I’m pretty sure that when you read the title of this post, you would have rolled your eyes and thought, “Feminism and Bollywood? As if!”
Honestly, I wouldn’t blame you. Bollywood is known for churning out movies with chauvinists who think the purpose of a woman in the story is just to be a decorative showpiece. This showpiece can be harassed by heroes, tormented by archaic mothers-in-law, and is still made to withstand it all and act submissive.
Barf.
But on rare occasions, even Bollywood has produced some phenomenal movies that empower women from different backgrounds and embody the spirit of feminism quite beautifully.
(And no, I’m not talking about Veere Di Wedding, which practically made a mockery of feminism with its elitist, tasteless storyline and thought that reverse objectification was ‘empowering’.)
These movies have compelling female protagonists, intriguing male characters and rich storylines.
1. Queen
Arguably one of Kangana Ranaut’s best movies, Queen is about Rani, a young woman who goes on her honeymoon alone after being jilted by her fiancé on her wedding day. Once she reaches Paris, her honeymoon destination, Rani embarks on a wonderful journey of self-discovery and makes some incredible friends from all around the world along the way. What’s even more endearing about this movie is how Rani grows into a confident young woman, who now knows exactly what she wants in her life.
2. Piku
Piku is a delightful story of a young Bengali architect (played by Deepika Padukone) who sticks with her aging father (played by Amitabh Bachchan), regardless of how cranky, stubborn or irrational he tends to get. No matter how hard they bicker, both Piku and Bhashkor love each other deeply. This movie’s charm lies in its simplicity, but what stuck with me was how Piku chose to take care of her father, even when she could have easily gotten married to a rich man and not be bothered about her father, because in our archaic society, girls don’t normally look after their parents post-marriage. What I find even more fascinating is that Bhashkor is completely against her getting married, but is fine with her having casual relationships. Also, the male love interest, Rana, is a true gentleman who helps the father-daughter duo throughout and doesn’t creepily lay his head on Piku’s lap like certain Dilwales do to their prospective Dulhanias.
3. Raazi
Based on the riveting novel “Calling Sehmat”, Raazi is about Sehmat Khan (portrayed by Alia Bhatt), a seemingly ingenue Kashmiri bride, who is married off to a family with ties to the army in Pakistan in the wake of the 1971 India-Pakistan war. The twist here is that she is actually a spy for the Indian government who collects information about the Pakistani army’s strategies. The best part about Raazi is that all the characters, regardless of their nationalities, are shown as complex human beings who neither have a heart of gold nor are too evil.
4. English Vinglish
What was initially brushed off as a yesteryear superstar’s comeback vehicle turned out to be a landmark film on women’s empowerment. English Vinglish is about a housewife, Shashi (played to perfection by the iconic Sridevi), who is often derided for her poor English speaking skills by her husband and daughter. While visiting the US for her niece’s wedding, Shashi attempts to master the language that was her greatest weakness by joining English classes. What I love about English Vinglish the most is how Shashi decided to confront her issues and grow into a more confident woman, who, while being encouraged by her niece and her foreign friends in her endeavour, did not let her condescending family members get to her.
5. Tumhari Sulu
Tumhari Sulu is about Sulochana (played by the wickedly talented Vidya Balan), an enthusiastic housewife who decides to become an RJ at a popular radio station. The reason why this movie is quite feminist is that it shows how Sulu, regardless of her elder twin sisters’ taunts and later, her husband’s envy, finds her true calling. This, I believe, has the potential to have a positive impact on many housewives out there, who constantly face derision.
Movies are not only a reflection of our society but they also strongly influence it. From the styles to the dialogues to the ideologies, movies do have an incredible impact on us.
This is why, empowering movies like these would surely help to change the patriarchal norms of our society, norms which have been aggravated by the mainstream cinema and television.
Hopefully, Bollywood will continue to produce gems like these and not nauseating masala films that propagate sexism.
Edited by Gauri Jhangiani (ASP 2019)