You can’t look at Peddi as just another high-profile outing for its two leads anymore. A hard-nosed argument over the way women are put on screen has made it something of a test case. Anu Aggarwal has been vocal about the need for actors to let go of the old Bollywood habit of objectifying women, and the director has put in for some edits.
It comes down to Janhvi’s part, which some in the audience have found to be a bit too much. The reaction was quick: a well-known star has put the onus on the talent to be more accountable, and the man behind the camera has conceded that some things may have gone too far and will be put right.
Why Peddi sparked a pushback
The heat has been on the film for what is seen as the objectification of its heroine. The feeling is that no matter how well put together a movie is, people these days don’t have the patience for making women into afterthoughts.
Buchi Babu Sana hasn’t put up a wall to that kind of feedback. He’s of the mind that a film should be fun and moving, not make you feel put upon, and he has some regrets for the ones that did.
So he has put out a word that the bits in question will be reworked. He also made a point of saying that you have to show some respect for your characters and be in tune with how times have changed.
Here is the line from the director:
– An apology for anything that came off as disrespectful
– A statement that there was never any plan to put a price on a woman’s image
– A promise to edit where there is an issue
Janhvi has yet to put in her two cents on the matter. But the discussion has moved on from one movie to a larger one about who has the power in this business and what they do with it.
Anu Aggarwal’s stand: actors share the responsibility
Anu doesn’t pull any punches. In a post on 7th June, the Aashiqui actress put it out there: while audiences have every right to want to be treated with more dignity, 'the onus isn't on them or the filmmakers alone. We actors have to answer for it too.’
She puts it down to a change in her own approach: ‘Back in the day, I made sure to get the full story before I put my name to a project.’ She notes that ‘objectification was par for the course. I decided to go the other way. You can see it in the work I put out there.’
That was part of why she walked away from it all; she wouldn’t be in on anything that was undignified. Her advice to the new guard is straightforward:
– Get the story and put some questions to it
– Don’t be in it if it means you’re letting someone down
In her view, you don’t just wait for the crowd to ask for better; you have to be the one to say no to what you don’t stand for. It’s a way of turning a row into a matter of duty.
What the film is about, beyond the controversy
With all the fuss, you might miss the point of what Peddi is. It’s a tale from the countryside of Andhra in the ’80s, about a cricketer with some real talent who has to put in the work to be seen, for himself and his people.
He has his sights set on a few things: a train station, some rights from the government for a village that’s been left out. He makes good on that, using his skills as an athlete to put his community on the map and give them their due.
With Ram Charan and Janhvi in front of the camera, you are going to hold the film to a higher standard when it comes to how the women are handled.
The bigger question for Bollywood
For once, everyone is on the same page. Aggarwal is telling the cast to put a stop to scripts that erode a person’s worth. Sana is saying you have to be respectful of what the audience is like now. And the viewers are already making their case.
We’ll see how it goes. The director has put in for some re-cuts. If that is met with a little more backbone from the actors when they’re looking at a script, then maybe Peddi will be more than a moment of drama.
