Reading George Fox

I watched Dil Se.. last night and without the proper context I had a completely unreasonable reaction. I was disturbed and disgusted by Amar’s stalking and misogynist treatment of Meghna—how many times does a woman have to say no before you leave her the fuck alone. Following her home, threatening to barge in on her family, bribing an official to see what numbers she called, assaulting her because she “lied” about being married.1 Ugh! It didn’t help that TIME (where we found the film) don’t clearly provide the context of that there are 17+ groups fighting the government in north-east India and the conflict has been going on there since at least the 60s. Emphasizing that Dil Se.. …is probably best known for the A.R. Rahman-penned hit “Chaiyya Chaiyya” — performed on the roof and flatbeds of a moving train — during which you hope the hip-gyrating dancers don’t fall off. Doesn’t exactly convey the serious topic that the film is addressing. As an ignorant American, I thought the reference to a “terrorist leader” and “a mission to assassinate the prime minister” were more along the lines of the absurdity of Tropic Thunder or Zoolander. Oh, what fun—a romantic comedy…