Tip Tip Barsa Pani: Ritika Passi

RITIKA PASSI wonders at the depletion of scarce water resources by Bollywood

THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY is expected to grow faster than the GDP. By 2020, India could run out of drinking water. What’s the connection? Gone are the days when you could cite continuously flushing toilets and leaking taps as causes of water shortage: The newest and much more glamorous culprit is our healthy, wealthy, but not so wise Bollywood industry. India’s very own tinsel town has a major hand in depleting precious water resources. Think of all the rain sequences in Indian movies, particularly the rain dances. It’s estimated that around 28,000 litres of water are needed for a single rain sequence in a film. And that too pure water, since actors fear rashes. The amount is enough to fulfill the water requirements of 30 families for four weeks, according to an art director interviewed by a leading daily. Puts the leaking DJB water tankers to shame. And before you go, “What about movies like Titanic and Poseidon?”, remember the words ‘special effects’, which are much more advanced there than here? So while in Gujarat nearly 4,000 villages suffer from severe water scarcity every year, not to fear — the scantily clad damsel in distress in a Yash Raj Production will be sufficiently drenched to artfully capture her nubile form enticing her indifferent lover through yet another song. While Bollywood may indeed have given us evergreen rain song numbers, like the more modest pyaar hua ikraar hua and the sizzling tip tip barsa paani, it’s time to ask whether it’s worth the environmental fallout. And these are just the water woes. Consider this: Hollywood spews around 2,000 tonnes of CO2 for every average big-budget movie. Moreover, 8,00,000 sheets of paper are wasted by the average blockbuster. Bollywood can’t be far behind, considering how well we like to compete with our western counterpart. And it’s also said that a one-minute shot eats up 120 KW. Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bachchan and the likes may have joined unforgettable world tours to highlight climate change; Vidya Balan may have taken part in the illustrious plantation drive on World Environment Day. But the fact remains — Bollywood is a ‘dirty’ business. Tip Tip Barsa Pani is a famous rain song from the Bollywood movie, Mohra (1994) and the phrase literally means the sound(tip tip) of water dripping. (Ritika Passi studies at the Amity School of Communication, Amity University)

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 48, Dated Dec 06, 2008