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Do you know about this fascinating 18th century character who introduced circus to India? he was from Maharashtra. Although,
he was ridiculed by society and family, he was supported by his wife, who stood by him. She was astrong woman. I like to portray
strong, confident women, whether it is in my films or poetry. Women are the backbone of our society, yet Indian poetry has
always harped on their beauty. The same goes for films for centuries.
LOOKING BEYOND THE BODY
Indian poetry,
especially Urdu poetry, needs to be revamped, rehauled and revolutionised. It needs to change the way it looks at and portrays
women. There is definitely more to a woman than her physical being. In poetry people more often than not talk about a womans
sharbati aakhen and badi aakhen. Is that all about eyes? The eyes are a reflection of an individuals feelings; they express,
they talk... Why cant poets talk about this aspect?
For instance, consider Tabu who starred in Maachis. Her role did
not have too much dialogues. But she spoke with her eyes. And she won accolades for her performance in Maachis. Her eyetalk
only seems to get better and better with each film. I firmly believe that woman is an embodiment of courage and bravery. She
can have so many personalities at the same time she can be a mother, wife, friend and daughter. We need to introduce all
that and more in our poetry. We need to urgently do away with the cliches.
WOMEN AS HUMANS!
It is time to venture
beyond physical descriptions beyond her eyes, smile, nose and figure. It is time to experiment. Jaya Bachchan was not considered
to be a traditional beauty. She is so dynamic and exuberant. This is a woman who exudes energy. I would call that beautiful.
Jaya has aged gracefully she was wonderful as Nishatbi in Fiza.
But where are the poets who write about women as human
beings?
There have been poets who have portrayed women for their individuality and personality. Sardar Jafri is one of
them. He shows women as comrades and colleagues of men, on par with them. In fact, Sardar Jafri is perhaps the only poet to
have shown women as equal even in a romantic relationship. A relationship involves spiritual and physical togetherness and
friend-ship between people, and Sardar Jafri portrays just that. Was it a reflection of the times he lived in?
No, he
is a man ahead of his times. We live in modern times, yet we behave and live so outdatedly?
CONVERSATION BETWEEN
LOVERS
I believe that peoples lack of interest in poetry can be attributed to a proportionately decreasing interest in
languages other than English.
How many of us visit a bookstore which stocks only Hindi books? Even major bookshops have
only two or three vernacular authors and to think that both the Hindi and Urdu languages have such rich literature.
But,
as they say, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. People have begun appreciating ghazals (another form of poetry),
so the languages will never die.
By the way, did you know that a ghazal is a conversation between lovers?
People
dont realise that lovers can be friends. They do relate to each other at that level. Yet, ghazal writers keep harping on the
same inane subject of beauty.
Sometimes, I can understand their reasons for not experimenting, the constant talk about
beauty; the readers and audience demands are such. This kind of poetry sells and poets like all of us also need money to survive.
People often ask why I write and create strong women characters. But thats how I get to know them.
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