Comedy group AIB has been known to parody the Bollywood’s inherent sexism with their satirical jabs, such as the popular musical video Harassment Through The Ages, which chronicled the abuse that female characters are subjected to in Hindi films. Its latest video, featuring Kangana Ranaut dancing to a pardoy of the song Chittiyan Kalaayiyaan, mocks the many ways in which Bollywood continues to objectify its female actors.
In the video, Ranaut is a lead on a typical film set, but the director refuses to recognise her. She is labeled a diva when she protests against the sexist lines she’s being asked to speak, but the director limply acquiesces to the lead actor when he suggests the same change. As Ranaut breaks into a dance, the lyrics point out several of Bollywood’s most glaring idiosyncrasies, including the tendency of Hindi films to take close-ups of female waists, and the massive age gaps between male and female leads in popular movies.
The video, titled Bollywood Diva Song, calls out token feminism in Hindi films, and the persistent wage gaps between male and female actors. It also refers to nepotism in Bollywood, an issue about which Ranaut has been especially vocal.
The video cannot resist incorporating a mention of yet another controversy around Ranaut. “I didn’t write the lyrics of this song,” she declares at the end, alluding to the row over the writing credits of Simran, which will be released on September 15. The video ends with a plug to watch Hansal Mehta’s movie.
