Continuing a discussion on @genderlogindia after this post of
mine, there was a discussion on the 'real women' in Bollywood - who seem to be
in short supply. I immediately indulged in my favourite pastime - Bollywood
research - and looked at the top 10 grossers for each year, going back about
forty years. In about 400 films, I found about twenty films in which the
lead actress was 'real' and yet a 'heroine'. That is to say, I did not consider
Rohini Hattangadi in Saaransh or
Rani Mukherji in Talaash. They were –
of course – very real but not really heroines. I also avoided characters
who were differently abled or suffering from a disease (Priyanka Chopra in Barfi, for example).
Then, I sat and
cribbed about my favourite ‘real women’ who are from very successful films even
though they are not among the top 10 blockbusters of a given year. To solve
this dilemma, I fell back on the usual awards night trick. I created two lists –
one popular and one critic’s choice.
And here they
come...
Popular
Choice Real Women
Deepika Padukone (Love Aaj Kal) – She was indecisive. She
was impulsive. She was career focused. She had a heart of gold. She was also
selfish. She was completely real, except for her legs. They seemed to have come
from some mythical land of milk and honey.
Priyanka Chopra (Kaminey) – A gangster’s sister, she was
the regular Maharashtrian girl with a silly name (Sweety) and a sillier boyfriend
(Shahid Kapoor). She danced at her own wedding like a filmy heroine but her
steps weren’t choreographed and had a charm of their own. She got her boyfriend
to take condoms on an overnight trip but abandoned them when the going got too
hot.
16 Heroines (Chak De India) – Hailing from different
parts of India, these girls brought the smell of sweat and dirt with them. They
wore no makeup. They got angry when their careers were ignored. They got
determined when their honour was at stake. They were jealous, naughty, defiant,
combative, strong-willed and – when you look carefully – breathtakingly
beautiful.
Aishwarya Rai (Guru) – The Gujarati village girl
transformed with her husband. She was his business partner and calmly stepped
forward to take responsibilities when a crisis arose. She was there at parties,
shareholder meetings and courtrooms. She was his force whether he was out
fighting corporate battles or medical ones. In other words, she was his Shakti.
Manisha Koirala (Company) – I haven’t seen a gangster’s
moll. Then how do I know Manisha was realistic? I saw her as the busy boss’
wife in a corporate wife. She had nothing to do. She was bored. She was into
mild substance abuse. And he suffered the minions politely and with a smile. She
liked some of them and tried to patch up when differences arose but had to give
up, since she was always on the periphery.
Preity Zinta (Dil Chahta Hai) – An orphan caught in a
near-abusive relationship looked for companionship and found a cocky lout
instead. But she didn’t let his smart-alecky burst her dreamy notions of
romantic love nor did she lose her dignity with her boorish boyfriend. She handled
both relationships maturely – like real women do.
Juhi Chawla (Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak) – In an unreal
world of death before dishonour, she was the breath of fresh air. She was a
college girl who went on picnics, got lost in forests while trekking, took
pictures of handsome strangers and was bashfully forthright about her feelings
for handsome strangers.
Shabana Azmi (Arth) – She left her adulterous husband
and forged an identity of her own. She struggled to find a job. She found love
but was unsure about it. She supported her maid’s daughter’s education. In short,
she was the woman next door till her husband wanted to come back to her. Would
you have taken me back if I had done the same thing, she asked. And gently shut
the door in his face.
Raakhee (Trishul) – Her boss’ son called her ‘computer’. In the 1970s, a
computer was a machine “jo har sawaal ka sahi jawaab deti hai”. She was a
no-nonsense working woman, who was honest and hardworking. She even remembered
cement quotas from long-forgotten files and never complained about working
hours.
Parveen Babi (Deewaar) – She was the first Hindi film
prostitute who did not sell her body for her mother’s medicine or her brother’s
education. She was a victim of circumstances but she did not let it show. She
wanted to get married and settle down but she did not impose that wish on the
man she loved. She solicited customers in high-end bars but she fell in love
with a stranger.
Critic’s
Choice Real Women
Vidya Sinha (Chhoti Si Baat, Rajanigandha) – The working woman getting wooed by colleagues or
co-passengers on bus stops and Samovar restaurant must have been quite common in
1970s Bombay. What’s so heroic about her? Her boyfriends were the ones jumping through
the hoops. Yaar, kuch to baat hogi ki
ladkon ko itna paagal kar de!
Urmila Matondkar (Ek Hasina Thi) – She was a regular girl
working at a travel agency when a smooth charmer walked in and shattered her
life. Her gullibility was ruthlessly exposed but she made an even more ruthless
plan for retribution and got her vengeance. And not for a second did she look
anything but the girl next door.
Chitrangada Singh (Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi) – The whole
world and their cousins fell in love with Geeta. She was in love with a Naxal
sympathiser. She married an IAS officer. She was wooed by a wheeler-dealer. Eventually,
she did something nobody expected her to do. And you fell in love with her, her
casual top knot, her wistful eyes, her handloom saree.
Konkona Sen Sharma (Wake Up Sid) – She did not like jazz
and said so without any pretensions. She wanted to write but was willing to bide
her time. She was wary of spoilt brats but was loyal to them if they became friends. She was talented but slightly embarrassed to make that claim. She was new to a city and fell slowly - but surely - in with it and its people.
Anushka Sharma (Band Baajaa Baraat) – Even before she
graduated, she had a business plan. She knew where she would get trained. She knew
how to keep business and personal relations separate. She knew what to spend
and what to invest. And she knew she was not about to marry just yet. She was
your regular Janakpuri girl, just the right mix of silk and steel.
Yami Gautam (Vicky Donor) – She started off superbly
as the Bengali bank manager having to suffer the Punjabi alpha male. She ended brilliantly
as the young wife coming to terms with her inability to conceive. You could say
she was yummy and a mummy.
Vidya Balan (Kahaani) – A pregnant woman looking for
her husband in a city about to celebrate its most boisterous, crowded festival.
A wife totally in love with her husband whom nobody has seen. A patriot who was
willing to take on corrupt officials and homicidal insurance agents. Vidya
Bagchi, you sexy thing.
The
Critic’s list is shorter because three entries got consumed in the Popular
list.
By
all accounts, Shudh Desi Romance looks
like the film that will contribute an entry or two to either of these two
lists. Will update after I watch it.
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