Wake up and respect your inner Queen
Chetan Bhagat06 April 2014, 06:11 AM IST
The only other time a Bollywood movie has inspired this column is
when I wrote about Cocktail. In that film " a modern, London-based love
triangle " the free-spirited hero finally chooses a girl because she is
more traditional. Of course, filmmakers have a right to make what they
want. But, the fact that our films needed to pander to such conclusions
saddened me. It made me write a column about Indian men's inexplicable
love for phulkamakers. I appealed to them to forsake hot phulkas and
celebrate our working women in the interest of the nation.
That
aside, I had become resigned to the idea that Bollywood would never take
a bold, liberal stance when it came to women. Even if a film dared to,
the box office, comprising a conservative Indian audience, would punish
it severely. I am happy " in fact, delighted " to be proved wrong. In
the past few weeks, a fine film called Queen has not only said what
needed to be said, it has also demolished old box office expectations.
The
film, marketed as a fun entertainer, has done more for the feminist
movement and women's empowerment than people will give it credit for.
Queen is the story of Rani, a Punjabi girl from a conservative family
living in West Delhi. Amazingly, like most Indian girls, she isn't even
aware of the cloistered and confined life she is living. Her worldview
is limited to getting married, wanting the ceremonies to go well, and
ensuring that people dance enough. She seeks her husband's or parental
approval for most of life's decisions " from taking up a job to joining a
college.
Dumped at the altar, Rani goes on a solo honeymoon to
Paris and Amsterdam to get over her pain. On her first trip abroad, she
befriends a free-spirited girl and shares a room with three male
backpackers, all of different nationalities.
Her first exposure
to the free world " a society where nobody questions you about your
sexual, parenting and career choices " baffles her but also becomes a
coming of age lesson like none other. All her friends are somewhat
dysfunctional, not so well off and unsettled. They are everything Indian
parents do not want their children to be. Yet, they seem happier with
their lot than the well-settled life so many middle class Indians aspire
to. Suffice to say, Rani learns to stand up for herself and becomes a
Queen. She rejects the man who dumped her but is now stricken with
remorse; even going as far as thanking him.
By Bollywood
standards, the film has a highly unconventional ending. Yet, it worked
with the audience. That alone is cause for celebration.
There
are hidden messages in the movie, perhaps more than the makers even
intended. One, we have trapped our women. We think we care for them, but
we suffocate them in the name of security, safety, morality, tradition
or culture. We are not comfortable with an Indian woman expressing
herself. A woman has to be a good daughter, sister or wife. It isn't
enough for her to be just, well, herself. In some ways, they endure
disguised slavery. In the civilized, developed world, where women have
choices, they do not choose to live like this. Every girl in India
deserves a journey of self-discovery like Rani.
The film also
shows us the need for India to integrate with the Western world. When
are we going to do that? We are so lost in our caste and religion
politics, so close-minded about anything foreign, so caught up in the
duties society imposes on us, so pressurized to get marks and land a job
that we don't live as free and full as humans can. When did you hear of
Indian students taking gap years after college to explore the world?
How will we react if a girl says she wants to try out a few
relationships before she settles down? In the name of preserving morals,
we want to tie our women up. What has that led to? Where are there more
rapes? Here in don't-date, don't-drink, don't-wear-modern-clothes
India; not in Europe, where dating is a personal choice, alcohol is
available at every corner-store and people are free to wear swimsuits on
beaches.
We need to ask some questions. Where have we gone
wrong in our traditions and what do we need to change? We need to
unshackle our women. We need to learn, connect and behave in tune with
the free world. Not just Rani, not just women; but also all of us need
to awaken and respect our inner Queen.
comment:
p_commentcount