Bollywood glorifies stalking in the name of romance and the industry's mass influence was exposed after an Australian man-- who was accused of shadowing-- pinned the blame on Bollywood. Forget stalking, a number of negative messages are shuffled around in movies without us noticing, thanks to our inclination to put the hero on a pedestal and look the other way when it comes to his/her negative tendencies.
But a closer look will unearth the crude elements. Here's a list 5 iconic Bollywood characters from a different perspective.
Rahul from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
One of the most popular romantic movies in Bollywood, a major hit that burned into our heads minds the motto: 'love is friendship'. However, the character of Shah Rukh Khan aka Rahul goes after the hot girl(Tina aka Rani Mukerji). When Tina dies, he chases Anjali for whom he had no feelings for owing to her tom-boyish looks.
According to TOI, Johar himself said in a discussion with Filmfare magazine editor Jitesh Pillai at the Times Litfest 2016 , "It was ridiculous of me to have done that. Shabana Azmi (actress) called me after she watched the movie and asked why was it that Anjali found only rejection when she had short hair and played basketball, and later, when she was shown as a sari-wearing, feminine woman with long hair, she finds love."
Munna from Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S, unfortunately, sends some wrong messages across. If you don't believe it, watch it again and see how Munna lies to his dad about being a doctor, takes away the seat from a deserving candidate, cheats to get into medical college and also puts all the patients' lives in danger. Above all, he constantly puts his friends into trouble.
Mahavir Phogat from Dangal
Dangal starring Aamir Khan tells the story of Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari and how they became the world-class wrestlers under the guidance of their father Mahavir Singh Phogat. The so called female-centric movie shows Phogat's character as patriarchal and authoritarian.
Phogat's desire for a male child to fulfil his dreams of winning a gold medal for the country meant his wife has to go through four deliveries. He forces his daughters to become wrestlers later.
Though, there is no denying that in one of the most misogynist states where violent crimes against women are highest, Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat's journey is praiseworthy. It unfortunately also gives out the message that it's okay for parents to force their dreams on children, undoing the effort Aamir put on 3 idiots to deliver exactly the opposite message.
Chulbul Pandey from Dabangg
Salman Khan's character Chulbul Pandey from Dabangg was a corrupt and arrogant police officer. The character seemed way too stubborn about marrying Sonakshi Sinha aka Rajjo. Chulbul Pandey's dialogue to marry Rajjo right after her fathers death seemed to be more of an order.
See it for yourself.
Gautam from Cocktail
Saif Ali Khan's character Gautam a big time Casanova in Cocktail. He goes on to date Deepika Padukone's character Veronica but later dumps her for Diana's character Meera. The fun-loving party girl Veronica was left for a simple sanskaari girl.
