The recently released Indian mythological action movie, “Adipurush”, has sparked debates that have led to Bollywood controversy one after the other. T-series produced the film, and Om Raut is the director and writer. Starring Kriti Sanon, Saif Ali Khan, Prabhas, Devdatta Nage, and Sunny Singh, it has been shot in both Hindi and Telugu simultaneously. The movie based on Ramayana – a Hindu epic, has received mixed reviews from audiences. Despite the positive reviews the performers have earned for their roles in the film, the screenplay, and particularly the dialogue, has come under heavy fire. The movie was delayed by a few months as a result of numerous complaints from fans when the initial teaser was released. Continuous criticism has made the creators announce the removal of a few dialogues from the movie.
The controversy
The dialogue and lyrics were co-written by Manoj Muntashir Shukla, who has since sparked more controversy surrounding the film. In a recent interview, Aaj tak Manoj said, “Bajrangbali bhagwan nahi hai, bhakt hai. Humne unko bhagwaan banaya hai kyuki unki bhakti mein wo power tha” (Lord Hanuman is not a God but a devotee. We made him God because his devotion has that power). He said it in an effort to defend the dialogues he had written.
Controversies and psychology
Controversies are inseparable from Bollywood, be it actors, actresses, songs or the whole movie. This news makes us think about questions – how do controversies form? Why are some topics extremely controversial? Controversies are triggering and sparkling as it results in strong emotions of anger, heated arguments and discussion among public and public platforms. Therefore, it is difficult to comprehend how conflicts develop and spread through the media. However, looking at this through the psychology window, we can understand how controversies impact people and make them part of the controversies. Controversies are the result of protracted conflicts and public debates about a subject. It involves the viewpoints of multiple people on the exact source of information. Looking at controversies through the lens of psychology, everything can be controversial, as each piece of information put forward can have several interpretations.
Controversies have three things:
- Controversies make things interesting. When people voice their opinion, which does not align with others, it creates a debate that leads to intense discussions, making the topic thought-provoking and interesting.
- People’s minds are discomforted by controversial topics as these are subjects about which people don’t know what to talk, or that are significantly connected to their core belief and faith. They won’t dismiss it when someone questions their fundamental viewpoint; instead, they’ll either disagree with the statement or agree with it. Core beliefs are the central idea people have about themselves and the world. When someone questions their fundamental assumption, they will not just dismiss the statement; instead, they will either agree with it or deny it.
- Through a conduit, controversy also draws attention from the general public. Be it positive or negative attention, the product is gaining popularity.
However, there is a controversy that leads to another controversy, and there comes an upward spiral making people discuss the topic in an ongoing loop; the three things described above make the issue viral across social media platforms.
