Women's studies: an overview of key concepts and approaches

Bollywood

In Search of the Ideal India

Bollywood has become one of the world's biggest producers of films. Bollywood represents Indian national ideals, portraying and idyllic picture of what Indian culture is supposed to look like. These films utilize gender, class, and religion to paint their picture of a "perfect" India. However, often this image is marred by negative images through the direct representation of a "bad" or corrupt nation. It also uses indirect references as to what lies outside of the ideal Indian image. This essay will explore this problematic representation of the "other" India in the films Shri 420 and Roja.

Deconstructing the Ideal

The first task that needs to be undertaken in addressing the issues of negative images of India in Bollywood films is to define exactly what the ideal image of India entails. In order to accomplish this task, we must examine the central themes of the film and determine how they relate to traditional Indian roles and attitudes. The central theme of the film Roja, is the theme of love. It revolves around one man's love of his country and a wife's love of her husband. Many traditional Indian customs regarding love, marriage and the family can be found within the film.

The main character, Roja, is a girl from a small village. She wishes for a top cryptologist, Rishi Kumar to accept a proposal to marry her sister. However, Roja's sister is in love with someone else. The surprise twist comes when Rishi asks Roja's hand in marriage. Roja is unaware of her sister's other lover and refuses Rishi's hand, because she feels that her sister is a better match. Her parents pressure her to marry him and they move out of the village for the city. In the beginning, Roja is angry with Rishi for rejecting her sister, but she later finds out the truth about her sister's other lover and decides to join Rishi. They fall in love and make a happy life together. Roja's unselfish concern for her sister demonstrates her character and dignity, which are important virtues for Indian women. Roja demonstrates a traditional connection with her husband, remaining faithful and true to him. Roja is an example of the ideal Indian woman.

When Rishi is kidnapped, Roja's is crushed. She once again, demonstrates the qualities of a virtuous Indian wife by pleading to the government and military officials for help. Roja is intelligent and strong, yet completely faithful to her husband. Her husband is devoted to the service of his country, so much that he gave his life to preserve its honor in the end. Rishi is of generally nonviolent by nature, but will fight if it is the only way out of a situation. Roja paints the ideal India, and demonstrated the nationalism and traditional roles that embody India during the struggle over Kashmir.

Shri 420 demonstrates the ideal India through contrast. Like Roja, Raj is a country boy who travels to the big city. He falls in love with a poor, but otherwise virtuous woman, Vidya. However, Raj soon goes bad under the influence of an unscrupulous businessman, Seth. Raj is also tempted by the seductress, Maya. Raj takes on the life of a swindler, otherwise known as a "420." In this role, Raj demonstrates what the ideal Indian means by what he it not. He eventually sees the error of his ways and decides to change. He later becomes a good man. Shri 420 tells us what is right in India by telling us what is not.

Shri 420 focuses on the negative side of Bombay. Raj sings song about the zest for life, even in the face of poverty. This song demonstrates the unimportance of material things to the spiritual life. The proper Indian man and woman would fall in love, get married, and settle down into a home. That is exactly what Raj wishes to do with Vidya. He wishes to settle down and make a home. Raj attempts to make an honest living working at a laundry. This paints a picture of the "desired" life of the Indian citizen. This ideal contrasts with the reality of the movie, which depicts Raj's life, which is far from the ideal of the perfect life.

Now we have a picture of what the ideal Indian life looks like. A man and woman get married. She shows faithfulness to him and he works to support the family. The interesting thing about this image is that it exists in both Roja and Shri 420. Roja was filmed in the 1990s, while Shri 420 was filmed in the mid 1950s. This demonstrates that these principals persisted over the years and that the basis for male/.female relationships has resisted the test of time. The character Roja is a little more independent than Vidya, reflecting a change in women's roles and societal expectations. From this one could glean that although women's roles and mannerisms have changed, the basic concept of a traditional family life has not.

The Negative Side of India

We now have a picture of the idyllic picture that Bollywood wishes to show the world. However, this is far from images portrayed, which reflect the "other" India, one where life is not so perfect. In Roja, the devastation of the war with Pakistan is portrayed by Roja's desperation over her husband's disappearance. The brutality of the war is shown by the torture of Rishi. In the scene where Madhu meets Wasim Khan, she asks him to leave India if he doesn't like it here, but not to kill innocent people. This is a statement about the negative feelings and lack of support for the Indian war with Pakistan.

Another issue that becomes apparent in Roja is that although the caste system has been abolished, it still exists in the minds of the people. When Nasser asks Madhu if the lives lost capturing terrorists were any less important that Rishi, Madhu replies if his answer would be the same if the captured were a minister's son or daughter. There is no answer from Nasser. This suggests that because Roja is of a lower "caste," the life of her husband is less important. In the idyllic India, the caste system no longer remains, but in the recesses of Bollywood and in real life, the caste system still effects the way in which people relate to one another. This is a negative aspect that India would rather keep quiet.

In Shri 420, Raj portrays the lure of the westernized way of life. In the end, he loses the love of his life and is betrayed by Seth. Raj becomes so materialistic that Vidya cannot bear it. She walks away from him. Raj has no problem cheating the rich, but when Seth devises a plan to swindle the poor, Raj does not wish to do it. Raj eventually cheats Seth at the advice of Maya, a seedy temptress. Raj is early swayed by materialism and appears weak in that he will follow anyone for the sake of a rupee.

Roja and Shri 420 portray the corrupt and ruthless nature of and India that many would rather stay hidden. However, if one looks at the manner in which it is portrayed, the deeper meaning of these negative images can be found. Raj is not set out as a hero, or role model, but rather a model to be avoided. The viewer finds it difficult to sympathize with Raj and his treachery. He is the perfect anti-hero. He betrays Vidya and leaves the traditional rural life to become a cheat and a thief. In the end, he does not find peace, but only trouble. The story is about how corruption destroys the promise of the perfect, idyllic Indian life.

Roja demonstrates how war and greed can destroy the lives of the common people. Both Shri 420 and Roja show the destructiveness of war and of a life of wanton abandon. They portray the negative images in comparison to the life that could have been, if the characters had taken a different path. Roja is an innocent victim of a war that is not of her choosing. She is innocent and naive. She does not understand why one life is not important in this case. Shri 420 portrays Vidya as an innocent would-be wife, suggesting the peaceful life that Raj could have had, if the choices that he made had not gone astray.

Negative With a Purpose

Roja shows the negative side of politics and the evils of war. It makes several political statements about the lives that are effected and the cold-hearted approach of the government. However, it is also patriotic and demonstrates that family principals are still important in India. Rishi is patriotic and Roja remains the faithful wife until the very end. Roja addresses several issues that were important in India during the 1990s. India was attempting to define themselves as a culture. They were concerned with the future of the Indian nation and state of the many cultural groups within its boundaries. Rishi's loyalty to the Indian states exemplifies the nationalism that gripped the country at that time. 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.