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“Why are you telling me lies? I can see myself in the mirror and I’m not beautiful. I don’t have a beautiful smile or a beautiful face.” Nikki's lips trembled.
“Why are you telling me lies? I can see myself in the mirror and I’m not beautiful. I don’t have a beautiful smile or a beautiful face.” Nikki’s lips trembled.
“I want to be beautiful.” Nicky pressed her palms together. “I want to be like a pretty princess. Long hair, beautiful face and eyes like glittering gems. I want everyone to like me, to adore me.” The thirteen year old girl stared at the mirror with a wistful smile.
The mirror reflected a person, who was so unlike her prayed words.
“Who said you are not beautiful?”
“All of them. I have punctured lips and a scarred face. They call me ugly. I have no friends to play with. I am so alone.” She pointed to herself in the mirror. Her brown eyes glittered with unshed tears.
“Close your eyes,” the mirror said. It had beautiful and kind eyes, the eyes of her mother. “Imagine a girl with a lively face – her beautiful innocence radiating like a halo around her head, an angel wearing a halo. Her bright amber eyes, which reflect the sunlight whenever she smiles with kindness, lips like newborn flowers, curly hair enclosing her divine face, her giggles, a melody to the heart. Is she beautiful?”
“Yes, she is so beautiful.” The little girl whispered.
“That’s you.”
“Would I ever tell you lies?”
“No. But…”
“The magic is not in the mirror, baby girl. It is in your heart and in your mind. Think of yourself as beautiful and you can be. You will be.” Nikki shook her head with a sad smile that stretched across her thin lips.
“People say otherwise.” The girl touched the long scar running from her brows to her lips. It was a dark, gruesome, angry slash. A slash made by inferno.
“Give them a chance to say something, and they always will. Don’t let them pry your beauty away from you, baby. People judge, but they never know what they really are judging.” The girl bobbed her head.
It felt like she could understand, even if she could not.
“When you were eight, there was this terrible fire accident in a local shop. When people thrice your age ran away from it to save their life, you stayed. You stayed, baby girl, and saved a little boy. This scar,” A soft finger touched her cheeks, “This scar is the symbol of your brave and kind heart. It is the symbol of your generosity.” The voice was gentle.
“You are beautiful, honey. It is not these scars that make a person ugly. It is the heart, which makes one truly ugly. The heart that is so black, which reveals the inner ugliness in the eyes. But you, my dear, you are the most beautiful out of them all.”
“Really?” She looked at herself in the mirror.
The girl in the mirror smiled. Her smile was innocent and her eyes, they did glow like the sunlight. Her scars glittered like the streak of the rainbow, unique and exquisite – a proud symbol of who she was. It was the symbol of her kindness and courage.
“I am beautiful.” She whispered and turned to her mother, standing behind her with a fond smile. She hugged her mother and her mother twirled her around and the girl giggled cheerfully, her voice a song to the soul.
“You really are.”
Image source: darksouls1 on pixabay
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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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