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Bollywood movies have often projected women as being strong and independent, not in search of a husband or partner. Let’s look at 5 recent ones.
Whereas the society might refuse to perceive these women as being ‘perfect’, they act as inspirations for several women in the real world who dream of breaking the shackles to set themselves free.
Here’s a list of 5 such female characters who proved that marriage isn’t the priority on every woman’s wishlist.
Wonderfully played by Kangana Ranaut, Rani is an inspiration for several women who shed tears for the ones who refused to value their importance.
A middle class Indian woman deciding to travel to the lands away from her home country without a male counterpart is something ‘unconventional’ in the eyes of the society. However, Rani broke all such stereotypes as she gradually became independent in the course of her trip, and confidently rejected Vijay (Rajkumar Rao) when he tried to win her back. There is also no ‘male saviour’ shown to whom she gets married till the end of the movie, and she continues to explore the world all by herself.
Played by Kriti Kharbanda, Aarti is a strong female character, who shows her bravery by running away from her own wedding in order to pursue her dream of becoming a PCS officer.
Convinced by her sister and maternal uncle, she decides to choose her dreams over her marriage into a family that would keep her caged. Despite her true love for Satyendra (Rajkumar Rao), she prefers following her dreams to becoming his wife. She gets married to him only after she is a successful and independent woman thus proving the importance of self identify.
The character of Vaidehi is portrayed by Alia Bhatt.
Being born in a conservative family, she is not free to work and earn a living. Though she decides to get married to Badrinath (Varun Dhawan), she doesn’t show up on the day of the wedding. Instead, she leaves for Singapore in order to get trained as a flight attendant and declares that she would work even after her marriage.
Through her character, one learns how important it is to be self dependent before adopting the identity of a wife. She gets married to Badri only when she achieves her dream, thus proving marriage to be a choice and not a compulsion.
Naina Mathur (Rani Mukherjee) is an aspiring teacher. She holds a BEd and an MSc degree but is unable to attain her dream job as she suffers from Tourette syndrome which leads to her defective speech. However, she is shown to be a hardworking woman who ultimately succeeds in achieving her dreams by establishing herself as the class teacher of std. IX F in St. Notker’s school, where she was herself a student once.
The issue of her marriage has not been mentioned anywhere throughout the movie. Nor is her remaining unmarried till the day of her retirement from the school treated negatively in any way. This again throws light on the fact of marriage being the personal choice of an individual and not the sole priority.
Veera (Alia Bhatt) finds peace and freedom from her constricted life in the city once she is abducted and travels to different cities. She eventually falls in love with Mahabir (Randeep Hooda), who is later shot dead by the police.
Veera suffers from an emotional breakdown after the incident. As she gradually recovers, she moves to the mountains where she buys a house and starts a factory of her own, thereby living her dreams. Her love for Mahabir and the importance she attaches to her dreams encourage her to call off her wedding with Vinay, her fiancé whom she never loved, and live the life of her choice.
These characters bring to life the fact that the decision of getting married lies with an individual. It depends on the choice and happiness of the individual. While the idea of having a life partner is a great one, it’s greater when one gets to choose the life partner oneself. Also, living a life without a life partner isn’t a bad idea at all. If one decides against getting married, it should not be treated as a taboo, rather it should be perceived as something normal. The personal choice of every individual deserves respect from others.
I am currently pursuing MA in English literature. I have a flair for writing and
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