Here's How Bollywood Is Failing To Do Justice To Portrayal Of Modern Day Relationships By Defending Stereotypes

Why is getting drenched with your lover, hair and dupattas flowing in the air, getting your saree stuck in the bracelet or seeing somebody for the first time and falling in love considered romantic? Because Bollywood said so.  If Bollywood can be credited for one thing, it is for teaching a country the art and expression of the complex human emotion called love or more specifically romance.Trends have come and gone in Bollywood, but love stories have always been the integral and indispensable underlying narrative.

Coming to present scenario, one cannot disagree that recent trend in Bollywood is to go ‘socially relevant’. It is often pretty empowering to see Bollywood coming up with stories that are about small or big socially relevant issues such as child abuse, drug abuse, sanitation or even erectile dysfunction. However, even though Bollywood has gone more socially relevant it has not let go of its strongest suit and no matter what the theme is, there is an always an underlying and unmistakable love story that is integrated into the narrative of the film. But even with Bollywood’s eternal love saga with romance and the recent affair with socially relevant films, it is surprising how both these sensibilities have not come together in making socially relevant love stories.

Not to say that Bollywood is not making films on modern relationships, but apart from some instances, most of the stories are actually old medicine in the new bottle. From parents and society being the roadblock now it the millennial problems like commitment phobia and an urge to find one’s self that keeps two lovers from uniting. But there are many facets of modern relationships that remain considerably unexplored.

For example, it is difficult to find a film in Bollywood that talks about something as common as long distance relationships which are a reality for an ever-increasing number of couples in the country. Live-in relationships, again which is now more common than ever, is rarely a part of a mainstream film and are reserved for niche films. Even the films such as Shudh Desi Romance that do manage to touch upon it usually shows it in a very dysfunctional light. When it comes to modern relationships Bollywood is yet to find and explore the sweet spot (where most modern relationships actually pan out) between eternal love sagas and royal millennial romantic mess.

Coming to social relevance, as an avid movie goer, I would love to see Bollywood’s new found sensibilities being translated into romance being more socially inclusive. Yes, we managed to come up with a Margarita with a Straw which was truly a commendable effort, but where are other movies that explore these unchartered territories? With so much dialogue going on about sexual identity, it is high time Bollywood makes a movie about how romance in transgender world pans out.

Role reversal is another thing we need to see more. Not to say that Bollywood is not experimenting with gender-bending roles and coming up with more and more woman-centric movies, but there is always room for more. For decades, the boy wooing the girl has formed the crux of most legendary romances, but how about a mainstream Bollywood film that has a girl wooing the guy for a change and not being portrayed in psychotic, abnormal or at the very least an intense light. Maybe it is time we come with a light-hearted romantic story about a girl wooing and pursuing a guy and keep it sweet without making it sexist of course

For an industry that has thrived on romance for so long, Bollywood’s idea of romance is slowly starting to look somewhat confined. Our screens have increased in number, our market is global, our special effects and filming techniques are at par with that of Hollywood and sometimes even better, but there is perhaps an urgent need to update our understanding about that one thing that has been the greatest strength of Bollywood ever-the big fat Bollywood romantic sagas.