Dear all
DISCLAIMER: The intention of the blog post is not to promote any movies/series mentioned here. The post is an endeavor to understand the cinematic representation of women and men.
If the OTT has made anyone more popular than ever, it is, once again 'truly yours'--women. Various platforms and one 'hero'--woman/women.No, no!! Am happy that some very pertinent issues are seen, made visible, and brought straight into our homes. If we consider Thappad as one of those films that began the trend of addressing everyday life realities--I mean, the mundane, 'boring' not so volatile (in the sense of larger-than-life questions) issues that deserve a space and a voice on the big screen. There have been several 'women-centred series, films, and animated series in the past two years. Some evergreen Indian cinemas aren't strictly 'feminist' but do present the women's perspective- Ray's Kapurush (The Coward), Puttanna Kanagal's Bellimoda (Silvercloud), Ketan Mehta's Mirch Masala just to name some important 20th C 'Indian films' that have captured stories in the visual medium.
The one activity validated in this lockdown is 'binge-watching'. This is not a new trend--remember The Game of Thrones, Breathe, Family Man, Queen, etc? We would wait eagerly for the release of the new season and wanted to watch the final episode without taking time to watch it slowly, wanting to race to the final episode. Today, it is a part of the 'new normal' because, it keeps us occupied, distracts our mind, we get to see new perspectives, entertainment at home is all we have since it is a lockdown. . . innumerable valid, indulging reasons for binge-watching.
I am not very far away from this habit (it is under control is what I think😒), yet managing to watch some important cinemas. Some of these women-centric series and films deconstruct institutionalized marriage, idealized motherhood, one big, happy family for the photo frame, and of course, the favorite villain of feminism-patriarchy. Some well-made cinemas-- Sara's, The Great Indian Kitchen, Ondu Motteya Kathe, etc question not only patriarchy, and hypocritical attitudes of women and men but the very notion and foundation of marriage, and attitudes to marriage.
So, when it is about issues like this, OTT is the new 'popular culture'. It leaves television series far behind with its mostly stereotypical stories, roles, and attitudes, most of which are saas-Bahu (Mother-in-law--daughter-in-law) serials. These serials, very interestingly and ironically, are showcasing youngsters who are married to each other, in strange situations, against their own wishes, and are vouching for their marriage!! The serials have no logical reasoning was evident but this #trendingmarriage has gone too far back.
Maybe because the glamourous society of celebrities is not only trending #divorce; it is portraying divorced couples as a willing co-parent is seen as acceptable. Such 'rational attitudes' are only rarely encouraged as they are also a threat to many outdated institutionalized systems. Today, one such system which is at the battered end is the 'sacred' institution of marriage. It is not just crumbling down, it is being restructured on social media.
While it is absolutely essential to remember 'privacy is a fundamental right', it is interesting to see tele-series deconstructing well-curated images of emotionally sorted ultra-modern individuals, and celebrity lifestyles by 'constructing' well-educated, modern youngsters swear by the marriage they have been forced into! Whether this reverse 'constructing' is influential or not the question; the question is, how far does it reinforce redundant attitudes, and for how much longer, is it of interest and/or worth the 'wait and watch' would you say? On a lighter note, what a romance to tell and sell!! We swear by family values. But romance is strictly prohibited and we fall for the marketing strategy of the sugar-coated bitter pill of institutionalized marriage!! This is some 'humor in uniform', indeed 😂
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