Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Today I saw this SRK starrer and came back completely entertained. The story was about an arranged marriage and this ordinary guy who has quite different interests from his wife. He is an average, disciplined guy with average looks and mediocre living. However married to a girl who loves dancing, is modern and happening. Now the entire gamut of emotions revolves around this girl who has lost her lover in an accident and for her this marriage is not more than a compromise. SRK in the role of her husband is a silent lover. He gets an opportunity to play another role as Raj to woo and dance with his own wife whom he madly loves but never reveals the fact that both the characters are same. Eventually this girl starts liking and loving this SRK disguised as Raj and wants to step out of her compromising, mediocre married life. Here comes a twist in the story. After a lot of emotions being portrayed this girl sacrifices her love for Raj and sees GOD in her husband and gets back. Gradually it dawns on her that both the characters were same and she realizes true love in her husband and is happy.
We as an audience love the script, songs, setting and overall the ending that emancipates this ordinary man to the level of GOD and we ally with the story. If this story had an alternate ending where the girl would have stepped out of her marriage and gone for her fulfillment of dreams, this movie would have crashed at the box office? Have we ever wondered why? Especially I shall like to question the females that aren’t we traditionally conditioned into this male dominated society? Emancipating husband to the level of god, fear of stepping out of our marriage, social taboo associated with women fulfilling her desires. I find it no different from the incident of agni pariksha in Ramayana. Sita had to prove her loyality towards Rama by sitting in the pyre of fire. Marriage has always remained in Indian society a very patriarchal institution. Do we all remember the fate of Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna that showed a man and woman having audacity to step out of their marriages and fulfill their desires. It crashed at the box office. What I intend to point out is that what rocks at box office is not very different from the existing social order that is predominantly male dominated. We all are groomed in a way to conform to existing gender schemas. Rarely in some households we find androgenous models of parenting where both men and women are not gender typed and participate equally in the processes of child rearing.
I wonder as to when shall we realize the pervasive effect of patriarchy on our psyche and be more critically aware of reality. We all need to live in peace with our inner selves and not just conform to the order of the day. Imagine what kind of turmoil might this wife character in this movie must have faced while succumbing to her marriage and saying No to her love for Raj. The movie also showcases the spell bound charisma of SRK as husband that unfolds in the climax, which was in the backburners when his wife was developing a liking for this SRK albeit Raj. I would say that Raj was equally faulty of mesmerizing Taani (wife) in one role and remaining silent in another role. But as an intelligent audience we need to understand the silence of husband and the flow of the script that largely remains pro-marriage institution. Most of us would have critiqued the movie if this wife would have fled with Raj and would have called her different names. What we need to look is within ourselves and reflect that how much conditioning has gone into this that has eventually shaped our attitude. This is what is important looking within, questioning and executing our choice. We as women always remain disempowered due to our conditioning. Not to mention that even men are equally harassed due to the macho-schema that has just somehow stuck with them. I think if we all simply look within, love ourselves, are aware of the choices we make, we shall live in harmony with ourselves and the outside world.
Any views??
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