Edited by: Madhumitha Arivu Chelvan
OPINION
When Birds of Prey (2020) was released, its collection at the box office was abysmal. I wondered why, considering the movie had a great plot paired with great acting. It’s yet more puzzling when films like those of the Fast and Furious series (an honestly terrible movie series where the man is the saviour, and the woman is the damsel in distress) were massive hits at the box office. I say terrible movie series, as their sole focus is to increase the perception that masculinity is dependent only on high adrenaline, testosterone-filled moments, regardless of a good plot. When I began going down the rabbit hole of lousy, cheesy movies that were male-centric and plot-less for the most part, I realised that we don’t have female parallels of such movies.
To begin with, what are the female-led movies that have been recognised by the Indian mainstream media? One famous film would be Queen (2013). Rani defies the stereotype of “a woman gets rejected by man and sulks throughout the movie till he accepts her”. Rani’s character development was fascinating to watch; she was society’s perfect conservative product that turned over a new leaf, defying all the expectations society held for her. Something I found fascinating after watching the movie was that there isn’t exactly a male counterpart to it. The movie isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s an excellent example of how every single woman-centric film is expected to have a subtle political commentary.
A few other Indian female-led movies like Dangal, Mary Kom, Piku, Mardaani, Thappad, and Tumhari Sulu have the same political plot: rejecting societal standards set for women. Not that we shouldn’t have movies like these, as these movies are absolute necessities; but how many male-led movies also have anything remotely “feminist”? Let’s take a look at one of the worst movies I’ve watched this past year: Love Aaj Kal 2 (2020). Here, just at the beginning of the film, we see that Sara Ali Khan’s character’s sole focus is her job and Nothing. Else. Not only does this reduce her to this aspect, but it also fails to make her a three-dimensional character (as many movies like this do). It portrays women who want to focus on their jobs as someone who can be convinced otherwise: that men are inherently the sole focus of their life.
Movies like this are usually male-centric, patriarchal and enforce gender stereotypes as much as they can through the ruse of portraying a modern, forward-thinking woman.
So why are female-centric movies subject to more criticism than their male counterparts? Why are men allowed to have films like Housefull (2010), where the humour is at the expense of the woman and her “controlling” nature? Why do we see movies like Housefull getting a full franchise regardless of their problematic nature?
If I had to give an easy answer to this, I’d say misogyny, with a hint of toxic masculinity. If you see the base plot of several male-dominated movies, you’ll know that it’s about how the guy needs to escape his wife/girlfriend who was extremely sweet initially, but then turns into a “chudail” (Hindi for ‘witch’). Mainstream films also have heterosexual couples “fighting” against society, where the man has to convince the girl’s parents to let her marry him. Here, his efforts are shown to be more critical than hers. When, in reality, her efforts to persuade her parents, and the struggle she undergoes to live with them is just as valid. Still, as soon as you make a movie with the female lead struggling harder than the male lead, it instantly becomes political. As if women cannot live without having someone else interpret it for us. In contrast, a “cheesy” movie like Veere di Wedding (2018) is called obscene, vulgar and indecent, while having the same type of humour as the Housefull series.
An unusual nuance I’ve noticed about female-led movies is how they have to be stripped of their femininity or casual nature to be taken seriously. In Dangal (2016), the two sisters, Geeta and Babita Phogat, physically transform their features to look more masculine to be socially adept at wrestling against boys. In Tumhari Sulu (2017), Sulu has to give up her relaxed and outgoing nature to fully transform into a homemaker, for her family to take her seriously. Sulu is continuously questioned about her ability to run the household just because her job is perceived to be less severe than her sisters. Despite proving herself to be a good homemaker and mother, her sisters degrade the nature of her work, essentially forcing her to quit. In Piku (2015), Piku has to give up her social life to take care of her constipated (literally) father. In Desi Boyz (2011), where Radhika feels betrayed and confronts Nick about how she’s feeling, she’s treated with hostility. And why? All because she was an independent, hardworking and capable woman. I sincerely hate the character portrayal of Radhika, because she represents so many of us who strive to be independent. Still, society, and movies like Desi Boyz and Love Aaj Kal 2, tell us that we have to have a man even to be happy.
Even when good political movies are made with female leads, to a certain extent, the woman still conforms to patriarchy and contributes to it. This bias that filmmakers have while making movies that are not only led by women, but by the marginalized and underrepresented, should be eliminated. The stereotype perpetuated by overly patriarchal movies like Desi Boys, Housefull, etc. eventually lead to systemic beliefs that set us back as a generation.
What the current film industry needs, be it international or local, is normalizing women in positions of power and breaking out of the shell that is patriarchy. More dumb, cheesy movies will show the mainstream that women are just human after all, that we shouldn’t be reduced to sex symbols or the ideal wife stereotype. The films that got it right like Dear Zindagi (2016), which portrayed a young woman struggling with relationships and her mental health – don’t do well at the box office. This is because more mainstream films have already deeply perpetuated the ideal wife stereotype in our society. Young girls need ideal, well-defined examples of women to look up to in mainstream media, and that representation shouldn’t be limited to Pikus or Sulus.