Freedom and Choice in Bollywood Movies

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The increase in globalization in the Indian subcontinent has brought along with it a series of new genres in Bollywood movies. Movies showcasing freedom being fought for by the youth and women are just a couple of interesting ones. I’ll be exploring two different movies Dor (2006) and Rang De Basanti (2006), each of which has its own take on ‘freedom’ and ‘choice’.

Dor has a very simple storyline; two female protagonists (Meera and Zeenat) whose husbands respectively (Shankar and Amir) leave India to get employed in the Middle East. Unfortunately, employment in India is scarce, forcing lower middle class families to resort to such options. These families are constantly fighting for their freedom of survival. Shankar is in a similar dilemma. He has no choice but to go to Saudi Arabia and earn enough money so that his family in Rajasthan can repossess their haveli (a large Rajasthani house) back from a moneylender. Notice here that Shankar's own personal 'freedom' is curtailed by his efforts to 'free' his family's house, which they could no longer afford.

However, the theme of struggling for freedom in Dor is portrayed more vividly through the shackles Meera’s in-laws place on her after Shankar dies in a freak accident. She loses all sense of living. The once happy girl, who was always dancing around and smiling, now tolerates the insults and emotional abuse that her in-laws subjugate her to. This was in addition to the normal and rather depressing, cultural customs of visually making her look like a Rajput widow. She is forced to dress in a single subdued, dark shade of blue and can't accessorize herself with any bangles or jewelry.

Zeenat on the other hand, comes to Rajasthan just to get Meera’s pardon; if succe...

... middle of paper ...

...ade their own widowed daughter-in-law into a life of servitude in exchange for their house.

As India moves up the ladder to becoming an economic giant, there are a lot of opportunities opening up within the country, however not everyone is being given their right of freedom. Women are still held back in several parts of India, under the restrictions of old traditions and cultural norms. Not a lot of the youth want to lead the nation and become politicians. However, small changes are taking place, people are taking stands, women are becoming more independent, and these are all due to the economic liberalization of India. These movies are just visual encapsulations of what changes people want to see happening. Freedom is every human’s right and choices define what we do with our freedom, so like the movies; we shape a better world as we all make the correct choices.

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