Does a woman’s beauty hijack her talent, intelligence and hard work?

Three and a half decades ago when my gifted sis-in-law was shooting her path-breaking film Parama, two queries confronted us. One, will the beautiful Bollywood star Rakhee be able to headline the title role, complex and many-layered, with the right amount of depth, intensity and sensitivity? Will the Sharmilee, Daag, Kabhi Kabhi, Kala Patthar, Shakti, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, Blackmail dazzler be able to pull off the character of a (seemingly) happily-married wife and mother of three suddenly involved with a much younger man and in the turbulent process, discover herself? For viewers, Aparna Sen’s bold decision in that innocent time, hit target big time, with the current shut for weeks because the Advance Booking was working overtime!

The second involved a small and intimate dinner party at the director-sahiba’s flat in Kolkata for select invitees. Rakhee, obviously, was an important guest and that’s where I first met her close and upfront. Warm, friendly, frank, funny and totally un-starry, she was indeed a stunning looker, prompting a cynical, judgmental, hard-boiled veteran female journo to gush “My God, her beauty completely paralyses the critical faculties and seduces the senses, full-on!” This got me thinking-- Does beauty make you blind and hijack your sense of perspective, all the way?

There is clear evidence of this in celeb-ville. From the breathtakingly lovely British actor of the 50’s, 60’s, even 70’s. Vivian Leigh to Jacqueline Bisset, Catherine Denueve and gang to our very own Madhubala, Suchitra Sen, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Ashwarya Rai Bachchan and company, all have – at some point – complained bitterly of this malaise; of people completely getting swept away by their looks and ignoring every other trait of their personality. This Your face is your fortune syndrome.

Several years ago, the British media was ablaze with the 37 year old author Zadie Smith’s White Teeth chewing publicity galore. Many critics complained that it’s her stunning looks that triggered this brouhaha and therefore they found it difficult to take the book seriously. An indignant and furious Mr Smith was reported to have responded with “the assumption that good looking women cannot/are not intelligent is sinister, powering the male gaze to crazy heights. Please blame it on the ridiculous obsession of the salivating photo editors!” Shobha De – no mean looker herself – joined the party in a flash.

She went on to compare her with our Jhumpa Lahiri “Now, this Indian export is seriously gorgeous looking but nobody thinks less of her as an amazing writer and nor does she seem conscious of it. If anything, it enhances the curiosity, attention, excitement and drawing power of her looks and is essentially part of her public persona and positioning as a beauty with looks and brains.” De also drew attention to the fact that in this consumerist age, branding is the key – be it film stars, sportsperson, musicians, painters, artistes, politicians, even Corporates and Communication biggies – the new catalyst that connects the product to its audience. “We live in the visual age. Attention time has shrunk. Everybody wants to look good in the public domain and desperately seeks that quick-fix. The lucky few who are born and blessed with it, should milk it all the way!”

Not all in the beauty brigade agrees. Many hesitate to respond positively because somewhere they feel – from experience – that their looks are their calling card with every other aspect summarily dismissed- talent, hard work, commitment, intelligence, the works. They find it humiliating and struggle with the conflict between beauty and brains.

Behavorial Scientist Tanya Sehgal slings out this view with disdain. “What’s all this crap about conflict relating to beauty versus brains? There never was, is or will be. Beautiful women will always be traffic-stoppers and draw instant attention in any crowd compared to their plain-Jane friends because looks come first. Everything comes later. How they handle it, of course, is their choice.” Osmel Sousa, the redoubtable head of the famed Miss Venezuela Pageant and famous for selection of blazing beauties, openly ridicules this thinking. “What’s this hooey about inner beauty? Bull crap! It doesn’t exist. It’s something that the non-lookers have invented to lessen the sting and justify their non-descript looks. To distract people from getting over-awed by the good-looking woman and beg attention their way.” He points out that “if this was true, why the craze, all over the world for plastic surgery, botox etc for women of all ages? I rest my case!”

Phew – be that as it may, beauty continues to be a double-edged sword prompting many of the gorgeous gang to believe that they are applauded, feted, celebrated, wowed – even accommodated, tolerated and excused – for the wrong reason. Respected Social Commentator Ashish Nandy winds up this continuous debate, in style. ”It’s something like fame. People may not know you, your back story or exact calling but they’ve seen your pictures splashed over the media and that’s good enough. There is little doubt that many of these women possess a large quantum of other traits - charm, intelligence, wit and are well-read & well-informed – but unfortunately society’s overwhelming premium on looks hijack these qualities. These must anger, irritate and frustrate many who genuinely believe that beauty is not an achievement but a matter of genes. However, at the end of the day, would they honestly have the guts or desire to change places with their plain-Jane friends?

Everything considered, isn’t it a lot like the dilemma faced by actors and stars? Actors, despite their awards, respect and appreciation from the critics and intelligentsia, don’t they secretly pine for a little stardust and mass appeal? And don’t Stars, despite their mass craze, wealth and fame also yearn for critical approval, aware that they are perceived as nothing more than glamorous cardboard cut-out eye-candy-entertainers?

Over to you, esteemed reader.