What They Say

Heroines were either glam dolls or avenging angels. It's not as if they don't do them now but they also play strong leads, that too pretty early - Meghna Gulzar

"Hindi film heroine no longer merely adorns the hero's arms. The emergence of the metrosexual male vis-a-vis the macho male has contributed to this change."

Meghna Gulzar Women as object of desire I think there has been a definite shift. The Hindi film heroine no longer merely adorns the hero's arms. But it also is reflective of the times. The emergence of the metrosexual male as against the macho male has contributed to this change. The reason why producers don't touch subjects that remotely hints at woman as an independent entity is because large number of audiences constitutes men. And the woman who go movie watching invariably go with man. So if he doesn't neither does she. Earlier woman would get typecast in the extreme, either as a glamorous doll or as avenging angel cast as Kali. That has certainly changed. And it is not as if actress today are not doing a 'mere adornment' kind of a role but they also get to play roles they can carry on their shoulders. That, too, pretty early in their careers. Earlier woman would get typecast in the extreme, either as a glamorous doll or as avenging angel cast as Kali. That has changed. Our women vs. their women Compared to Bollywood, the kinds of roles Hollywood actresses do are miles ahead. Some of the roles essayed by the likes of Meryl Streep and Susan Sarandon are out of this world. Even a 40-year actress like Catherine Zeta Jones holds immense power over Hollywood. Apsara Vs Sita Personally, I think these definitions have never really reflected the average Indian woman. I think there is huge disconnect between real woman who is a family person and at the same time strives to keep her career afloat. Virginal heroine It depends on the kind of stories being told. Earlier vamps ruled the roost as the 'bad women' of the screen. Now the heroine has usurped that role. But can you say that the heroine who seduces is necessarily a virgin? When Preity Zinta loved Shah Rukh Khan in Kal Ho Na Ho but eventually married Saif Ali Khan nobody bothered to ask whether she was virgin or not, did they? Crime against women No, I don't think people get 'criminal', in any sense, after watching a film. Films only amplify your inherent inclinations. How is it that only the bad things get picked up? Why when movies also talk of love and friendship, only 'violence' and 'rape' get picked up? Is it because they make better headlines? Next: Tabu