Tuesday, December 24, 2019

An old movie and my thoughts on feminism

I watched an old Thamizh movie two days back. I had often heard the songs of that movie and wanted to see the whole movie. It was probably made in the 80's. The story plot was about a widow's life. The heroine's husband passes away within a week of getting married. She then moves on with her inlaws. She befriends a neighbour who is a writer. He falls in love with her and assumes that she reciprocates the same. Everyone assumes that they would make a nice pair and urges him to marry her. At the end, during a trip, he puts on the kumkum on her forehead and she slaps him. According to the Indian tradition, only the man who is the husband or the intended husband can put on the kumkum in the forehead of a woman.

I think she had all rights to slap him. The man should have asked her for her consent before doing that even if he had good intentions. I had no problems with that.

The scene that followed it and the dialogues were what irritated me. When her father in law asks her what is the problem, she says that a man who was not her husband touched her. When her father in law questions her that she had touched him as well while slapping him, she immediately takes a log of wood that was in the fire and burns the place in the forehead where he had put in the kumkum. She goes on to explain that her husband is blah.. blah and that every blood, vein in her body is only her husband's property... blah.. blah..

And then the writer applauds her for her virtuousness and then leaves.

Man, it was so pathetic. I cursed myself for watching that movie. It mirrors the Indian sentiments. I don't say it is wrong for her to stay the same way if that is what she wants. If she does not want anyone in her life anymore, then that is her personal decision. But to say that touching anyone else is sacrilegious is so wrong. That is too extreme.

This shows the Indian sentiments. Why cannot a person walk out of a marriage and then fall in love with someone else. Why cannot a woman be more open on her desires?

I hope they don't make such movies these days and have moved on as a society.

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