License to Swear

It is not new to Tamil cinema that fans emulate their on-screen idols. Dialogues mouthed by stars have spread to every nook and cranny of Tamil Nadu that we often hear- 'Naan Oru thadavai sonna...' until the recent 'Naanga summave kaattu kaattunu kaatuvom...'

It was all in good spirits, until Mankatha happened. Venkat prabhu and Ajith have set a new trend which is worrisome. Ajith mouths profanity (the 'o' word, 'f' word, the 's' word etc.) at every given opportunity. Every one of us must have noticed the increase in usage of such words in networking sites like facebook, twitter, blogs etc, where young minds, teens and elderly have a presence. In effect, Ajith has given the license to his fans to swear in public, though not intentional. 

In one of the countless alcohol-glorifying scenes in the movie, Ajith drinks & drives and also makes casual remarks when he mouths the dialogue 'Light-a pottu vandi ottanum. 'Light-AA' pottu vandi ottavey kudathu'. Does this trivialize the dangers of drinking and driving? The protagonist of Mankatha fakes love, cheats on his girl friend and shows no remorse. The Director goes one step further and stylishly portrayed the act of how he dumps her. And by the way, being excessively obsessed about money is actually least of the issues one may find in Mankatha.

I don't want to sound like a culture police or an anti-Ajith fan. But, the phenomenon of such copycat effect among public is well documented by psychologists and behavioral scientists. Did Mankatha set a wrong example? Did the certification fail to do their job by giving Mankatha a "U/A"? Did Mankatha team act irresponsibly knowing that they had the power to influence a generation of impressionable minds?

Wish Ajith fans and teens refrain from getting influenced by the character in the movie and still stick to the real-life persona of their hero.

- Sanjana Shekar (Visitor Column)

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