Roja explores the issues involved in terrorism and the wish for a free Kashmir state, set against the overwhelming love of a wife for her husband. The negative messages in the film serve a purpose and helped to define the issues that faced India at the time of the making of the film. Shri 420 shows the underground world of the impoverished in Bombay and the swindlers who would take advantage of them. It shows the brothels and portions of the town that would rather remain hidden. However, the story is not about Bombay, or India for that matter. The story is about the corruption that western ideas invoke. It is about how materialism destroys and corrupts, destroying the possibility of achieving the Indian idealistic existence.

Shri 420 promotes family values by contrasting them to the life led by Raj. It also provides a glimpse into the life that he could have had if he had listened to Vidya. It makes the point that Raj was the one to make the choices that eventually led to his downfall. Although, he seemed to be powerless, it was still his choice to follow the path that he chose. This story makes a strong statement in favor of traditional family life, by showing the evils of the city and urbanized materialism. When Raj fails to take Vidya to the promised Diwali festival, instead taking her to the underworld club, it makes a statement about the abandonment of religious practices as well.

Conclusion

The negative images of India portrayed in Bollywood films would appear to be contrary to the wholesome family-oriented India that is promoted....

However, when one examines these negative images more closely, one can find that they are used as literary techniques to promote, rather than destroy family values and traditional Indian life. Shri 420 used comparison and contrast to make its point about the consequences of an unscrupulous life. Roja uses the story to show the consequences of war on family life.
The purpose of this essay was to examine the negative images of India, as compared to the idealistic portrayal that is presented by Bollywood. The love of a wife for her husband is the root of family life. When this love is taken away, life is not as satisfying and traditional life in India is threatened. These films promote, rather than destroy the idea of family and family values in India. One has to carefully examine the literary technique used in the screenplay to understand the real meaning that the director was trying to portray. Bollywood still values traditional roles within the home. However, it is still not willing to discontinue portrayal of the Indian wife as strong, faithful, and dependent. However, the new Indian woman no longer has to stand back in silence, she has a voice and is not afraid to use it. This was one of the key differences found between Shri 420 and Roja. One has to look below the surface of the film in order to gain an understanding of its underlying message. These films used negative images to get across a very traditional message to the viewers.

References

Roja (1992) directed by Mani Ratnam

Shree 420 (1955) directed by Raj Kapoor