#SATIRE
Last week, me and my friend watched ‘John Wick’ on the big screen.
The movie had some intense octane action sequences and hands down, it was one of the finest thrillers that made some noise. Critically and commercially too.
Nonetheless, after watching the movie, me and my friend went insane.
Yes. The movie made us insane. We just kept hitting the roads and started to gun down random people who wore costly suits.
Yes. That’s how insane we were. For a while, we forgot about our jobs, parents, friends and became assassins.
'm a writer and my friend is an engineer.
But now, screw those jobs. We wore suits, flaunted guns, chiseled bods, superbikes and what not.
We just churned out a career from fiction and made it our reality.
Well, take a chill pill. None of the above is true.
I still get paid for writing and my friend codes all day.
You see. This is our reality.
Now coming back to the John Wick thing.
We just watched the movie over a tub of popcorn and went back to our respective homes.
Nothing insane happened.
In fact, such insanity lies in few critics and people who are biased to the fullest. No. Not just biased.
Single-minded. Depressed. Hypocritical. Frustrated and yes, Fake Feminists.
Being a feminist who doesn’t fall prey to the Bollywood definition, let me start the topic.
It all started when the movie, Arjun Reddy was released.
It was not an innovative attempt. Just a refreshing take on romance.
The story is about an alcoholic surgeon who dwells on a self-destructive zone after losing his girlfriend to someone else.
Though the movie and its lead character, Vijay Deverakonda earned cult status, it was his misogynistic attitude that disappointed few critics and feminists.
How can he be so rude and abusive?
How can he just stake his claim on a random good looking girl?
How can he keep downing bottles of alcohol every day?
This is so disgusting!
If this weren’t enough, Bollywood came up with its own version with Shahid Kapoor in the lead and Kiara Advani stepping into the shoes of Shalini from the Telugu flick.
Just like the original one, even Kabir Singh opened up to rave reviews and again, some pseudo feminists gave a strict NO. Not even a star. Because they had already given it to movies like Veere Di Wedding. Another pathbreaking flick that talks about empowering women. Coughs.
Well, both Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh have some scenes that show women in a bad light. Agreed!
Be it the hero staking his claim on a random girl, kissing her on the cheeks when he meets for the first time or slapping her out of anger, yes, there are some flaws to be taken into account.
But, chill, it’s just a movie for god sake.
You just can’t bring your frustration on the table and name it feminism. In fact, that isn’t the true definition.
It’s all about Gender Equality. Today, women are literally breaking the glass ceilings in every industry. They are ahead in everything they do. At least, not like the bad old days.
You can’t go gaga over fiction tales and make it look like you care for the women.
In fact, such pseudo feminists or finger pointers were at times silent.
Think about it.
You were silent during Game of Thrones, where some women were just meant to be on the bed, naked, but couldn’t stop and fall in love with Arya Stark’s powerful performance.
You were silent when Hema Malini was limited to a chatterbox in an epic movie like Sholay. But couldn’t forget her stellar act in Seetha Aur Geetha.
You were silent when Shahrukh, the music teacher from Mohabbatein preached love and everything but music. Again, you couldn’t miss, but fall in love with his inspiring performance in Chak De.
You were silent when Madhuri Dixit was busy explaining you as what was behind the choli(blouse), but again, her dashing women-centric performance from Anjaam has still kept us wanting for more from the veteran actress.
You were silent when Aamir Khan from Dangal had to force his wife to only deliver a baby boy just to satisfy his goal or also from the movie Lagaan, where he dated his Gowri in the mornings and Elizabeth mem in the evenings. Well, you couldn’t ignore, but fall in love with him for producing the intense women empowering movie - Secret Superstar.
You were silent when Priyanka Chopra’s character from the movie Fashion did everything from drugs to sex(thought it was critically and commercially, a blockbuster). But again, you fell in love with her unforgettable roles from Mary Kom and Barfi.
You were silent when Deepika Padukone’s character from Happy New Year just loved men with good angrezi speaking portfolios. However, you still can’t imagine anybody playing Piku’s character as effortlessly like Deepika did.
You were silent when Tina from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai joined the college halfway through and played spoilsport by breaking Rahul-Anjali’s bond, but fell in love with her powerhouse role from Mardaani.
You were silent....ok. This goes on and on.
The list is too long. Maybe longer than Ashutosh Gowariker movies.
In fact, even in the case of Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh, it is the character that comes under prominence.
Prior to both the movies, the heroes have had some pathbreaking performances to their credit.
While Vijay Deverakonda in ‘Pellichoopulu’ played a lazy guy who dreamt of becoming a chef, it was the heroine role played by Ritu Verma that took away the entire limelight.
Right from giving a solid stand to the hero, to be unapologetic and independent, she clearly was the winner.
Even in Shahid Kapoor’s case, the roles he played in Jab We Met and Udta Punjab had some amazing women-centric roles.
So what matters is, characters!
Every character has its own layers and shades.
Every character has its own pros and cons.
But, in the end, it’s all about the craft, art and how effectively can one pull it off.
So, just calm down amigos. Your outrage has validity for two days and boom, there is some other shit to knock your door.
Maybe, in your free time, you can throw your feminist tales to other issues.
Maybe, you could tell your father to take care of the kitchen for a week.
Maybe, you could also handle the dishes for a week.
Maybe, you could ask your female friends to go out and break a stereotype.
But, that isn’t easy and it isn’t difficult too.
It takes time. More time. More effort.
In fact, to be precise, a thousand times more than the time and effort taken to post an outrageous opinion on social media.
Written by Vishal Aryan Komara
Writer, love reading books, passionate cook, amateur photographer, occasional traveler and an unbiased feminist.
Last week, me and my friend watched ‘John Wick’ on the big screen.
The movie had some intense octane action sequences and hands down, it was one of the finest thrillers that made some noise. Critically and commercially too.
Nonetheless, after watching the movie, me and my friend went insane.
Yes. The movie made us insane. We just kept hitting the roads and started to gun down random people who wore costly suits.
Yes. That’s how insane we were. For a while, we forgot about our jobs, parents, friends and became assassins.
'm a writer and my friend is an engineer.
But now, screw those jobs. We wore suits, flaunted guns, chiseled bods, superbikes and what not.
We just churned out a career from fiction and made it our reality.
Well, take a chill pill. None of the above is true.
I still get paid for writing and my friend codes all day.
You see. This is our reality.
Now coming back to the John Wick thing.
We just watched the movie over a tub of popcorn and went back to our respective homes.
Nothing insane happened.
In fact, such insanity lies in few critics and people who are biased to the fullest. No. Not just biased.
Single-minded. Depressed. Hypocritical. Frustrated and yes, Fake Feminists.
Being a feminist who doesn’t fall prey to the Bollywood definition, let me start the topic.
It all started when the movie, Arjun Reddy was released.
It was not an innovative attempt. Just a refreshing take on romance.
The story is about an alcoholic surgeon who dwells on a self-destructive zone after losing his girlfriend to someone else.
Though the movie and its lead character, Vijay Deverakonda earned cult status, it was his misogynistic attitude that disappointed few critics and feminists.
How can he be so rude and abusive?
How can he just stake his claim on a random good looking girl?
How can he keep downing bottles of alcohol every day?
This is so disgusting!
If this weren’t enough, Bollywood came up with its own version with Shahid Kapoor in the lead and Kiara Advani stepping into the shoes of Shalini from the Telugu flick.
Just like the original one, even Kabir Singh opened up to rave reviews and again, some pseudo feminists gave a strict NO. Not even a star. Because they had already given it to movies like Veere Di Wedding. Another pathbreaking flick that talks about empowering women. Coughs.
Well, both Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh have some scenes that show women in a bad light. Agreed!
Be it the hero staking his claim on a random girl, kissing her on the cheeks when he meets for the first time or slapping her out of anger, yes, there are some flaws to be taken into account.
But, chill, it’s just a movie for god sake.
You just can’t bring your frustration on the table and name it feminism. In fact, that isn’t the true definition.
It’s all about Gender Equality. Today, women are literally breaking the glass ceilings in every industry. They are ahead in everything they do. At least, not like the bad old days.
You can’t go gaga over fiction tales and make it look like you care for the women.
In fact, such pseudo feminists or finger pointers were at times silent.
Think about it.
You were silent during Game of Thrones, where some women were just meant to be on the bed, naked, but couldn’t stop and fall in love with Arya Stark’s powerful performance.
You were silent when Hema Malini was limited to a chatterbox in an epic movie like Sholay. But couldn’t forget her stellar act in Seetha Aur Geetha.
You were silent when Shahrukh, the music teacher from Mohabbatein preached love and everything but music. Again, you couldn’t miss, but fall in love with his inspiring performance in Chak De.
You were silent when Madhuri Dixit was busy explaining you as what was behind the choli(blouse), but again, her dashing women-centric performance from Anjaam has still kept us wanting for more from the veteran actress.
You were silent when Aamir Khan from Dangal had to force his wife to only deliver a baby boy just to satisfy his goal or also from the movie Lagaan, where he dated his Gowri in the mornings and Elizabeth mem in the evenings. Well, you couldn’t ignore, but fall in love with him for producing the intense women empowering movie - Secret Superstar.
You were silent when Priyanka Chopra’s character from the movie Fashion did everything from drugs to sex(thought it was critically and commercially, a blockbuster). But again, you fell in love with her unforgettable roles from Mary Kom and Barfi.
You were silent when Deepika Padukone’s character from Happy New Year just loved men with good angrezi speaking portfolios. However, you still can’t imagine anybody playing Piku’s character as effortlessly like Deepika did.
You were silent when Tina from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai joined the college halfway through and played spoilsport by breaking Rahul-Anjali’s bond, but fell in love with her powerhouse role from Mardaani.
You were silent....ok. This goes on and on.
The list is too long. Maybe longer than Ashutosh Gowariker movies.
In fact, even in the case of Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh, it is the character that comes under prominence.
Prior to both the movies, the heroes have had some pathbreaking performances to their credit.
While Vijay Deverakonda in ‘Pellichoopulu’ played a lazy guy who dreamt of becoming a chef, it was the heroine role played by Ritu Verma that took away the entire limelight.
Right from giving a solid stand to the hero, to be unapologetic and independent, she clearly was the winner.
Even in Shahid Kapoor’s case, the roles he played in Jab We Met and Udta Punjab had some amazing women-centric roles.
So what matters is, characters!
Every character has its own layers and shades.
Every character has its own pros and cons.
But, in the end, it’s all about the craft, art and how effectively can one pull it off.
So, just calm down amigos. Your outrage has validity for two days and boom, there is some other shit to knock your door.
Maybe, in your free time, you can throw your feminist tales to other issues.
Maybe, you could tell your father to take care of the kitchen for a week.
Maybe, you could also handle the dishes for a week.
Maybe, you could ask your female friends to go out and break a stereotype.
But, that isn’t easy and it isn’t difficult too.
It takes time. More time. More effort.
In fact, to be precise, a thousand times more than the time and effort taken to post an outrageous opinion on social media.
Written by Vishal Aryan Komara
Writer, love reading books, passionate cook, amateur photographer, occasional traveler and an unbiased feminist.
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