Bombshell that altered workspaces

When was the last time I watched a film in the theatre and felt an instant urge to catch it again within a span of a week Jay Roachs Bombshell that opened in cinemas this Friday Whats the huge achievement within it cinematically that calls for a repeat view so soon Its no great shakes in that sense of course Only a thoroughly engaging story entertainingly told to reflect what history may judge as the turning point for women in the workplaceTalking more specifically about the headquarters of Fox News mdashthe mouthpiece of American Right Wing politics Zeroing in further on its founder Roger Ailes And a series of MeToo allegations starting with an old associate Gretchen Carlson Nicole Kidman and later by Megyn Kelly Charlize Theron among several othersWhere would you get a more detailedindepth account of the life and times of Ailes who in turn redefined the way we consume mainstream television news as pure unabashed propaganda for a replicable playbook mdash prompting a full genre of totally chaatu terribly compromised onedimensional opinionled channels over a hundred of them in India alone blurring lines between fact and fiction or fake news as wellWell you watch the sevenpart miniseries The Loudest Voice on Hotstar with Russel Crowe in Ailes role I caught it quite a few months back The one shotscene I distinctly remember among so much that plays on screen is when Ailes is gleaning at audition tapes of anchors he intends to hire for Fox News backed by Ruper Murdoch with very little time leftWhats with the pussy masala he yells looking at an Indian girl on the audition tape Screw diversity Ailes is clear what his anchors should look like mdash his audienceAmerican Conservative Whites for one Any other box to be checked WellBefore he started Fox Ailes used to work at CNBC About a decade ago I remember sitting among drunk bankertype friends where all they seemed to talk about by way of celebrity gossip or male loosetalk were attractive anchors on CNBC India I found that quite intriguing and checked with my colleagues at the newspaper if we could put together a story on hot female celebs reporting on boring quarterly results and Sensex numbers simultaneously soaring temperatures on a business channelThe anchors my colleagues tried to get in touch froze at the suggestion mdash even calling me back to be please kept out of it Can understand why Nobody would want to be reduced to a sex object when their dayjob involves reporting on something as serious as the economy And yet television is a visual medium as Ailes says repeatedly in Bombshell offhandedly asking his colleagues or job applicants to either twirl or lift their skirts upThis is the sort of casual harassment one came across a lot while investigating MeToo allegations within the Bombay film industry as well What spot does that put an aspirant into An awkward one of course as you watch the former weather girl Kayla Pospisil Margot Robbie in Ailes room as he John Lithgow in Bombshell goes too far Shes left with no choice but to do as he saysAt no point does Ailes make it seem like theres something odd going on here As if what hes checking for is merely a professional demand Which is the sort of toxic environments that men over generations have thrived on while their victims have remained perplexed and often played along When the allegations do come out several years after the actual incident some turn around to ask Why now Well because this is the time I guessFor years Ive been part of drawing room conversations with journalists who at some point or the other had worked with MJ Akbar a former newspaper editor notorious for calling female employees over to his hotel room while he was in his boxers Or to his officecabin often allegedly jumping them if not making suggestive remarks tending towards fullblown sexual harassment Heres how Id heard these allegations until they publicly came tumbling out one after another mdash as jokes Over drinks seriouslyThats what societal gaslighting does to its survivors Makes them collectively believe its okay As did a whole lot of women in Ailes case That Ailes was a completely unscrupulous man with his work life is a given How youre with one thing is what youd be with everything else Didnt surprise anyone that he was equally a jerk in his nonwork life He passed away in 2017But his story whether The Loudest Voice but more particularly Bombshell is an incredible reminder for generations on how the conspiracy of silence at the workplace was finally breached defying odds and taking a toll on the powerful Could do with a similar film on Akbar even a documentary would doMayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass culture He tweets mayankw14 Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paperCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates