It's not all song and dance in Bollywood

Bollywood actor Imran Khan stares deadpan into the camera. He says he is going to answer some "basic questions" on homosexuality.

How do you make a gay person straight?

"Actually very simple to make someone un-gay," he says. "Go to nearest gay person and flick the switch at the back of the head."

Mocking conservative attitudes towards homosexuality, the satirical video starring the 30-year-old actor, of Delhi Belly fame, attracted 188,189 views on YouTube within a week.

Khan is among a host of Bollywood celebrities, particularly from the younger lot, who are increasingly willing to lend their fame to address social issues.

From spoofing conservative attitudes towards women and homosexuality to reminding the public to keep their cities clean and treat tourists with respect, Indian celebrities are speaking out.

Khan's video was in response to a Supreme Court decision last Dec 11 reinstating a colonial-era law that says gay sex is illegal.

"When the ruling came out, we were very angry. So we thought we needed to say something," said Mr Rohan Joshi, one of four stand-up comedians who call themselves the AIB.

Mr Joshi says he got in touch with Imran Khan, whom he had previously met. The actor immediately said yes.

It is a far cry from the time when Bollywood stars had such controlled public personas that they were not even allowed to say if they had a girlfriend or boyfriend.

"At the end of the day Bollywood occupies an icon status," said Mumbai-based brand strategy specialist Harish Bijoor. "When Bollywood says something, particularly young Bollywood, it makes people sit up."

A few months ago, another spoof video, also by AIB, starring actress Kalki Koechlin of hit movies such as Dev. D, mocked misogynistic attitudes to women and rape.

"Scientific studies suggest that women who wear skirts are the leading cause of rape," says Koechlin, wearing a short skirt. "Do you know why? Because men have eyes."

The video then shows women wearing a range of outfits, from a burqa to a spacesuit, to drive home the point that it does not matter what women wear.

The video, titled It's Your Fault, was in response to conservative groups which accused women of inviting rape by wearing skimpy clothing. It has been seen more than 3,179,133 times since it was uploaded on You Tube last Sept 19.

"Using humour for powerful messages is the most insidious way to get an idea across. When you get somebody laughing you get their defences down, which means they are way more receptive to ideas, even something as serious as this," said Mr Joshi.

On a more serious note, actress Kareena Kapoor, a leading lady in many movies, is fronting a mobile safety app for women which sends messages to four people with the press of a button.

In a television advertisement, she describes how women need to be conscious of their safety even when in the lift. The ad appeared before prominent editor Tarun Tejpal - now in jail - was accused by a colleague of assaulting her in a lift.

Elsewhere, actor and filmmaker Farhan Akhtar started an organisation last year called Mard, which means "man" in Hindi. It stands for Men Against Rape and Discrimination, and aims to create awareness of gender equality and respect towards women. He has taken out TV spots as part of the drive.

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, one of the three reigning Khans or kings of Bollywood, was the first to discuss social issues on his TV chat show Satyamev Jayate, or Truth Alone Prevails, in 2012.

He took on issues such as pesticides in food, domestic violence and the abortion of female foetuses. One episode on medical malpractice led to the formation of a parliamentary panel to look into the problem.

Aamir Khan is now on TV telling the public to keep India clean and treat tourists with respect.

"This is definitely a growing trend. It is a broad representation of society. People are campaigning on issues and that is happening all across society," said Mr Robinder Sachdev, president of Imagindia, a think-tank.

gnirmala@sph.com.sg

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