The Light Within - Righteous Characters of Bollywood

They say, 'Life is unfair and then you die.' Even when we walk on the righteous alleyways of life, with truth illuminating our path, darkness always lingers like a stormy black cloud, around the corner. Some people accept the blows of injustice as a part and parcel of life and move on, while others choose to wallow in self-pity. But there are a few people who drag everything that is wrong by the ear and bring it out in the open. These are the people who drive away darkness, who shine like a thousand suns and ultimately, who bring about a change. Today, BollyCurry will give you a glimpse of such righteous characters in Bollywood.

The box office hit film Fanaa (2006),is remembered not only for the iconic romance and the heart touching dialogues, but also for the sequence in last few minutes of the film where Kajol shoots her own husband with a gun. Her portrayal as Zooni, a blind girl who falls in love with a terrorist and has to make the choice of killing him simply because it is the right, is shattering. The scene left its mark in the hearts of viewers. This was possible because Kajol, as Zooni, does the right thing even though the price of doing so is the life of the person closest to her heart.

When we speak of righteousness and justice, how can we forget the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Chak De India (2007)? In the said movie, Khan plays the role of a former hockey player who becomes a victim of religious prejudice on losing a match between India and Pakistan, and is labelled a traitor. He then returns to coach the Indian women's hockey team and leads it towards victory. Thus, winning a world cup for the country and thereby, clearing his name.

The critically acclaimed, box office hit, Kahaani (2012), has Vidya Balan Kapur portraying the character of a software engineer who unveils the involvement of the top IB officers in a poison gas attack. Balan plays the role of a widow of a gas-attack victim, who is on her path to avenge her husband's death. Her inner strength, her will to fight injustice and her courage is highlighted in the movie. The addition of the Bengali poetic song "Ekla Chalo Re", written by Rabindranath Tagore, is the final artistic touch to the masterpiece, as it urges the listener to continue his or her journey, despite abandonment or lack of support from others.

The Salman Khan starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) is yet another movie where the character of Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi (Khan), alias Bajrangi, won the hearts of many. In this movie, Bajrangi vows to take a Pakistani girl who has been estranged from her parents to her homeland without any passport or visa. Despite of the numerous hurdles and the personal risk involved, this righteous Hanumanji devotee manages to reunite the kid with her mother. The courage and the selflessness of the lead in this movie leaves one overwhelmed with wordless emotions.

Bollywood has many movies which depict the righteousness of the leads. These include Sonam Kapoor's character in Neerja (2016), Farhan Akhtar's in Wazir (2016), Akshay Kumar's in Airlift (2016), Anushka Sharma's in NH10 (2015) and Priyanka Chopra's in Jai Gangaajal (2016), amongst others.

These characters tell us that we can also do the right thing, if only we stop tolerating injustice and voice out the words of our hearts. They tell us that we can get rid of the darkness by spreading the light from within. Should the voice of conscience echoes on the shores of the mind, we know the difference between the right and the wrong. Like this, we can bring a change. With this, BollyCurry is signing off. We encourage you to jot down your favourite righteous character in the comment box below.

Writer: Aditi P.
Editors: Peehu A. and Mohini N.
Graphics: Nidhi D.