Online Discussion: Threats to Creativity and Freedom of Expression

#  Instructions by Teacher

All students:

Here is attached a brief interview of Javed Akhtar.

There are some rumours about A R Rahman to give music in an Iranian film on Mohmad Paigambar. It is not permitted under Quran to portray Mohmad Paigambar in painting or moving picture. If A R Rahman is involved in such film, it may hurt religious sensibilities of Indian Muslims and so he is threatened that there may be Fatwa against him.

Secondly, there is a film being planned on the life of Tipu Sultan - a Muslim ruler of Mysore. It is rumoured that Rajnikant will play the role of Tipu Sultan. This has hurt religious sensibilities of Hindus. It is also belived that Tipu was against Tamils and so no Tamil should play any role in the biopic on Tipu.

Well, the majority exerts their likeness and prejudices over the minorities and in the process construct a 'culture'. The said culture is appropriate for the majority and so most of them believe it to be moral / right / true way of living life. Later on, such way of life is 'naturalised' and justified by mythical stories of brave people belonging to the majority.

Literary writers, by and large, are part of the process. At times, literary writers pose a threat or protest to such process. Such protests of past are not visible today ad history rarely takes notice of it. But we can read them as they happen while we are living. Observing contemporary times with spectacles of historical sense makes us aware of such process.

Here is an example in this small interview. Javed Akhtar writes that he would rethink several times to write a scene written in Sholay.

What is that scene? Why would he rethink before writing of such scenes?

What do you comprehend from the interview?

Be brief, precise and to the point in your reply.

#  My answer of the given task:

      All artists should have the freedom of using their art in the way they want to use it. There should not be any kind of control and boundaries on an artist by the chains of Religion or history. History presents truth but people are not ready to accept that and that is the reason that Rajnikant is not allowed to play the role of Tipu Sultan. It's not important that what Tipu Sultan has done in history because the situation of that time was totally different and in now days it's very silly to stop Rajnikant to do the film. Religion has became the most sensitive part of Indians, and the strong belief that only their religion is superior, and they don't want to allow any aspect to interfere in that and not ready to even accept the other religion.