A new show on Star World attempts to delve into the mind of the modern man. Its host AATISH TASEER talks to Eram Agha about the pressure of being perfect
long time back Aatish Taseer, the writer of Noon, was in Sindh for tapping the soul of Pakistan that lies in its feudal reserves. There he met Hameed Mahesari, the Mango King who lived in poverty but had the aspirations of being a gentleman; else he wouldn’t have carried a book that was a guide to being one. Hameed showed it to Taseer saying, “It says a gentleman never adjusts his crotch in public.” It wouldn’t be wrong to wonder if his new show on Star World Chivas Studio-Gentlemen’s Code is a fall-out of that gentlemanly encounter!
The television series looks into analysing the mind of modern Indian men. “I have been following the trends and felt there is something wrong. I found that Indian masculinity is in crisis. I agreed to take this show because it addresses the problems in a lighter way, I am also excited by the reach of television, which makes difficult accessible,” he said.
As a young boy he grew up admiring Sonny Mehta as a thorough gentleman. Mehta, who is a publisher at Alfred A Knopf exhibited immense ease while talking about culture, literature and wines and that left an indelible mark on Taseer. He was different from other whiskey guzzling men. But in the modern context the term has lost its value. Taseer finds the idea of being a gentleman quite antiquated.
“The word suggests a very fixed idea of what a man should be. In the modern context it brings to mind only two things: fustiness and pornography. An Indian man — or any man — is finding new ways of being today in relation to women, to his work, to love and sexuality. He is not thinking of being a gentleman. Besides, that word has a very specific historical context, which, to my mind, has less meaning,” he said.
The antidote to the problems of living with modern Indian men is re-invention. Of late Indian masculinity has been subject to scrutiny and questioning glances, it has made news for revealing their dark side, especially in relation to fairer sex. Acid attacks, rape, stalking make for their claim to infamy. “Indian men are under tremendous pressure to make themselves anew. It is not just that traditional roles are breaking down and have become more fluid. But Indian masculinity has shown itself to have a very dark side, especially in relation to women,” he said and added, “They are trying to find a new equilibrium while at the same time retaining some sense of who they are. They are not trying to break with their past, abruptly. But probably already many men are unrecognisable to their fathers.”
To be able to meet the demands of the contemporary world, where women jostle for their space, men can re-think and re-fashion themselves on these lines. “Read, as it develops the human side on any individual. The modern man should be questioning because doubt is the sign of an intelligent mind. They should show discernment towards humanities and be open to literature, culture and arts. I quite liked the way the film 3 Idiots handled the subject of our society’s hangover with fields like finance, investment and engineering.”
Bollywood has been tremendously influential on the psyche of modern Indian men; some films have given a new feel to male characters as seen in Ayan Mukerji’s works. “His movies show men with diffident masculinity, they are the self-doubting and questioning, we don’t have patriarchs in his films,” he said.
He signed off with a tip for budding writers, “If you have to write then no point having romantic notions about it. Don’t wait for inspiration. Just get started if you have to write. Be prepared to face rejection and handle a lot of discomfort. Give time to reading if you wish to take up writing. I spend eight hours a day just reading,” he said.