Pushpa Ki Geharaiyan!
Allu Arjun, Pushpa are in every video clip, meme and dance move. The performance of Pushpa , dialogue, dance steps, music and even the Hindi dubbing is loved by all, it has become a cult film pan-India and abroad too. And the dialogues were not peppered with bad words!
As they watched and enjoyed the film, a nagging guilt pestered many people- what about the sandalwood smuggling shown in the film? What about the fact that the hero is a sandalwood smuggler? Should the film be glorifying these things?
Then there is Geharaiyan and the comments about the movie that ‘the relationship moral standards of the story are indeed questionable and wince worthy’
And then there are OTT series, parents feel, ‘based on corruption, sleaze, bad words, sex and more’.
Is this kind of content good? Shouldn’t these producers think of morals and ethics? This is a question many people ask and expect of the film, OTT and television industry.
My answer to them is – We cannot and should not depend on them to teach morals to our children! It is not their job to take care of morality, their job is to write stories, create stories and make it appealing to the audience. Morality is the job of parents, educators and even schools! We need to teach our children how to view all kinds of content and what to learn or unlearn from it.
Content is going to be out there, first it was in books and comics and now it is everywhere, easily available on your child’s phone. So how do you teach morals, ethics and safe sex to your child with all kinds of content floating around? Well, the best way is through discussion. Just like you discuss a sports match and talk about what worked and what did not, it is important to have discussions with your child on the content they watch.
Previously characters were good or bad, now it’s bad and lesser bad! So our job as parents becomes difficult as we help our children understand how to see the bad behind the lovable character!
As you enjoy Pushpa, also talk about sandalwood smuggling or just subtly show a documentary on the same. Be clear of what you like about the film and what you don’t like; this helps children understand that good and bad coexist in entertainment, and it is up to us what to brush away as entertainment and what to keep as life lessons.
Many OTT series open up a whole talking point on corruption and politics, prison reforms and what is acceptable language. Point out to your child how these cuss words are insulting to women and should not become a norm just because everyone is using it! And, Geharaiyan? Well, as relationships become more fragile around us, won’t it be nice to discuss about ethics and commitment in a relationship? And is so much of sex required in this content? Well, maybe that is what brings them the audience! It’s time to talk about sex education, and explain to young adults that sex should not be a means to an end or that porn is not sex!
Pushpa , It’s time we stop blaming or holding the entertainment industry responsible for the ills and crimes in our society; it is a classic case of what came first – the chicken or the egg! But it is important to ensure that our children don’t become senseless consumers of content and we have given them a great foundation of morality that is strong enough to bear the onslaught of all kinds of content. It is not the content only that has a lasting impression on them, it’s what they hear you discuss when you thought they were not listening!
And don’t kid yourself that your children are not viewing this content!
-Dr. Swati Popat Vats
President
Podar Education Network
Early Childhood Association
Association for Primary Education and Research
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