In a country that is still urging people to ‘save’ the girl child and ‘allow’ them an education, female sexuality is a myth at best. Talk about it in a room full of people and you would notice how uncomfortable they get. Which is an irony considering we gave the world a detailed treatise on the pleasures of sex. So, unless the Kamasutra was written to satisfy the male ego, we are a country of bigots for not only denying a woman the right to express her sensuality but also sweeping the whole thing under the carpet, pretending it doesn’t exist.
To make matters worse, the minute we see a woman so much so as wear a dress that doesn’t coincide with our image of a cultured Indian woman, we lose it. We call her all sorts of names and term her to be an exception, lest more women turn out to be like her. It is no different than the time when women, who thought differently, were declared to be witches and burnt at stake. It’s just that things have just gone online now. And hence, in such times, a film like Veere Di Wedding comes like a breath of fresh air. Before you dismiss the film as just a chick flick, allow us to make a case for it. (Also read: Veere Di Wedding movie review: Unapologetic and brash, this film delivers a knockout punch with its all girl ensemble cast)
Veere Di Wedding, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhasker and Shikha Talsania, is a film that we didn’t know we needed. For the first time has a Bollywood film dared to address woman’s sensuality, without making excuses. These women are the ones you meet day in and day out – your women next door, if you may. They, like millions of us across the country, are grappling with the same problems. Just like your mothers, sisters, girlfriends and wives – these ladies, too, come from families, who have instilled good values. You see where we are getting with all this. This film says what Indian women have been trying to tell their men since ages – we, too, are sexual beings. And it is not despite our upbringing but thanks to it, that we don’t feel the need to hide it.
There’s a path-breaking scene in VDW, where Swara is shown using a vibrator. Mind you, there is nothing implied here – she is using the toy in plain sight when her ex-husband walks in on her. There’s nothing shocking about this except the year is 2018, and it took us all this time to acknowledge that women, too, can pleasure themselves. In fact, the term, ‘Apna haath, Jagganath’ is used liberally throughout the film. (Also read: Box office occupancy report: Sonam Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Veere Di Wedding off to a flying start)
The girls go about talking about female orgasms normally. Because, umm, it is normal. What’s more? Shikha’s character also doesn’t shy away from discussing the length of her husband’s penis with her friends. This shouldn’t make you flinch if you have been laughing over silly jokes on a woman’s vital stats since forever.
Which also brings us to the subject of cuss words. Why is Kareena going, ‘fuck’ in every sentence such a cause of worry? If the men can get away with abusing mothers and sisters in every second breath, we think we, too, are allowed a little breathing space, patriarchy. And we are not asking for your permission. So thank you very much.
It’s sad that in an industry where we have seen films like Masti and Kya Kool Hai Hum, we have had to wait this long for a Veere Di Wedding. But better late than never, right?