Bollywood cinema has come of age and now we have films with varied themes hitting the audience. The latest movie Pink tackles a difficult subject. The theme of the film is revolutionary as Shoojit Sircar and Aniruddha Roy Chowdharyattempt a denouementof the age-old concept of sex that a woman is always 'willing.' The director puts forth the message and its a crucial one in the present age that when a woman says no, it means no. It does not matter that a woman is a prostitute or a girlfriend or a housewife. For tackling this theme itself, the producer and director deserve praise.
The film
The movie"Pink" concerns three modern girls working for a living in a city, in this case, Delhi. They befriend a couple of well-heeledboys and go with them for dinner after attending a rock concert. The girls accept the invitation and go to a private resort. There a string of events unfolds, the girls drink along with the boys and also share vulgarjokes with them. This leads to an attempted rape, and one of the girls defends herself and with a bottle hits the boy, who almost loses an eye. The boy is the son of an influential leader, and a case is fabricated against the girl. She is charged with attempted murder. The police also furtherfabricate evidence against her and bring out the bizarrenotion that a woman who drinks and has male friends must be either a call girl or a woman with loose character.
Enter Amitabh Bachchan, the doyen of the Hindi screen as a lawyer. He fights the case skillfully and turns in a powerful performance. He demolishes all the arguments of the public prosecutor and gets the girl acquitted. He brings home the message that a woman need not be thought of being promiscuous just by her dress and behavior.
He also attacks the stereotyped ideas all over the world that a woman who dresses as she pleases and laughs and drinks is an easy game. This idea exists all over the world.
The message
This Bollywood film has a very favorable message, and in 2hours 15 minutes, the director puts across his message. Amitabhturns in a great performance as the lawyer, who has his own mental cobwebs to clean.
The movieis good but the at the end one is not sure the message is powerful enough. One is reminded of a similar Hollywood film with Judy Foster, The Accused made in 1988.
Last world
The film projects 'normal working women.' But here the message is diluted as all working women do not drink or go to parties with strangers. Never the less Shoojit Sircar and Aniruddha Roy have given a film that will make the public think. The response at the box office is good, and that is a good sign, despite having no big names as stars except for Amitabh
