Posted:
A weekday afternoon in Chennai. The
show was housefull. The film was
not Kaala, but Veere Di Wedding. It is
about four women -- four friends --
and their personalities, lives, choices.
After reading mixed reviews (one
Facebook update from a young girl
was particularly scathing) and
looking up the stunning box-office
numbers, I was convinced that the
film must have something going for
it and I wasn't disappointed. People
who confuse the film to be some
sort of feminist agenda are totally
wrong. This is an unapologetic fun
film, which also has some serious
points to make -- which it makes by
just being what it is. The characters
make these points by just being who
they are and in the process, aid the
makers of this film in successfully
breaking the glass ceiling.
There are quite a few rules of Indian
commercial cinema which get
broken in Veere Di Wedding:
1. Heroines can't play lead roles after
marriage, especially if they have had
kids. (Kareena Kapoor Khan and
Sonam A Kapoor, take a bow.)
2. Heroines can't play roles younger
than their real age.
3. Heroines can't romance men
younger than them. (What heroes
ALWAYS get to do when they
romance heroines half their age.)
4. A commercial heroine can't swear
on screen. (And what an earful of it
all four of them unleash in this film!)
5. Partying women are 'bad' girls
(Shika Talsania's moves are a must
watch).
6. Girls who have had more than one
relationship are vamps.
7. The idea of a man, for women, has
to be synonymous with marriage,
children, and household duties.
8. A woman can't be the one to
propose to a man. (A scene straight
out of Runaway Bride, but so nicely
done here as well.)
9. A relationship has to lead to
matrimony, and eventually, children.
10. Women don't get an equal say in
sex.
The last rule shatters the ceiling to
smithereens in what is perhaps the
scene of the century, when one of
the girls (Swara Bhaskar) narrating
explains why her marriage broke.
It's one thing to write such a scene
but quite something to enact it and
to be able to deal with it after the
scene is over, in the most everyday
manner possible. No, I'm not
using that word here. Go figure!
There's also a lot of heart in this tale,
much like in real life. A typical mom-
daughter equation is shared by
Neena Gupta and Sonam Kapoor
where the disagreements do not
result in hatred. It is reassuring to
see the focus on essentials like love,
family support, friendship and
warmth that comes out of living
together, and yet, the women get to
be their own people, having their
own views and lifestyle. The film is
an important one for the India of
today which is pulling us in multiple
directions -- the main topic being
about where women stand.
The word, empowerment, is so vast
and so overly used that it almost
makes it sound like it's a gift
someone else is giving us. The thin
line between patronising and
supporting a woman often makes it
very confusing for women, many of
whom say things like, "Oh, but my
husband allows me to have my one
evening off with my friends" or "He
looked after our kid that evening" or
"My in-laws are very good people.
They let me go to work." While being
good and supportive are qualities to
be grateful for, the idea that a man
or a family 'allows' a woman to set
foot out in the world is one of the
main rules of that get broken in this
film.
The female leads in this story are
urban characters -- perhaps more
edgy and independent than your
everyday character, but totally
identifiable with those of us who
have ventured out to not fly rockets
or conquer China, but to just live a
life on our terms. To that extent, the
film satisfies the need to see a
modern depiction of women in India
without being apologetic about the
modern or the "satisfaction" (I smile
gleefully at why this word is in
quotes).
It was most heartening to see the
attentive audience in the theatre,
and the applause and laughter and
giggles at all the right places. That
the clothes or the music could have
been better is for a film review. What
IS better is the story and the four
girls who give 'female-centric films' a
whole new meaning.
Who are the heroines who can play
these four roles with aplomb in the
south? I can think of Trisha for
Kareena because there is a
simmering boldness to her demure
smile. Besides her, who's your choice
for the cast? Hey, also, what is the
Tamil word for the Big O? (Wink).
http://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/columns/2018/jun/10/ms-representation-the-ten-rules-broken-by-veere-di-wedding-6430.html.
show was housefull. The film was
not Kaala, but Veere Di Wedding. It is
about four women -- four friends --
and their personalities, lives, choices.
After reading mixed reviews (one
Facebook update from a young girl
was particularly scathing) and
looking up the stunning box-office
numbers, I was convinced that the
film must have something going for
it and I wasn't disappointed. People
who confuse the film to be some
sort of feminist agenda are totally
wrong. This is an unapologetic fun
film, which also has some serious
points to make -- which it makes by
just being what it is. The characters
make these points by just being who
they are and in the process, aid the
makers of this film in successfully
breaking the glass ceiling.
There are quite a few rules of Indian
commercial cinema which get
broken in Veere Di Wedding:
1. Heroines can't play lead roles after
marriage, especially if they have had
kids. (Kareena Kapoor Khan and
Sonam A Kapoor, take a bow.)
2. Heroines can't play roles younger
than their real age.
3. Heroines can't romance men
younger than them. (What heroes
ALWAYS get to do when they
romance heroines half their age.)
4. A commercial heroine can't swear
on screen. (And what an earful of it
all four of them unleash in this film!)
5. Partying women are 'bad' girls
(Shika Talsania's moves are a must
watch).
6. Girls who have had more than one
relationship are vamps.
7. The idea of a man, for women, has
to be synonymous with marriage,
children, and household duties.
8. A woman can't be the one to
propose to a man. (A scene straight
out of Runaway Bride, but so nicely
done here as well.)
9. A relationship has to lead to
matrimony, and eventually, children.
10. Women don't get an equal say in
sex.
The last rule shatters the ceiling to
smithereens in what is perhaps the
scene of the century, when one of
the girls (Swara Bhaskar) narrating
explains why her marriage broke.
It's one thing to write such a scene
but quite something to enact it and
to be able to deal with it after the
scene is over, in the most everyday
manner possible. No, I'm not
using that word here. Go figure!
There's also a lot of heart in this tale,
much like in real life. A typical mom-
daughter equation is shared by
Neena Gupta and Sonam Kapoor
where the disagreements do not
result in hatred. It is reassuring to
see the focus on essentials like love,
family support, friendship and
warmth that comes out of living
together, and yet, the women get to
be their own people, having their
own views and lifestyle. The film is
an important one for the India of
today which is pulling us in multiple
directions -- the main topic being
about where women stand.
The word, empowerment, is so vast
and so overly used that it almost
makes it sound like it's a gift
someone else is giving us. The thin
line between patronising and
supporting a woman often makes it
very confusing for women, many of
whom say things like, "Oh, but my
husband allows me to have my one
evening off with my friends" or "He
looked after our kid that evening" or
"My in-laws are very good people.
They let me go to work." While being
good and supportive are qualities to
be grateful for, the idea that a man
or a family 'allows' a woman to set
foot out in the world is one of the
main rules of that get broken in this
film.
The female leads in this story are
urban characters -- perhaps more
edgy and independent than your
everyday character, but totally
identifiable with those of us who
have ventured out to not fly rockets
or conquer China, but to just live a
life on our terms. To that extent, the
film satisfies the need to see a
modern depiction of women in India
without being apologetic about the
modern or the "satisfaction" (I smile
gleefully at why this word is in
quotes).
It was most heartening to see the
attentive audience in the theatre,
and the applause and laughter and
giggles at all the right places. That
the clothes or the music could have
been better is for a film review. What
IS better is the story and the four
girls who give 'female-centric films' a
whole new meaning.
Who are the heroines who can play
these four roles with aplomb in the
south? I can think of Trisha for
Kareena because there is a
simmering boldness to her demure
smile. Besides her, who's your choice
for the cast? Hey, also, what is the
Tamil word for the Big O? (Wink).
http://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/columns/2018/jun/10/ms-representation-the-ten-rules-broken-by-veere-di-wedding-6430.html.
Bindi
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