’, which gave Hindustan Unilever many sleepless nights, features in Culture Machine’s new video called ‘Tam-Brahm boy’, as part of their new series called ‘Sista from the South. Not just that, Ashraf has also penned down the lyrics of the song in the video. Nothing wrong about either, except that, once you watch the video, you will struggle to keep your sanity.
Here’s why we think Sofia Ashraf and Culture Machine could have done better than this.
* The song video is intended to be an item song that projects the female gaze and, thus, asserts the objectification of men. We ask, in a country where a film-star is making an absolutely crass comment on rape and the others have decided to keep mum, where sexual assaults and rapes happen almost every day, should the answer really be male-objectification? Should it rather not be no-objectification-of-either sexes-whatsoever?
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* The song’s lyrics ride high on casteism. Some lyrics call poonool, the long thread only Tam-Brahms wear on their bodies as ‘sexy’. The song is described as a love song objectifying a typical Tamil Boy using hilarious southern stereotypes. We ask, does a typical Tamil boy always have to be a Tam-Brahm?
In India, where casteism, patriarchy, etc., have formed the core values, a social message must be sent across in such a way that demeans or exalts no other form of stereotypes. And that is probably what Culture Machine has done here, magnifying casteism that still exists in South India, while sending a strong, yet misguided message on feminist and female sexual desire.
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Sofiia Ashraf has, however, issued a clarification on her Facebook page, after the flak the video started receiving online.
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