There are several stereotypes that the movies complement and comprehend in their movies. One major one to date is that the female leads are never let to fight their own battles. These women are shown as weak, indecisive, dumb, and let down humans who are so desperate to be saved by their prince charmings. Well, let’s be realistic, this is not the case in reality.
Each of us has and needs to face our own struggles, fight them, win them, lose them, learn from our own mistakes. Nobody is going to help us or be there for us during the process in real life. With such a misleading portrayal in movies have time and again let many believe that Women need to be saved. Women need to be protected.
What if these movies start portraying true real life? What if the Female leads are let to fight their own battles? Let’s consider a few existing movies and elaborate on this ideal scenario.
Scenario 1: Kousalya needed a Nelson to make her life-long dream come true.
To be honest, Kousalya being a stern cricket lover since small would have only taken this bad incident that happened to her parents as a boost and shown it in her game and performed really well making her parents proud. Nelson or not, she would have eventually risen!
Scenario 2: Dhanalakshmi needed her brothers then, later Velu to save herself from Muthupaandi.
Yes, Muthupandi was a Don who nobody can win of. But, when it was possible for Velu to win him, it definitely is possible for Dhanalakshmi. Being literate, she had several easy ways outs to escape him and pursue her highers Abroad.
Scenario 3: Geetha needed Kutty to understand Arjun wasn’t her one!
From the start, Geetha-Arjun’s relationship was toxic and never meant to be. Right from him making her fall for him, till him ditching her at times of crisis, Arjun gave pretty obvious red flags. Even if not for Kutty, this relationship was to break one day. And Kutty is no good either, despite her several Nos’ and refusals, he still stalked an already committed girl. He was a pioneer of not just stalking but also a clear breaker of boundaries.
Scenario 4: Malar ends back with Thilak despite his cheating
No matter what the male protagonists do, their female leads need to adjust and love them with their full hearts. Women really are not as weak as they are being portrayed, just because of a few stories, they cannot accept a person back. If not for the stereotypical portal f no matter what true love prevails, Malar would never have accepted Thilak back.
Scenario 5: Devasena needed Bahubali to save her kingdom
Devasena just like Bahubali has been skilled and trained by professionals to fight her enemies. Bahubali or not if she is outnumbered, she couldn’t have helped but she can be saved by her macho superman like Bahubali just because he is stronger being a man! Well, this is not the case in real life. Bahubali can do it, so can Devasena!
The above mentioned are just a few examples of this rooted misogyny in Indian Cinema. A few such what if’s if portrayed can help make our movies even more memorable and lovable!
