Women's Movement and Bollywood: will they ever reconcile?

Jessica Lall: the case of an aspiring Indian model that was killed at a night club has always captivated the attention of India and Her citizens.
A law student and part-time model she made ends meet by working late night shifts at the then high-end Indian night club, Tamarind Court in Mehrauli, India. There the son of the ex-Union Minister Manu Sharma ordered a drink to which Lall refused to prepare- the club was closing for the night. Without warning, Sharma shot Lall twice both times in the had, the second shot proving lethal. When the case went to court he was aquitted. Upon its appeal the Lower Court of India charged him with the murder of Lall and sentenced him to life imprisonment, 2006.
This story has many dimensions: politics, corruption, bribery, role of the media, gender analysis, violence against women, and law. Director RajKumar Gupta wants to bring this case mainstream: he's casting two 27-30 year-old actresses, one to play Lall and the other her sister who faught with the court's for his conviction.
After approaching actress Kareena Kapoor for the lead role she skillfully declined stating 'I couldn't connect with the character. If I've to do a film with a socio-political theme, it'd have to be something like ‘Kurbaan’, which is about things that are happening today. I want to do meaty parts with off-mainstream directors like Dibakar Banerjee and Raj Kumar Gupta. But the roles have to justify my presence. I can't do a bit part in an offbeat film just to prove I can act' as quoted by MidDay

* note: The movie Kurbaan, set for a November 2009 release, follows the integration of an inter-faith couple moving from India to the USA circa 2009.

It is sad to see that in the 21- century Kapoor cannot connect to issues related to violence agaist women. Dissapointing yet, is that her rejection of this role centers around what Lall could do for Kapoor's career, not vic versa. Furthermore, her assertation that she wants to participate in movies which discuss social themes of today underscore her understanding of issues in mainstream media. Lall's case consumed the media for eight years. This case is considered a landmark ruling for women across India. It is unforunate that Kapoor reduced and distanced this case down to politics and its social analysis.

Perhaps money and ambition will be the only things what will connect Kapoor to Lall.

Unfortunate indeed.