Writing after a long gap...have been busy with the daily chores!
But finally managed to get a breather this week...so decided to watch a movie. Saw a couple - Good entertainment. But the last one I saw made me think.
This movie was about this girl (group of friends actually) who lives her life in a very modern way - she is ambitious, independent and strong minded. I am glad Indian Cinema thinks of portraying women like this now - quite a shift from the "typical woman" whose only aim in life is to get married so that she can dedicate herself to husband/family, with no desire to study/build a career. Don't get me wrong - I personally feel marriage and family post that are extremely important and key to one's happiness; but equally important are the other aspects of her life such as job, career. No reason that she can't do both! So, I like the fact that cinema is willing to add different aspects to a woman's role now.
But that was not what I was thinking about after watching this movie. In one part of the story, this girl gets pregnant but does not want to keep the child, so gets it aborted. She doesn't tell her partner about it since it was a casual relationship (at least according to her). This entire portion was dealt with in a very nonchalant way, discussions (with her girl friends) on the unwanted pregnancy and on its termination were done overnight... and that's it...
Pre marital sex is a very common thing now, we all know it. And old age generation has no choice but to accept it as a normal thing. Fine. Done.
We now even show that casual flings are fine; normal, healthy etc...and put our caveats that "no one should get hurt" or "as long as you are not misleading the other person", "emotionally on the same page" etc etc.
But what happened to safe sex? Is that not something we must preach in our cinema? And even if, despite safe sex, you somehow get pregnant, is the movie trying to show that abortion is as normal and casual as anything else? Where are we drawing the line? In our quest to be absolutely modern or forward going, where we carry no baggage and live life the 'cool' way - what makes us stop and say "No, this is too much!" Not even the decision to keep or terminate a life?
I didn't get disturbed by the ultimate decision taken by the protagonist (of not going ahead with her pregnancy) because various circumstances can lead to such a decision in one's life - my issue is the way with which it was talked about, the seriousness shown around the decision; or rather the lack of it.
Are we trying to portray that just as casual sex, even this is casual. No big deal?? I don't expect a melodrama around it, but to give it a run-of-the-mill activity treatment?? And to repeat my point - why is the movie not talking about safe sex, anywhere!!!
The decision to have a child (or not) is a very big deal. It is one of the most important decisions of our lives since it has long lasting, irreversible and deep impact on several lives around us. And that action doesn't just stop at merely having a child - to bring a new life into this world means giving the kid a meaningful, loving, caring, protective environment, providing for him/her in every possible way - financially and otherwise and ultimately raising him/her to be a strong, confident, aware and smart person who can lead a beautiful life in this big world. It's a huge responsibility and the resolution to take up this responsibility or not take up deserves grave thinking and cannot be trivialized by mixing it with other routine issues of life.
I hope that movie is not a reflection of the way majority today thinks and behaves. Coz if it is, it's scary! Call me old school, but it's very scary to me.
But finally managed to get a breather this week...so decided to watch a movie. Saw a couple - Good entertainment. But the last one I saw made me think.
This movie was about this girl (group of friends actually) who lives her life in a very modern way - she is ambitious, independent and strong minded. I am glad Indian Cinema thinks of portraying women like this now - quite a shift from the "typical woman" whose only aim in life is to get married so that she can dedicate herself to husband/family, with no desire to study/build a career. Don't get me wrong - I personally feel marriage and family post that are extremely important and key to one's happiness; but equally important are the other aspects of her life such as job, career. No reason that she can't do both! So, I like the fact that cinema is willing to add different aspects to a woman's role now.
But that was not what I was thinking about after watching this movie. In one part of the story, this girl gets pregnant but does not want to keep the child, so gets it aborted. She doesn't tell her partner about it since it was a casual relationship (at least according to her). This entire portion was dealt with in a very nonchalant way, discussions (with her girl friends) on the unwanted pregnancy and on its termination were done overnight... and that's it...
Pre marital sex is a very common thing now, we all know it. And old age generation has no choice but to accept it as a normal thing. Fine. Done.
We now even show that casual flings are fine; normal, healthy etc...and put our caveats that "no one should get hurt" or "as long as you are not misleading the other person", "emotionally on the same page" etc etc.
But what happened to safe sex? Is that not something we must preach in our cinema? And even if, despite safe sex, you somehow get pregnant, is the movie trying to show that abortion is as normal and casual as anything else? Where are we drawing the line? In our quest to be absolutely modern or forward going, where we carry no baggage and live life the 'cool' way - what makes us stop and say "No, this is too much!" Not even the decision to keep or terminate a life?
I didn't get disturbed by the ultimate decision taken by the protagonist (of not going ahead with her pregnancy) because various circumstances can lead to such a decision in one's life - my issue is the way with which it was talked about, the seriousness shown around the decision; or rather the lack of it.
Are we trying to portray that just as casual sex, even this is casual. No big deal?? I don't expect a melodrama around it, but to give it a run-of-the-mill activity treatment?? And to repeat my point - why is the movie not talking about safe sex, anywhere!!!
The decision to have a child (or not) is a very big deal. It is one of the most important decisions of our lives since it has long lasting, irreversible and deep impact on several lives around us. And that action doesn't just stop at merely having a child - to bring a new life into this world means giving the kid a meaningful, loving, caring, protective environment, providing for him/her in every possible way - financially and otherwise and ultimately raising him/her to be a strong, confident, aware and smart person who can lead a beautiful life in this big world. It's a huge responsibility and the resolution to take up this responsibility or not take up deserves grave thinking and cannot be trivialized by mixing it with other routine issues of life.
I hope that movie is not a reflection of the way majority today thinks and behaves. Coz if it is, it's scary! Call me old school, but it's very scary to me.
Even though Cinema is a mass medium, many a times it trivializes some very important issues...without understanding the fact that what will be the impact of such a portrayal.
ReplyDelete