The captivatingly cynical short series on Disney+ Hotstar, Feud:Capote vs the Swans, is set within the bitchy and dazzling circles of 1970s New York high society. Conditioned to see life through the lens of art, it’s not surprising that a writer like Truman Capote couldn’t resist tapping into his world of privilege and glamour for material. However, after he spun a scintillating (if snarky) account of his best friends, the ‘It-girls’ of that era, unveiling their darkest secrets in Esquire, Capote became persona non grata among this rarefied group of socialites.
The (unspoken) cardinal rule being that salacious gossip restricted to Chinese whispers is acceptable (even enjoyable), but crossing boundaries and exposing peoples’ unsavoury truths in the guise of literature is not.
For anyone at the receiving end of malice from a close friend, it can be a gut punch worse than heartbreak to discover a former confidant saw you as a shallow social climber and then proceeded to make money off the embarrassing details of your superficiality. The betrayal was crushing because Capote’s article revealed exactly what these doyens were at great pains to hide; that beneath their carefully cultivated imperious airs and consummate chic, like everybody else, they wanted reality to be other than what it was.
Actually, Capote was lucky the bevy of stylish beauties he endearingly named his Swans didn’t bludgeon him to death and, instead, adopted the cunning strategy of the freeze treatment, by denying him entry into his favourite haunts. Point to note, the UN lists solitary confinement as a form of torture and studies coming out on the negative effects of loneliness on lifespans are alarming. Being cast aside and ignored can be a living hell, especially knowing it’s an entirely justified response to one’s own dreadful behaviour.
But it’s also worth remembering that it’s a writer’s instinct to record observations. Rare are those readily willing to pop a vein, risk their friendships to critique human nature and shed (a malicious light) on a particular time. The greatest artists have always been those who choose to stay fiercely uninhibited. They couldn’t give two hoots about winning popularity contests and would rather be free to gleefully pen down acerbic anecdotes about the world around them. Masterpieces like Vanity Fair and The Picture of Dorian Gray skillfully turned gossip into cultural insight. Is that ruthless? Maybe. W M Thackeray himself declared, “All is vanity, nothing is fair”. There’s no denying that this kind of biting satire in Feud is a fascinating mirror in which we all see something of ourselves (and it serves as a sobering reminder to always be wary of the Capote in our midst).
The fact is, everyone talks about everybody they know. People have been slyly making fun of people behind their backs, since time immemorial. There are Biblical proverbs on the dangers of mindless gossip: like, where there is no talebearer, the strife ceases or the prudent hold their tongues. Put three friends out of four together, they’ll animatedly discuss the one missing. So, it’s impossible to go through life without being gossiped about yet, it’s always a shock to discover that somebody doesn’t view us as positively as we view ourselves. Most of the petty issues between adults stem from idle chatter; some random misconstrued comment that’s gotten back from some third party, with extra spice thrown in (The situation is aptly remedied with a sarcastic barb right back, cleverly shared with someone you know will shoot their mouth off).
Frustratingly, we’re expected to coolly laugh off the nonsense we hear about ourselves as capricious rubbish, and display calm wisdom though every instinct makes you want to punch the perpetrator in the face. Most of us aren’t stoic Gandhians, so we seethe, shrug and eventually forget, but only once the slander shifts elsewhere.
The writer is director, Hutkay Films
Most petty issues between adults stem from idle chatter; some random misconstrued comment that’s gotten back from some third party
15
1
11.02.2024
The captivatingly cynical short series on Disney Hotstar, Feud:Capote vs the Swans, is set within the bitchy and dazzling circles of 1970s New York high society. Conditioned to see life through the lens of art, it’s not surprising that a writer like Truman Capote couldn’t resist tapping into his world of privilege and glamour for material. However, after he spun a scintillating (if snarky) account of his best friends, the ‘It-girls’ of that era, unveiling their darkest secrets in Esquire, Capote became persona non grata among this rarefied group of socialites.
The (unspoken) cardinal rule being that salacious gossip restricted to Chinese whispers is acceptable (even enjoyable), but crossing boundaries and exposing peoples’ unsavoury truths in the guise of literature is not.
For anyone at the receiving end of malice from a close friend, it can be a gut punch worse than heartbreak to discover a former confidant saw you as a shallow social climber and then proceeded to make........
© Indian Express
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