While filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt is still coming to terms
with the eerie similarities between the Sheena Bora murder
case and a story that grew out of his imagination, which he
had penned back in May for his film ‘Ab Raat Guzarnewali
Hai’, the case is already being enjoyed by many, though
on the small screen. Criminal cases involving high flying
socialites and celebrities have moved on from being
serious news and are now being consumed by the
audience as reality shows. Have cases like these become
soap operas for the common man? Are they following it as
entertainment more than anything else?
Mumta Kalangutkar is one of the regulars in the party
circuit of Goa and is a well known socialite. Kalangutkar
says, “Honestly, I have been busy and not watched what’s
happening about the case on TV; I’ve read a little about it
on Facebook and the forwards that are being circulated
through WhatsApp. Although when Sunanda Pushkar
died, I’ll confess that I was quite intrigued and was closely
following the drama that was unfolding. I don’t think
people really empathise or sympathise anymore. How
sorry do people feel anymore? It is like reading any other
Nancy Drew story – everyone just wants to know the
end. They’ll follow it for as long as their curiosity is alive,
and then latch on to something else. Another example
would be a video of a man kicking his wife at the Goa
airport, which is doing the rounds. I don’t know where
relationships are going but as a woman, you tend to
empathise with the wife. There are very few cases that
touch your heart.”
Another social butterfly who does not wish to
be named feels that such cases bring out the hidden
detectives and judges who then leave no stone unturned
to speculate about the who, what and why of a Sheena
Bora case. On condition of anonymity, she says, “I don’t
understand the logic behind hyping these cases. There
is an alarming increase in the amount of crime in the
country, all of which gets less exposure than Page 3. What
makes this life worth reporting more than those lost by
unknown, unnamed tribals in Bihar? Why does everyone’s
morality come streaming out of their closet just because
people know the involved and accused in the case to a
greater extent?”
Earlier this year, Savio Rodrigues released his book
‘Karmic Ishq’ that narrates a tale of Alisha – a young,
ambitious and determined career woman. When asked if
following criminal cases involving celebrities has become
the new pastime, Rodrigues says, “I agree. Performing
character assassinations of Sheena, Indrani, Peter, etc
have become a sort of pastime for many. The news is in
your face. When people are watching the news on the TV,
they get a 24X7 round up of everything that’s happening
and it stays fresh in your mind. In a nutshell, it is to show
you how bad the world is and how good your life is.
That’s sad. Somebody mentioned that the Sheena Bora
case is similar to the girl in my book, who was a victim
of sexual abuse. Another similarity was the story of the
other characters in the book who are powerful, much
like the people involved the case. Nowadays, for people,
it is not the crime that is important but the entertainment
that they derive from it. It is like an episode of crimebased
reality shows that are aired on national TV. And
this happens on an hourly basis. It is disgusting to say the
least that we have people wanting to know and enjoy
how the rich and famous crumble.”
