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So many of our movies show the heroine in a wet sari, gyrating under a waterfall or in rain. What is with the Indian man's obsession with this?
So many of our movies show the heroine in a wet sari, gyrating under a waterfall or in rain. What is with the Indian man’s obsession with this?
Disclaimer: The following post has culminated from engagingly silly thoughts of a random lazy afternoon, and the article in no way demands to be taken seriously.
Dream sequence begins. Sridevi steps into the rain in her blue chiffon sari, singing and dancing with Anil Kapoor. Her slim hourglass figure wrapped in the thin, body-hugging fabric made thousands of Indian men wish that they were Mr. India.
(source: Giphy)
There was a period when almost every mainstream Bollywood heroine had donned the wet sari to keep filmmakers happy and the male gaze hooked.
The trend has been fading over the years (isn’t a bikini scene easier to shoot and a lot more revealing?) but many remixed songs in movies keep resurrecting the dripping-wet trend to catch the eye of those who miss the good old wet scenes.
(source: Amuserr)
So why did the sari become the crazy Bollywood sexual innuendo?
An on-screen steamy shower scene was kind of prohibited in a twisted way, just like many other acts. Bollywood finally came up with a subtle (not-so-subtle) equivalent of that too, the wet sari! And let’s face it, people were getting bored of those two garden flowers kissing each other, so they did need a euphemism replacement.
(source: Tumblr)
Global warming: Raj Kapoor did introduce the drenched six-yard fabric on screen but the wet sari was at its peak in the 80s, 90s and 00s, the decades revealing a depleting Indian climate. The viewers could use a rainy sight, right?
(source: HalfChocolate)
Every other romantic/lustful song lyrics mentioned the never-ending pyaas of the hero, thus the wetness on land and the object (read: heroine) was the perfect contrast. Is that why the hero would try licking off water drops from her neck? (Eww)
(source: India Forums)
I interacted with a few others who had significant thoughts to share on the issue. “Why do we overanalyze issues? Maybe the heroine herself demanded a good shower. Sleepless nights and busy schedules, you know? Baths are time-consuming,” said one.
Another girl revealed her fantasy that never came true on-screen – “Farah Khan kept showing Shah Rukh’s wet shirt. My wish to see him in a wet sherwani remains unheard,” she sighed.
The modern Indian heroine isn’t a chiffon-clad woman anymore, leading to the fall of the trend that once kept the male gaze hooked to dripping bodies on screen. All those men have my deepest sympathy, now that we don’t see the wet sari and the drenched sari-clad heroine as much as many would like.
Nevertheless people will keep fantasizing about dripping wet clothes and kissing flowers. If you have any more awkward ideas for on-screen romance, let us know!
Header image is a still from the movie Mr India
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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