{"id":16464,"date":"2017-05-15T18:04:12","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T12:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apnlive.com\/?p=16464"},"modified":"2017-05-16T11:33:58","modified_gmt":"2017-05-16T06:03:58","slug":"the-fault-in-our-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apnlive.com\/art-and-culture-news\/the-fault-in-our-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"The fault in our movies"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As we await the release of the \u201clady-oriented\u201d <\/em>Lipstick under My Burkha, let\u2019s take a look at three similarly-themed movies from the last three years\u2014<\/em>Gulab Gang, <\/em>Parched and <\/em>Pink\u2014and observe how they do disservice to the cause of feminism even while aiming to speak for women By Shailaja Paramathma<\/strong><\/p>\n In a country where they are still telling couples how to conceive fair-skinned boys and where, in a Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Lokniti survey from 2016, 51% of respondents in the age group of 15 to 34 agreed with the proposition that \u201cwives should always listen to their husbands\u201d, we can clearly see where we are placed in terms of gender equality and the place of women in this part of the world.<\/p>\n As movies are an important point of reference in the culture of our country, let\u2019s discuss a few so-called women-oriented Bollywood movies from the recent past that intend to lend to a voice to the cause of feminism and gender equality but falter in some important respects.<\/p>\n First and foremost, what we need to accept is that men are not the only ones causing the damage here. In fact, it would be foolish to mistake patriarchy and men for one another. Patriarchy is held up vigorously by women too, more so in conservative societies like ours where the daily interaction between men and women is limited, formal and minutely scrutinized. In fact, being a woman in such settings enables the older women to inflict greater damage upon the younger with more ease and heightened brutality. Escape is no solution<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a>Parched <\/em>which was released in 2016 is set in rural Gujarat. It ran to average occupancy in the cinemas and on the face of it did not even break even. The movie shows the struggles of three friends, who, in order to lead a decent life, have to sever all ties with the existing men in their lives and run away from the village. It is a happy ending and the future for the three women is seemingly promising but the movie at the same time also establishes that changing the mentality of the current men in their lives or overturning patriarchy even at the home front might be impossible for someone in a similar situation as the protagonists. The only option is running away.<\/p>\n Yes, the lives of the characters are difficult and the reality in Indian villages for so many women is not very different, but not all can cut ties and re-root themselves elsewhere. In such a circumstance how can one cheer the actors on when all they are doing is tiptoeing around patriarchal norms and just eking out bits and pieces of happiness for themselves? The aim of the movies that start out with the intention of speaking of women\u2019s issues should be to change what happens in the society, not just inform people that there are women who are leading their little private lives around the periphery of patriarchy.<\/p>\n They need to set an example of bold women characters, who are bold in spite of their situation, even in a village, thereby empowering those who are leading lives in reality on the edges of patriarchy and being judged for it. Movies are art forms, they need to be avant garde sometimes, if not always. The three women discovering their sexuality in refreshing new ways is one such idea in the movie but sadly it is the only one.
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