The importance of Indian cinema cannot be denied as it holds forth an emporium of being the key initiator of change. Women have gone beyond making chai in movies, they change the fabric of morality as deftly as they colour the luscious corners of their list. From crime fighting to being a vigilante with revenge in her mine- women in cinema’s are going places and how. No more are tears shed for the vain cause of a husband led astray—the movie mavens have bigger issues to soil their eyeliner over. Here we have curated a special list, paying homage to these daredevils in mascara:
Dangal: Although Dangal is seen in a nationalist light, it has played a significant role in empowering the “fairer sex”. This trend of sporst-centric movie around women has reached its apogee with the onset of Chak De India, while Dangal has changed the view of traditional sports and role of women in it. Instead of marrying his daughters to suitable men, the pehlwan father depicted with robust beauty by Amir Khan, sarks a fire of hunger in them to take adopt the more “unladylike” wrestling. Certainly, a progressive set of parents can mould their daughters to break societal barriers, redefining what is it means to be women.
Astitva: Could you imagine that a movie released in the erstwhile 2000 could break barriers and shatter preconceived notions from women within? This Tabu-starrer written and directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, set the tone for an era of cutting-edge Bollywood that openly addressed the troubles of female as a being. Feminist in its tenor without the unabashed aggressiveness, the movie provided a multifaceted view on being a woman, beyond the usual tropes of a devoted mother and dutiful wife. Made simultaneously in Hindi and Marathi, Astitva broke stereotypes created to glorify the patriarchy Bollywood had trapped his ‘heroine’ with all this while.
English Vinglish: Gauri Shinde’s 2012 movie starring Sridevi is a riveting tale of a coy and under assured middle-magnificence housewife who gains self belief and self-admire best whilst she steps out of the house and takes a lifestyles-changing decision. While, learning and applying the beauty of English language might fit into the image of a ‘life converting choice’, it does remodel Shashi within the way she sees herself and wants different to look her. A simple act of ‘selection taking’ is step one towards her self-discovery.
Queen: The 2014 wonder hit, which hooked up Kangana Ranaut as the youth icon among younger women, is an easy coming-of-age story of a naive and introvert girl. Her solo adventure to Paris and Amsterdam helped her in gaining self confidence. Like every other female, Rani was also trapped in social pressure after her fiancé calls off their wedding just the day before the ceremony.
Mardani: This 2014 wonder had actually set the box office on fire while changing the perception of female oriented movies from that year onwards. Backed by realistic cinematography, this hard hitting movie can be called as the epoch of feminism, alongside being the apogee for Rani Mukherjee’s career post Black. While showing the realistic picture of child trafficking, it also gave a glimpse into the might of women inspectors. Rani Mukherjee provided a flawless performance as Shivani Shivaji Roy, a cop working with the Mumbai crime branch.
Conclusion
As we progress into the future with newer director and fresher concepts, a new wave of women-centric movies takes the lead in the industry and tries to bring a revolution in our society. As more women-centric movies are coming into the turn of the century, we are waking up to a new brand of cinema where it is shown that women are not afraid of anything. In a land like India where Maa Durga is worshipped with tenacity, it is a welcoming change which inspires women to take things up in their own hands.
The writer is CSO & Group President, SRS Group