Now, I am really not sure if anyone would review this movie from this point of view, but since I am not a good reviewer (yeah – that is what I have come to conclude recently), I just post bits and pieces which I feel there is something different to be talked about…
The movie I am talking of is “D” and at the cost of offending people who like it, I must accept that I sort of got bored with the movie. But one scene in the movie caught my attention. This was the scene when Deshmukh’s girl friend takes him to the new bungalow she had bought for the two of them. She says she had been saving money for last three years for this. And then she shows him around the place and describes each and every thing. It was obviously grand and costly. Through most of this showing around, the music was going on and there were no dialogues. At the end of it somehow I suspected that he would refuse to live in that place, which has been bought with her money and all that crap. And with whatever experience of Hindi Movies I have, I do not think I was terribly wrong, but as they say that biggest caveat of Time Series Analysis is that it tries to predict future with past data!! So, here is some change coming up. Of course, I felt good about it. I do hope that it does represent some social change, some changes in mentality, where the women need not be seen as only a ‘second earning member’ and anything done with what she earns should not be something one feels uncomfortable with…
Miles to go... 
There is more to a self reliant woman than just earnings. I would be happy to get a working and confident wife because she will be the one to be the inspiration for my daughters!! Society is getting more and more mature every day. I will not say that the male super ego is extinct but it has definitely reduced to a great extent.
Agreed that “There is more to a self reliant woman than just earnings.” But earning is still important and in past, an attempt to play down its importance has led to a ridiculous “open-mindedness” regarding women’s position in family and society.
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Hehe!!!! Director of ‘D’ would never have thought this way.
Yeah and if he hasn’t that’s the good news. A change has not really been brought about if people consciously think of doing it. It is when it starts happening on its own that the change has really taken place.
I would never live in a house bought by my girlfriend/wife. It’s about control. A very important part of my life, my home, would then be under someone else’s control. One fine day I have a terrible fight and she can chuck me out.
Either mine – or 50-50 🙂
Nandz.
true change yet to come………..
The true change will happen when such scenes not only get included without the conscious thought of the auteur, but also evoke no conscious response from viewers.
Agreed :-))
But I, as a viewer, can not be taken as an average viewer on this issue, since I have developed almost an academician’s interest in it (without claiming an acamedician’s depth of knowledge). So, I tend to get conscious, when something related comes up!!
Anyone can see apple falling, but it takes a Newton to see gravity behind it.
Isn’t it.;-)
Jaya,
good observation..I did not notice it when I saw the movie,but now that you have talked about it…it becomes pronounced.
I am not too sure if D’s female protagonist managed to buy her house legally.
there are a lot of things which Indian women are doing n are getting noticed for( n I am not referring to Mallika Sheravat alone).
But even today there are things that they cant do legally. For instance, in order to make any investment, a woman needs to have her father’s or husband’s signature on the papers. A man is not required to have his mother’s or wife’s legal permission. So in other words, you can earn, but you cant save for yourself or invest in your own future w/o a man’s assitance.
Hence, now, the question is what can one do besides cribbing? I personally asked my father to sign the documents. Why? because it was easier.
But their are others who have files PILs. Geeta Hariharan for instance ,filed a PIL ,when she was not allowed to get her sons’ admissions in Mother’s international(A premium Delhi School) as she was not their father. So a Ph.D, a renowned author is not considered responsible enough for her decision regarding her childer. She won the case. But that’s beside the point. Why have such laws in the first place?
Because the constition has founding fathers and not mothers?
I dont know…
Neha, I am sure there are several such contradictions existing in the social/political/legal institutions world over… And undoubtedly they are highly frustrating. But the legal institutions are often a mirror of social institutions. One reason you yourself have pointed out. But ultimately be it men or women, their thoughts are shaped by the existing social mindset. I am not sure how many women (even if they were given a chance) would then have conceptualized it otherwise (even today, the percentage thinking that way would be outrageously high!).
Once the social institutions change, hopefully legal institutions would change too. It will take time no doubt, but let’s be hopeful.
There are other aspects to be sure – but later…
This is a nice obseravtion. I am sure there’ll only a few who interpreted the scene in that way . As far as i am concerned , I’ll prefer a home bought in sharing , not her alone .
Otherwise,it’ll always give me a feeling that i am living in a house which doesn’t belong to me.Personally, i want to earn anything i enjoy,don’t want to get it from someone .So,if my partner shares the same feeling , we can buy a house in partnership .