The moment reports streamed in that Kareena Kapoor has asked for Rs. 12 crore to play Sita in a mythological Bollywood movie based on the epic, Ramayan, netizens across the country have lost their collective s*it. Why? Well, for starters, most people are of the opinion that it should be an honour in itself to portray Sita on screen, and hence, the actress should either work for free or do it for much less. If that wasn't absurd enough, then there are the usual cartoon who, predictably, have raised fingers of how someone married to a Muslim (Saif Ali Khan), and who's names her son Taimur Ali Khan, can enact the role of Sita?
Rounding off the chorus are a few more jokers inquiring if Kareena Kapoor Khan has lived by the virtues of Sita till now or if she can embody her values henceforth. Don't take our word for it; the reports suggesting she's set to play Sita and the amount she has charged for the movie have sparked a memefest on Twitter that would've been hilarious were it not so outrageous, outlandish and downright nasty.
Going a step further, the same clowns have suggested Kangana Ranaut, Yami Gautam or South actresses Anushka Shetty and Keerthy Suresh should play the role, and no prizes for guessing their surnames or non-spousal tied to another community have played a huge part in the recommendations. So, what we gather from this is that to portray a character you either need to belong to same community/religion, have no ties with anybody from another community/religion, and do it for peanuts or better still, at no cost, if said character descends from a revered mythological text.
What about small things like acting, screen presence and pull with the audience? Come on, do such trivial aspects really hold sway in the larger scheme of things? As for being paid your money's worth as a professional...now...now... shouldn't your blessings be just compensation enough for your years of experience and hard work? Based on these criteria, we sincerely hope that those making these demands are asked the same the next time they go for a job interview. Oh, and yes, if their boss or workplace is overtly pious, then they better stick to their word and work for free.