We will discuss three Hindi movies and will attempt to understand impact of media on our lives. We will look at these movies with a different perspective and here are some clips from these movies to give you some back ground.
1) Gumrah 1963 ( Black and white) Meena and Kamla are two daughters of a wealthy Nainital resident. While Kamla lives with her established attorney husband, Ashok , in Mumbai, Meena is in love with artist-singer Rajendra . When Kamla comes to Nainital for her delivery, she comes to know of Meena's affair and plans to get her married to Rajendra. Before Kamla can do this, she dies after falling off a cliff near her father's home. Afraid that her sister's children will be ill-treated by a stepmother, Meena marries Ashok. For a while things go well, until she meets Rajendra again. He follows her to Mumbai, and they begin meeting secretly.One day, Meena is caught by a woman who claims to be Rajendra's wife and who begins blackmailing her. Caught between Rajendra's deception and Leela's hounding, Meena's life comes to a crisis, and she is forced to make a choice between Rajendra and Ashok. The movie examines the conflict of a married woman who is caught between her feelings for her lover and her duty to her husband and family. A bold theme for the times 1963.... She opt for Husband to friend.... Marriage as institution wins !
2)Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam- 1999 Nandini is the daughter of Pandit Darbar, renowned proponent of Indian classical music, living in the Rann of Kutch. Nandini has been brought up with more freedom and education than her siblings, as she is the most beloved of Pandit Darbar. Into this carefree life enters Sameer, a boy of Indo-Italian parentage who wants to learn Indian classical music from Pandit Darbar. Sameer stays with the Darbar family, and Nandini is asked to vacate her room to give the guest the nicest room in the manor. Nandini takes a dislike to Sameer, and the two keep playing pranks on each other, but soon realise they are in love. Their love blossoms in the Darbar household around weddings, festivals and family get-togethers. One day the pair are caught rehearsing their wedding vows and dreaming of their future together by Pandit Darbar, who becomes furious with them. He has already planned Nandini's wedding. Sameer is kicked out of the house and asked never to contact Nandini again. Sameer does not leave India immediately. He stays in town and writes letters to Nandini asking her to join him, but his letters do not reach her in time. Nandini's parents have arranged to get her married to Vanraj — who had fallen in love with Nandini during her cousin's wedding. On the wedding night, Vanraj realises that Nandini is not herself and tries to ask her why she is not responding to his love. He asks her for the truth, promising he will help her no matter what. Nandini stays quiet but is later caught reading Sameer's letters. Vanraj is very angry at first as all he had asked was the truth from her. When he realises that his wife is in love with another man, he shows the ultimate love by taking Nandini to Italy and help her search for Sameer, to the initial dislike--but eventual approval--of his own parents.Nandini and Vanraj arrive in Italy and start searching for Sameer but always come up against dead ends. During their search, they face many problems and dilemmas and slowly Nandini gets to see what Vanraj really is like. She sees Vanraj selflessly devoting himself to caring for her during her stay in hospital after an incident. Eventually they get news about Sameer through his mother (played by Helen), and Vanraj arranges for Nandini to meet Sameer on the night of his debut concert. His job done, Vanraj says goodbye to Nandini and walks away. Nandini and Sameer meet, but the matured Nandini's feelings for him have changed. She reflects on the unwavering love and devotion that Vanraj showed her throughout their whole relationship, and realises that Vanraj was her true soul mate. She leaves Sameer and catches up with Vanraj. Here too! Lead Character chooses Marriage over Friendship!
3) Rab Ne Bana De Jodi:- 2008 Shy, introvert, and kind-hearted Surinder "Suri" Sahni is an office employee for Punjab Power. He meets the daughter of his former professor, beautiful and vivacious Taani Gupta during the preparations for her wedding. A short while later, the shocking news arrives that her fiance and his wedding entourage were killed in a road accident. Taani's father suffers a heart attack at the news. Fearing that Taani will be alone in the world, the professor on his deathbed, requests Suri to marry her. Suri silently concedes as he likes her anyway, Taani tearfully agrees for her father's sake. After an impromptu wedding, Suri takes Taani to his ancestral home in Amritsar. While his good nature leads Suri to treat her with exceptional care, by letting her have his bedroom all to herself, and patience, he is too frightened to profess his love for her. Besides which, Taani tells him that while she will try to be a good wife and thus respect her role in his life, she can never love him due to having no love left within her. Suri, least bothered and grateful for the increasing acts of wifely affection she does show, proceeds to indulge her wishes. These include regular evening trips to the cinema to see a Bollywood movie which appeal to Taani's fantasies about romance and her passion for dancing. She soon asks for Suri's permission, which he grants, to take an expensive dance class with a Bombay company, Dancing Jodi, to unwind from her mundane life at home. During those evenings spent at the movies, Suri realizes the strong, masculine images that Taani admires and later asks his long-time chum Balwinder "Bobby" Khosla , a hair-salon owner, for grooming advice so as to win her love. Bobby gives him a complete makeover which includes shaving off his mustache (an accidental gag), modding his hairstyle, fitting him out in funky Western-style clothing including aviator-style shades with oversize pastel lenses. Suri is thus transformed into "Raj Kapoor", a name he borrows from the hero of the movie that Taani had admired. He joins the dance class to be near her. By chance — or, as he puts it, by divine choice, he becomes Taani's partner in the competition. Despite Raj's initial over-the-top attempts to emulate the "cool" images from movies, he and Taani become friends as they work together on their dance routine. Taani, enters into a period of internal conflict. Suri also faces a dilemma: Taani's misery as his wife in contrast to her delight with his fabricated alter ego, Raj. He thus attempts to win Taani's love as Suri, an act which only alienates her further. She eventually runs away to find Raj to tell him the predicament she is in, hoping he will help her. He offers to elope with her, which she agrees to, tearfully. They set the date for their elopement to the next night, the night of the competition. Later that night, Suri tells Bobby that he will end the charade in his own way, i.e., sacrifice his cravings for her love, leave her his property and transfer himself to Delhi. On the day of the competition, Suri takes Taani to the Golden Temple to gain God's blessings for her performance that night and, internally, also for her life with(out) Raj. While there, Taani has a realization in which she believes God has shown her a sign that her marriage to Suri is divinely inspired. For the first time she reflects on her husband and becomes aware of the strength and integrity of Suri's character, something she can grow to love. Taani thus tells Raj that she cannot choose him over her newly discovered life-partner. She leaves him in what appears to be a state of shock with tears in his eyes. When the time comes for their performance Taani is stunned to see Suri instead of Raj joining her on stage. While dancing Taani puts two and two together and through a series of flashbacks awakens to the fact that Suri is Raj. Backstage she confronts Suri and when he confesses his love for her, she tearfully admits that she returns his feelings. ...
Here too! Lead Character chooses Marriage over Friendship!
Journey from 1963 to 2008.... 45 years and Indian society hasn't changed a bit! or we do not seem to notice the change in society around us!! Has something changed?? if yes has it changed for good at all???.... Some of you have seen last two movies for sure....
Here are some questions to think
1) What is communicated through these 3 films? 2) Do you agree with the Communication? 3) Are these films in any format following social norms and if the end was different will movies be successful commercially? 4) Do we see Gender Bias Here? 5) if Yes , what is your personal opinion/ view about the perceived gender bias? 6) Have you ever witnessed/ experienced Gender Bias?
Many more question to come in ... as we discuss Perceptions, Society, Ethics... Hope to have 21st Century views on this from your end during our discussions....