Back in the day, Bollywood wasn’t the most feminist-friendly industry. We all remember the objectification of the “heroines” and how they rarely had an important role to play in the plot of a movie. Having said this, there is no doubt that we have come a long way since then. And that can be clearly seen in the kind of women-centric content that is coming out. However, the shift to this hasn’t been an easy one for many actors – especially those who have always played the knight in shining armor and saved the damsel in distress. But there is one actor that has evolved with time and some of his characters are strong allies to women. Yep, I’m talking about the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan.
Amitabh Bachchan has had one hell of a career and after so many years in Bollywood, he still manages to take audiences by surprise with his fine acting. But for me, it is some of the strong feminist roles that he has played over the years that have my heart and make me respect him more. So, on his birthday, let’s look back to see some of the iconic roles Amitabh Bachchan has played that were true allies of women and feminism.
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1. Chaudhary Sumer Singh in Veer-Zaara
Veer-Zaara has to be one of my most favourite films of all time. And out of so many remarkable characters that graced the screens, it was Amitabh Bachchan as Chaudhary Sumer Singh that was my most favourite. If you ask me, I’d say his character was the biggest ally to women. Sumer Singh was one that not only respected his wife but also supported her through and through. Even though he had a son, he wanted the girls in his village to study and so wanted to even build a school for them. He wholeheartedly believed that women could do anything they wanted if given the right opportunities and he wanted to help create those opportunities. Ngl, seeing his aspirationg for young women, I literally just wanted to give him a nice warm hug.
2. Debraj Sahai in Black
Around 17 years ago, Sanjay Leela Bhansali made yet another masterpiece titled Black. The movie starring Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan as leads revolve around the beautiful relationship between a blind and deaf girl and her teacher. Here the actor plays the role of the teacher, Debraj Sahai that pushes and encourages Michelle McNally (played by Rani Mukerji) to explore her true potential and not give up. He teaches her that she isn’t a weak person that needs someone to come save her. He inspires her to become her own person and as a student myself isn’t that what most of us want – a teacher that will push us to be better and look beyond our gender?
3. Buddhadev Gupta in Cheeni Kum
Released in 2007, Cheeni Kum, is a movie that attempted to normalise age-gap romances. The movie revolves around a 64-year-old chef, Buddhadev Gupta and a 34-year-old Nina (played by Tabu). Amitabh Bachchan in the movie plays the role of a perfect life partner, if you ask me. He is not too dramatic, is logical in his reasoning, and most importantly, he doesn’t force Nina to do anything that she doesn’t want and nor does he make decisions for her. He gives his partner enough space and respect for her to make decisions about her life. Their relationship is not lopsided where it is he who is calling the shots, but rather balanced where it is both of them deciding where they are headed.
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4. Bashkor Banerjee in Piku
Ambitabh Bachchan in Piku plays the role of Bashkor Banerjee – the most adorably, funny feminist father you can find in Bollywood (and maybe even in real life). He time and again taught his daughter to not settle for a man who was threatened by her freedom or didn’t respect her, or just wasn’t ready to accept her for who she really was. He made unapologetic statements that were hard-hitting and real eye-openers. In fact, one of my most favourite scenes from the movie is when he meets a man at a party who tells him that he is looking for a “nice” girl to marry and to this Bashkor Banerjee says, “But she is very moody like me. Aur woh virgin nahi hai. What do you mean by nice? Uska apna independent business hai. Financially independent hai. Sexually independent hai… Just emotionally patnership dekhta hai. Toh, ye tumhara according nice hai?” What a burn!
5. Deepak Sehgal in Pink
One of the most iconic, hard-hitting, and openly feminist characters of Amitabh Bachchan has to be of Deepak Sehgal in Pink. A reputed lawyer that takes on a case of three women who stand up against powerful men after they try to oppress them and threaten them. In the movie, he beautifull shows the regressive views our society shares when it comes to independent women. He gives the society a much needed reality check and teaches the meaning and power of the word ‘No’. He doesn’t just stand up for these three women but every other women in India who has gone through such situations and their voices have been suppressed by men in power.
The best part is that Amitabh Bachchan does not just play feminist roles but also is a true feminist in the real world. He has always spoken about how women are a force to rekon with. He has always come out in support of women and spoken about how they are the ones who are strong, powerful, and have the potential to change the world. Whether it is his co-stars or the women in his family, he has treated them with utmost respect and never considered them to be less than him or any other man. A true superstar.
Happy Birthday to the actor and public figure that has been a true feminist time and again.