Dark tales of corruption and worse in Bollywood, the Indian film industry, are stalking the media. Which hardly makes it different from Hollywood where since the earliest days crime, cover-up and financial ‘manipulation’ have been the watchword. Even today drug-taking is almost de rigueur.
Though Bollywood does appear to have stronger links to organised crime, with some film funding known to come from the Mumbai underworld, which is reported to influence several prominent film personalities. Mumbai organised-crime hitmen shot Rakesh Roshan, a film director and father of star Hrithik Roshan, in January 2000. (wiki)
What has brought Bollywood back into focus is the death of Sushant Rajput and the arrest of actress Rhea Chakraborty on charges that she organized drugs for him. (See post below September 11 2020). She was described as an “active member of a drugs syndicate” by the drugs probe agency.
The first Bollywood film was premiered on 21 April 1913 at 9pm in Mumbai. This gives an indulgent and creative Sun Venus in Taurus opposition an intense hidden 12th house Scorpio Moon squaring onto an innovative Uranus in the 3rd. What is striking is an 8th house Pluto which does suggest dark forces pulling financial strings. There is also a money-magnet Jupiter in the 2nd opposition to a slippery Neptune in Cancer.
Hollywood, though it isn’t directly comparable since the chart is of the incorporation of the town itself, 1 February 1887, does have a ruthless, high-risk Mars square Pluto Neptune, which also hints at dirty and dangerous dealings, all given a cosmetic aura by ethereal Neptune.
Sushant Rajput, 21 January 1986, had an Aquarius Sun Venus squaring a Pluto in Scorpio opposition North Node in Taurus – all of which sits neatly (or otherwise) on top of the Bollywood Moon, Venus Sun, Uranus T square – so he fitted, albeit uncomfortably into the film world. His Pluto conjunct the Bollywood 12th house Scorpio Moon and his North Node opposition do raise flags. An intense connection that tied into his destiny. His Pluto squaring the Bollywood Uranus could also indicate a capacity (however unconscious) for upsetting the applecart and causing disruption.
Though in some ways Rhea Chakraborty’s interface with Bollywood seems more ominous with her Sun, Venus, Moon falling in the Bollywood secretive, financial 8th house. Her highly-strung Uranus Neptune is conjunct the Bollywood Jupiter. And her Mars in Taurus opposes the Bollywood Moon which does seem more significant by the minute. The Mars opposition Pluto square Saturn in her chart would in any event hint at a tendency to walk on the dark side.
Her relationship chart with Bollywood is fairly stark with a Yod of a confident Jupiter sextile Pluto inconjunct a risky, aggravated Mars Saturn conjunction. And it will rock n’ roll seriously in 2021/22 with tr Pluto conjunct the composite Uranus – so more may come out into the open.
The Bollywood chart is labouring under a confused and devastating tr Pluto opposition Neptune till late this year which could be Covid-connected. And there’s also an upsetting tr Uranus opposition the Moon which picked up just after Sushant’s death and runs into March 2021 – which could perhaps have the capacity to bring secrets into the open.
Although I doubt it’ll lead to any wholesale cleaning out of the murk.
Thank you
“A rising star in Bollywood, Mr Rajput grew up in India’s impoverished northern Bihar state, and was considered an emblem of India’s growing social mobility. But his death has led to bitter recriminations, with his family accusing Ms Chakraborty of leading their son astray.
She had, they alleged, controlled both his movements and his finances by the use of witchcraft. Mr Rajput’s father even accused her of poisoning his son and abetting in his suicide – a crime punishable by ten years in prison.
Ms Chakraborty endured weeks of interrogation after being arrested, and has already been cleared of murder allegations after evidence proved her partner had suffered mental health problems.
Activists say the case has highlighted a toxic misogyny in Indian public attitudes, as well as dangerously outdated views around mental health. Rather than accepting the possibility that Mr Singh took his own life because he was depressed, it was blamed automatically on a malign female influence.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/09/16/bollywood-uproar-amid-drugs-witch-hunt/
I’m actually astonished how successful the Bollywood film industry has been. I mean, most of their films are corny/silly musicals and many (not all) of their actors/actresses try to resemble knockoffs of B-rate American actors/actresses.
I love world cinema and foreign language films. And India (when working on joint film projects with other countries) has produced some really good films. For example, one of my favorite Indian films was “The Terrorist” directed by Santosh Sivan. The film was a drama with a fictionalized account of the female Tamil Tiger suicide bomber Thenmozhi Rajaratnam responsible for assassinating Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. It’s a wonderful film and I highly recommend it.
Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta are two of my favorite directors from India and I’ve enjoyed every film they’ve released.