Raj Mehta movies are regressive.

Raj Mehta has directed Good Newwz and Jugjugg Jeeyo.

In both movies, it looks like he's trying to make the stories modern and progressive. When they're actually not. He still promotes regressive ideas in his films.

He plays it safe by ending these movies in a typical way, where all the characters are happy, glossing over their issues.

Like in Good Newwz, the story looks down on abortion and adoption. When the doctor guilts Kareena's character for aborting her child even if its someone elses child and not her husband's. Or when Kiara says she didn't adopt even after having a miscarriage two times, because "apna khoon apna hota hain".

Akshay's character is shown as a villain for not wanting a child. The movie had a scene of Akshay and Kareena where they he tells about the benefits of not having a child. Its a good scene but there's no sense to it, because it has no follow-up. Movie is not promoting childless marriages then what was the point of this scene?

In Jugjug Jeeyo, the director could've showed divorce as a positive and healthy thing. By at least one couple ending their marriage. But it didn't happen. Varun's character got over his insecurity from the success of his wife, which was fine. But Neetu's character should have left her useless cheating husband. I know they left it ambigous by not telling whether Anil and Neetu end up divorcing or not.

That was again playing it safe by not just showing them divorving. And the way Neetu's character was written, its likely that she would have forgiven her husband for messing up the nth time.

Good Newwz left the issue of mixed-up babies unresolved. So the fathers will just have to stay away from their biological kids? It needs a sequel which likely would never get made. That makes the movie look incomplete because that issue is unresolved.

Indian serials and films always demonize abortion, birth control, divorce, leaving a cheating husband, adoption.

This is not new and not the only filmmaker to do so.

I have been seeing for ages how men and women are demonised for not wanting kids or wanting to abort or use birth control or not wanting to get married, not wanting to stay with parents and in laws, not wanting a joint family, not wanting another child or for wanting divorce and dumping a cheating spouse. They always talk about beta, pota, waaris, khandaan ka chirag and earlier shamelessly promoted son preference and showed hero and heroine never had a girl child, almost always had a munna (KKHH is the only exception). They always repeat apna khoon apna hota hai and bat for biological child as being real deal and natural birth as real and mock surrogacy, caesarian or using egg or sperm donors or opting for adoption.

I hated how Aitraaz had shown PC as a vamp for wanting to abort after she got pregnant post an ONS with Akshay and wanting to focus on her career.

Or Saif was shown as villain in Kya Kehna for asking Preity to abort and Preity was shown as some courageous woman for keeping baby, going ahead with pregnancy even as an unwed mother who was in first year of college. Her speech against abortion and claiming to hear voices ki maa main jeena chahta hu and audience clapping for her were judgemental AF, towards women who opt for abortion.

Most Indians have such mentality and sadly serials and films would rather promote marriage and kids than respect choice to not marry or delay marriage or not have kids or adopt kids or delay having kids.

IDK why Indian film industry promotes backward values. Or shows woman must forgive cheating husband and tolerate affairs.

I hope to see film showing happily single or childfree people and people NOT demonized for prioritising career or self over marriage and kids.

Haven’t seen Jugjugjeeyo but agree about Good Newz, if I remember correctly, Kareena wasn’t okay with someone else’s child in her womb and wanted to abort, she was guilt tripped by almost everyone into not doing so. Why would you wanna have someone else’s child just because the doc made a stupid mistake? It was her decision alone, along with her husband’s and both weren’t okay with it initially.

As an activist of SRHR, the mainstream portrayal of vilifying reproductive rights always piss me off. Mimi, too, did that; while normalising the adoption, they threw reproductive rights under the bus.

Being in the activism for this long and very much vocal about it, I got an advantage over my friends regarding the anecdotes of others’ abortion and parenthood stories.

(1) I know more women who DON'T regret their choice of abortion than those who regret it.

(Eg Shout Your Abortion exists)

(2) On the other side, I know a lot of mothers who regretted choosing motherhood.

(Eg I regret having Children exist. Note: Not PPD)

https://www.facebook.com/reel/158746187126317

These are two of the most prominent taboo topics when it comes to SRHR, and the ones who dared to say it publicly faced vicious attacks from parents and others. These situations are more common than you assume. Movie depictions of these are always negative, which actually reflects the mindset of the larger portion of society.

Originally posted by: atominis

Indian serials and films always demonize abortion, birth control, divorce, leaving a cheating husband, adoption.

This is not new and not the only filmmaker to do so.

I have been seeing for ages how men and women are demonised for not wanting kids or wanting to abort or use birth control or not wanting to get married, not wanting to stay with parents and in laws, not wanting a joint family, not wanting another child or for wanting divorce and dumping a cheating spouse. They always talk about beta, pota, waaris, khandaan ka chirag and earlier shamelessly promoted son preference and showed hero and heroine never had a girl child, almost always had a munna (KKHH is the only exception). They always repeat apna khoon apna hota hai and bat for biological child as being real deal and natural birth as real and mock surrogacy, caesarian or using egg or sperm donors or opting for adoption.

I hated how Aitraaz had shown PC as a vamp for wanting to abort after she got pregnant post an ONS with Akshay and wanting to focus on her career.

Or Saif was shown as villain in Kya Kehna for asking Preity to abort and Preity was shown as some courageous woman for keeping baby, going ahead with pregnancy even as an unwed mother who was in first year of college. Her speech against abortion and claiming to hear voices ki maa main jeena chahta hu and audience clapping for her were judgemental AF, towards women who opt for abortion.

Most Indians have such mentality and sadly serials and films would rather promote marriage and kids than respect choice to not marry or delay marriage or not have kids or adopt kids or delay having kids.

IDK why Indian film industry promotes backward values. Or shows woman must forgive cheating husband and tolerate affairs.

I hope to see film showing happily single or childfree people and people NOT demonized for prioritising career or self over marriage and kids.

Originally posted by: infinity101

Haven’t seen Jugjugjeeyo but agree about Good Newz, if I remember correctly, Kareena wasn’t okay with someone else’s child in her womb and wanted to abort, she was guilt tripped by almost everyone into not doing so. Why would you wanna have someone else’s child just because the doc made a stupid mistake? It was her decision alone, along with her husband’s and both weren’t okay with it initially.

Originally posted by: PangaNaLe

Raj Mehta has directed Good Newwz and Jugjugg Jeeyo.

In both movies, it looks like he's trying to make the stories modern and progressive. When they're actually not. He still promotes regressive ideas in his films.

He plays it safe by ending these movies in a typical way, where all the characters are happy, glossing over their issues.

Like in Good Newwz, the story looks down on abortion and adoption. When the doctor guilts Kareena's character for aborting her child even if its someone elses child and not her husband's. Or when Kiara says she didn't adopt even after having a miscarriage two times, because "apna khoon apna hota hain".

Akshay's character is shown as a villain for not wanting a child. The movie had a scene of Akshay and Kareena where they he tells about the benefits of not having a child. Its a good scene but there's no sense to it, because it has no follow-up. Movie is not promoting childless marriages then what was the point of this scene?

In Jugjug Jeeyo, the director could've showed divorce as a positive and healthy thing. By at least one couple ending their marriage. But it didn't happen. Varun's character got over his insecurity from the success of his wife, which was fine. But Neetu's character should have left her useless cheating husband. I know they left it ambigous by not telling whether Anil and Neetu end up divorcing or not.

That was again playing it safe by not just showing them divorving. And the way Neetu's character was written, its likely that she would have forgiven her husband for messing up the nth time.

Good Newwz left the issue of mixed-up babies unresolved. So the fathers will just have to stay away from their biological kids? It needs a sequel which likely would never get made. That makes the movie look incomplete because that issue is unresolved.

Completely agreed with last paragraph. They should have cleared the things

Originally posted by: Lostsoul11

Completely agreed with last paragraph. They should have cleared the things

Idk about regressive..but I found both movies to be so fluff and incoherent and stupid..in the hands of a more sensitive writer..these were some seriously good topics to discuss..I liked that scene of Neetu and Kiara in Jug Jug Jeeyo where they try to normalise a Gen X woman acknowledge that her marriage was totally in dumps and that she kept compromising…Gen X as a generation I feel was totally bulldozed by Baby Boomers and faced some really tough times..be it personally or professionally..and despite that..they were never allowed to complain or raise their concerns..everything was swept under the carpet..and it was nice to see DIL bonding with MIL and discussing her issues..but then the end of the movie was so thrash! It made the whole movie irrelevant and stupid

Who in the unholy fcuk is Raj Mehta? Never heard of him