Everyone loves Ahad Raza Mir, right? He’s one of the finest actors we have right now – a fact he’s proven every now and again through brilliant performances. In fact, such is his dedication to his craft that many fans were left bowled over by the fact that he’d be making an appearance overseas – as he has, on Resident Evil. Given that he’s also been signed on for the second season of BBC’s World On Fire, fans had even more reasons to celebrate.
But here’s the kicker: Ahad Raza Mir has starred in some steamy(ish) scenes in Resident Evil, and while it’s nothing that the general Netflix/OTT watching awaam isn’t already used to, it has sparked a larger debate.
Love And Criticism
Again, some fans have shown nothing but blind love and support – as is their right. We get it. You enjoy an actor’s craft and you have reason to celebrate more of it. Many people are also claiming that they’re proud of the actor’s trajectory. However, there is criticism as well.
There are certain boundaries that exist when a local actor goes overseas to perform. While global art is not necessarily bound by shades of traditional morality, our actors seem to carry those values upon their backs when they travel. It is due to the occurrence of certain actions on Ahad’s character’s part that have led to a debate over how a line was allegedly crossed. People are claiming that if one abandons their moral compass, being cast overseas becomes a lot easier.
We must acknowledge that this criticism comes from an audience that ties morality heavily with their artists. Ahad is not the first artist to perform overseas, and strangely enough, he is also not the first to offend the audience to such an extent either. Which brings us to the second aspect of this larger conversation.
Double Standards
An actress smoking with an Indian actor had to face weeks of backlash, moral policing, and shaming. Another actress was in certain intimate scenes in a Bollywood flick, and could not live that down for quite a while. Actresses, should they choose to don anything other than what the audience deems modest, face a plethora of trolling, shaming, name-calling, and degradation – on quite a regular basis. The fact that there is a gendered angle to all this cannot be ignored.
It is quite a privilege to then, be a man, and be able to leave home, committing to a scene that may invoke anger, without seemingly worrying about the consequences. Especially when the scene in question is not entirely pertinent to the plot, and could have (seemingly) easily been omitted. However, the perceived luxury of choice has not gone unnoticed.
Is this a lesson for the actor in question, or the audience at large? That, perhaps, is an open-ended query for all of you to answer.
 scene in Resident Evil, and while it's nothing that the awaam isn't used to, it has sparked a larger debate.){kind=link}