Somy Ali Wonders Why The Land Of Kama Sutra Would Ban Porn As Long As There’s No Sexual Trafficking Involved
When we were kids, we’d read in our social sciences textbooks that India was a land of paradoxes. And when we grew up, we understood that these paradoxes were more often than not born of hypocrisy. Take, for example, our rich history when it comes to the art of physical pleasure. Our temples in Khajuraho and Vatsyayana’s Kama Sutra evoke a sense of pride. But this pride can’t always be overt, because while it is our history, sex and pleasure are subjects that we cannot discuss openly because “woh humaari sanskriti, humaari sabhyata ke khilaaf hai”. That’s a paradox. The hypocrisy is when the same men who rattle these statements are secretly watching porn on their smartphones behind closed doors. And that same hypocrisy is being called out by Somy Ali, in connection with the porn case that Raj Kundra has been embroiled in.
Currently, a major point raised by Raj Kundra’s defence team is that the content that he is being associated with is erotica not porn. There’s debate around how much this argument can hold in court. Meanwhile, there are also questions being raised on whether the actors who shot for these videos did it consensually or were forced into doing this. In the even that it is latter, the crime gets even more heinous.
Former Bollywood actor Somy Ali has addressed this case, and said that she has nothing against porn or those who work in the pornography industry, as long as it is ethically and consensually done. Moreover, she is also a bit surprised that the land of Kama Sutra would harbour such prudish attitude toward pornography or erotica.
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“The mere taboo of talking about sex or porn ignites more curiosity. Personally, I don’t judge those who choose porn as their profession as long as no one is hurt or sexually trafficked. It is pivotal that there shouldn’t be any sort of coercion. Otherwise, what anyone chooses to do sexually is none of my or anyone’s business. We have no right to judge anyone. I have nothing against people who engage in pornography or those who make it their profession.”
Also Read: Somy Ali Says She’s Not In Touch With Ex-Boyfriend Salman Khan, Doesn’t Know How Many Gfs He’s Had Since
Somy Ali also talked about another important related issue which she agrees deserves a lot more attention that it is getting—sex education. She told Hindustan Times that the more art depicts the reality that humans are sexual creatures instead of hiding it behind taboos, the more normal it would become and then people won’t have to indulge in pornography in secret.
“I deem this to be a cinematic and artistic progression. Intimate love has no meaning without intimacy, hence, kissing or depicting scenes of passion should and must be a norm. It’s a step forward and it’s about time that in 2021 we are able to create such art and be more realistic when it comes to the normalcy of humans being sexual creatures. The more nonchalant our attitude is towards something; the less people will have to hide from wanting to admit to what they like or dislike such as watching porn.”
For years now, there have been arguments in favour or legalising porn as well as prostitution in our country, as it is in several countries in the West. And each time, there have been sharp intakes of break and shocked faces when this suggestion is made. That is not “Indian culture”, apparently. This association of something biological with culture, which is a social concept, is super problematic. But what keeping both porn and prostitution illegal does is make it easier for those who work in these industries to get exploited, and without proper rights to seek legal recourse to take action against this exploitation.
Also, currently, the illegal income from these businesses can be assumed to be lining the pockets of so many people, who are afraid that legalising these professions would stop this influx of cash into their accounts.
While the allegations surfacing against Raj Kundra make his case a tad complicated, it is indeed time that the lawmakers and the society gives some thought to how we can attack the root cause of the problem instead of just snipping off the bad fruit that will keep popping up.
