06-13-2008, 08:12 PM
Hollywood Hinduism
Part 2: Art Vs Morality
More of this Feature
⢠Part 1: Art Vs Morality
⢠Part 2: Art Vs Morality
Join the Discussion
"Is it OK to use religious symbols and characters in works of art in whatever form the artist chooses?" OPENHINDU
Film Reviews
⢠Bollywood Hollywood
⢠The Fire & the Rain
⢠Monsoon Wedding
Madonna
At the MTV awards ceremony in 1998, Madonna had dressed a la Lord Shiva and set the fashion world agog on Indian themes. Couture houses and fashion designers have, since then, encashed a lot on this message of Madonna that India is hot.
Trudie Styler
At a recent fundraiser for the Tibetan Peace Garden at London's Royal Opera House pop-star Sting's wife Trudie Styler was seen wearing a skirt featuring Lord Ganesha as a design motif. This was genuinely appreciated by those Hindus who want to see India on the world stage, and obviously, there can be few for whom these uses of Hindu symbols, gods and goddesses may seem ungodly.
Xena: Warrior Princess
In February 1999, Xena: Warrior Princess, one of the world's most popular TV serials, showed Hindu mythological characters Lord Krishna, Hanuman, Kali, and Indrajit doing things they never did in traditional tales and epics. Some thought it sacrilegious; others saw it as an exposition of Hindu ideas to Western audience.
Mike Myers
Another instance of cultural insensitivity was aired on the April 1999 issue of Vanity Fair where photographer David LaChapelle's shot of Mike Myers posed as a cartoonish Hindu deity was published as a photo spread. Public opinion on this issue has been varied. Members of South Asian Journalists Association considered it blasphemous, and many Hindus found the pictures grotesque and offensive. The Newsweek declared "Maybe it's time Hollywood gave up the Hinduism thing". However, there were others who found it a spirited and friendly attempt to "cross cultural lines".
The Bottom Line
However, the entire concept of judging works of art is quite relative. It greatly depends on an individual's aesthetic tastes, preferences, temperament and forbearance. Many people are of the opinion that art is a free creation of an artist, who has complete license to give art whatever form or sound s/he chooses. But is it morally right to reap creative benefits at the cost of maligning the cultural and religious sentiments of another sect? Therefore, it remains an open debate whether such depictions are OK by any standard. But the bottom line is that it's not as easy to understand the culture, symbols and essence of Hinduism as finding them colourful enough for use in films or fashion.
Previous Articles
Part 2: Art Vs Morality
More of this Feature
⢠Part 1: Art Vs Morality
⢠Part 2: Art Vs Morality
Join the Discussion
"Is it OK to use religious symbols and characters in works of art in whatever form the artist chooses?" OPENHINDU
Film Reviews
⢠Bollywood Hollywood
⢠The Fire & the Rain
⢠Monsoon Wedding
Madonna
At the MTV awards ceremony in 1998, Madonna had dressed a la Lord Shiva and set the fashion world agog on Indian themes. Couture houses and fashion designers have, since then, encashed a lot on this message of Madonna that India is hot.
Trudie Styler
At a recent fundraiser for the Tibetan Peace Garden at London's Royal Opera House pop-star Sting's wife Trudie Styler was seen wearing a skirt featuring Lord Ganesha as a design motif. This was genuinely appreciated by those Hindus who want to see India on the world stage, and obviously, there can be few for whom these uses of Hindu symbols, gods and goddesses may seem ungodly.
Xena: Warrior Princess
In February 1999, Xena: Warrior Princess, one of the world's most popular TV serials, showed Hindu mythological characters Lord Krishna, Hanuman, Kali, and Indrajit doing things they never did in traditional tales and epics. Some thought it sacrilegious; others saw it as an exposition of Hindu ideas to Western audience.
Mike Myers
Another instance of cultural insensitivity was aired on the April 1999 issue of Vanity Fair where photographer David LaChapelle's shot of Mike Myers posed as a cartoonish Hindu deity was published as a photo spread. Public opinion on this issue has been varied. Members of South Asian Journalists Association considered it blasphemous, and many Hindus found the pictures grotesque and offensive. The Newsweek declared "Maybe it's time Hollywood gave up the Hinduism thing". However, there were others who found it a spirited and friendly attempt to "cross cultural lines".
The Bottom Line
However, the entire concept of judging works of art is quite relative. It greatly depends on an individual's aesthetic tastes, preferences, temperament and forbearance. Many people are of the opinion that art is a free creation of an artist, who has complete license to give art whatever form or sound s/he chooses. But is it morally right to reap creative benefits at the cost of maligning the cultural and religious sentiments of another sect? Therefore, it remains an open debate whether such depictions are OK by any standard. But the bottom line is that it's not as easy to understand the culture, symbols and essence of Hinduism as finding them colourful enough for use in films or fashion.
Previous Articles