Swara Bhasker’s open letter criticising Bhansali about the way the film “Padmaavat” was made pretty much sums up what’s wrong with the movie. As expected, the trolls did not spare her. Click on any news article about this open letter of Ms Bhasker’s and you will see a battle going on in the comments section. The sad thing is that people have compartmentalised themselves in this regard – either you can be supportive of Bhansali or you are on Karni Sena’s side.
But keeping the zealots aside, I feel one can still appreciate Bhansali’s cinematography and his right to create art with respect to the movie and at the same time be critical of that art if it glorifies a horrible historical custom. As Bhasker mentioned in her letter, glorifying Sati and Johar is a direct violation of the Sati Prevention Act 1988, so there’s no area for discussion there at all. And this concept that women running into fire is somehow a symbol of courage and valour is massively prevalent yet disturbing in 21st century India.
Let me tell you what is a symbol of courage though – making a movie like “Parched”. This film was released in 2015 and is a stunning creation by Leena Yadav. Sadly, none of the people I know have watched this movie. Or maybe I hang out in the wrong circles. Either way, the film didn’t get half the fame “Padmaavat” got even though it was hundred times better.
If you are wondering why I decided to compare “Padmaavat” with “Parched”, here’s why:
- Both are stories about women’s lives.
- Both have women from rural rustic backgrounds.
- Culture and customs are a great part of both films.
- Both have artists with great acting skills.
- Both have aggressive men as villains.
- Both have a role for fire in the end. (No spoiler)
Now let’s see how “Parched” did a way better job of doing justice to women and glorifying their power.
“Parched” has three female protagonists and one minor who’s the daughter in law.
These women aren’t covered in Tanishq jewellery and expensive ethnic costumes. These are regular village women living very regular, very realistic lives. Their problems are shown as real problems – abusive husbands, stigma of being a widow, harassment of sex workers, being blamed for not bearing children etc. Real issues of real Indian women.
These women live in a hard patriarchal system, yet they are resilient and anything but docile. They have their own world of female friendships where they are free to explore themselves. You don’t see the old cliché about a woman being another woman’s worst enemy despite the two literally being one man’s wife and mistress. That’s the beauty of the script that dared to show unlikely friendships building. That’s what I would pay twenty times to watch because that’s not the same old stereotyped script.
Despite the film set in a rural village of Gujarat, there is diversity. We see a woman from North East as a self-reliant woman, wife of one of the villagers who is actively involved in teaching employability skills to the uneducated women in the village. The racism she faces feels realistic and the director has brilliantly captured and shown us what that must feel like. The characters are anything but one dimensional and so is the director’s take on these pressing social issues. One might expect these issues to be ignored just so the audience would focus on the story. But, the balance between the portrayal of social issues and the integral lives of the women is excellent.
Despite living under a patriarchal regime of the Panchayats, not being queens, these women have agency over their bodies. They explore their sexuality without feeling judged and disgusted. There is a sex scene in the film which the cheap media circulated as a ‘leaked MMS’ of Radhika Apte to create controversy and score some petty TRP.
When I watched the scene for the first time, it was unlike anything I have watched before in my life. When you think of a lovemaking scene you would never imagine it the way they shot it. A man literally paying respect to the woman’s body, kneeling and pleading consent is a rare thing to watch. I had goosebumps and burst into tears just like Radhika Apte did.
In a country where every 15 minutes a woman is raped, the scene was a breath of fresh air and a spectacle in itself. It was shot not just tastefully but majestically.
Towards the end we see all four protagonists taking charge of their lives despite their circumstances. These aren’t your typical complacent women characters from male-directed films where they become the ultimate devi of sacrifice and give in to the traditions and customs. They are modern and broad-minded but believable. They don’t seem unrealistic one bit.
From the dialogues to the pertinence of each and every scene in the film, there is nothing one can complain about. The performances are extraordinary and so is the entire theme of the film. In the 21st century India that struggles between 1000-year-old patriarchal customs and technological advancements, this film is an eye-opener. Very few films claim to be feminist and actually live up to the standards of feminism and “Parched” is one.