Friends, in today’s weekend blog I am still with Bollywood.
Generally, Bollywood is perceived as a men’s world, and most of the time you are bound to see strong male characters in the movies. Bollywood mostly develops its female characters as love interests or arm candies. But certain movies in recent times have managed to break the tried and tested regressive structure of Bollywood and presented some really relatable female characters. These female characters turned out to be so much relatable that we could easily understand their ideology, thought processes, and actions.
Here are some of the relatable female characters that made us say, these persons are there in real life also:
1 Rani (Kangana Ranaut) in Queen
People could relate so much to Rani’s inspiring journey of self-discovery. How her fledging confidence grew over the course of the movie, as she owns up to her life, makes us remember the times when coping up with certain harsh experiences, subsequently helped us in building our confidence.
2 Kalindi (Kareena Kapoor) in Veere Di Wedding
Unlike some other movies that showcase women being ‘over the moon’ excited about marriage and commitment. It was so refreshing to see an honest portrayal of a woman, who was scared of commitment. Generally in the movies, it is a male character who has this phobia of commitment, there are hardly any movies that show woman is afraid of commitment.
3 Piku (Deepika Padukone) in Piku
Representing many millennial working women, Piku is a character that can be related to. She was struggling with the social pressure of marriage. But she refused to bow down, as she understood that it is only she who can take care of her old father, and remained confident about her life choices.
4 Kaira (Alia Bhatt) in Dear Zindagi
Ambitious. Messed up. Battling familial issues- Kaira is another female character we can relate to. Whether it is her struggle to be taken seriously at work or her deep-rooted issues with her family or her struggle with mental health. Kaira’s life challenges seem so much more realistic and relatable.
5 Bitti (Kriti Sanon) in Bareilly Ki Barfi
Another character struggled with issues similar to what the general public go through. Her struggle and life approach made her extremely realistic and relatable. Her desire to not marry someone who expected her to change is what we all expect of our future partners.
6 Rumi ( Taapsee Pannu) in Manmarziyaan
Representing many women, who have experienced criticism simply for not bending to society’s regressive obligation. Rumi is definitely the hero we all need. She not only owns up to her desires but also makes mistakes as she lives her life on her own terms.
7 Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) in Dil Dhadakne Do
Even after successfully setting up her own business and being better at managing the business better than her brother, she struggled to get the recognition and appreciation that she deserved. Her struggle to stand up for herself and her rights and desires make this character extra-special. Her story is the tale of so many career-oriented women, who are struggling with the guilt their families impose on them for not following the ‘traditional female roles’.
8 Amrita (Taapsee Pannu) in Thappad
Standing for self-respect and esteem, Amrita refuses to bow down to the regressive social norms that expect women to suffer in silence. In a society where women are told to suffer abuse for the sake of marriage, there are many women in real life who can relate to Amrita.
9 Shashi (Sridevi) in English Vinglish
Perfectly representing Indian housewives, she shows the journey of a woman, who not only learns a new skill but also successfully schools her family on how every member deserves equal love and respect.
10 Sulu (Vidy Balan) in Tumhari Sulu
In a society, where housewives are expected to have no other aspiration other than taking care of husbands, kids, and families. Her struggle is so much relatable. From her struggle to find her passion to her battle of managing work with household chores to taking a stand against her family’s orthodoxical expectations, her tale holds true for women across various sections of society.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
24th February 2023