Films Continue To Misrepresent Independent Women, But Some Nailed It With Perfect Portrayal Of Feminism!
We need more feminist and independent women characters like Piku.
What is feminism? It’s the freedom of choice that women should have, and it took many years for us to make our voices heard, still a lot has to be done. Films are a mirror to society and with changing times, even the stories have evolved. However, the idea of feminism and modern women in films is quite distorted and unreal. There are very few films that have been able to capture the strength, choice and life of a true feminist woman in today’s time but there is also a portrayal of women’s freedom of choice and voice that is very superficial and does not deserve our attention at all.
Let’s first talk about films that have taken up some real issues that feminists are still fighting for or some strong female characters that have a lot of takeaways for us as women. For instance, Taapsee Pannu and Amitabh Bachchan starrer Pink. The film does a brilliant job of highlighting the conversation around consent, a choice that women were not even supposed to have. The film’s hard-hitting message on how a ‘No’ can be an entire sentence was such a powerful take on how women have been suppressed through and through in a patriarchal society. Even a film like Ki & Ka serves as a beautiful example to remind society that no job or work is gender specific, and even a man can handle the house while the woman goes out to work. It’s all basically about the freedom to have a choice.
The character of Deepika Padukone’s Piku is such a nice feminist woman to use as an example here while we are it. She was a strong-headed woman who knew her priorities well and was looking down to settle with a man who was on board with them. But at the same time, Piku was also an understanding woman whose vulnerable sides were explored through the male protagonist Rana (Irrfan Khan). Now as a modern woman, most of us see ourselves in Piku and well, relate to her.
Taapsee Pannu’s Thappad is another film that handles the sensitive issue of domestic violence and how filing a divorce just for a slap should not be considered an over-exaggeration of things because it’s only for a woman to decide!
While these films had some important women’s issues and the correct kind of feminism to show, there are others like Thank You For Coming that basically show faux feminism. The story is about a 30-year-old woman who has absolutely no clue about giving her the luxury of self-pleasure and is instead desperately looking for a man to have s*x with. Imagine if this would have been a man’s story. The film could have been told in a thousand other ways just to highlight the conversation around women’s pleasure, again an aspect where women are slowly opening up.
Even, a series like Four More Shots is such a shallow and unrealistic take on modern women and feminism. Freedom, independence and the life of an empowered woman in today’s time is so much more than just partying, boys, and gossip. This show failed to comprehend the lives of contemporary women and failed to provide entertaining content.
Also Read: Living Alone As A Woman Is Romanticised In Films But Here’s A Reality Check!
It’s important to note that the films that have shown real feminists and independent women are not so glitz and glamorous, and we need more stories like that. There is also a serious lack of good films on female friendships that talk about love, loss, heartbreak, and the struggles of women but are not cursory.
A woman does not necessarily have to be a freedom fighter or a famous personality to be able to stand as the only example of feminism and women empowerment. There are a manystories about women that have remained unexplored in today’s time, and we hope to see more of it.
First Published: August 15, 2024 6:31 PM
