In a movie, an actor and actress are caught in the middle of a situation where the girl is abducted by the villain and his goons. The actor, then with his extra dose of protein shake fights with more than 10 bodybuilders. Well, this is all we have been receiving from Bollywood for ages. Ultimately, we carry this definition of high melodrama in our minds when we think of Bollywood.
|| Medha Shukla
But Bollywood has given us many valuable movies with the change in era and the transformation in our social parameters. The female fraternity has reached way too far to manage the household and stay forlorn. Now they have become empowered and are achieving heights. Not every story needs a villain. Life can be struggling because of our environmental pressure and multiple things rather than with the presence of a bulky, ugly-looking villain.
There has been a transformation in the Bollywood movie genre with the introduction of biopic movies. A lot of biopics are on the life journey of different profound personalities in various fields. The exploration of the biographies of women personalities in our nation has proved that Bollywood has shown great transformation in bringing out the change that the nation has gone through. With India becoming free, women have turned out to be more independent. The biopic on women achievers started with the movie ‘Bandit Queen’ in 1994. The film is based on the biography of a woman who turned into a dacoit while facing all the hardships and exploitation in her life. Even after going through exploitation by men, be it goons or police, she becomes strong and a legend.
Soon after, the second phase of biopic movies started in a different way that portrays the hidden talent of our nation. The stories of women who after independence achieved a lot and went to the greatest heights in their life are shown through the biopic.
- In 2014, Mary Kom, a biopic based on the life story of an Indian Boxer directed by Omung Kumar. The movie is a tribute to Mary Kom about her life journey and struggles post-marriage and how she handled both her boxing career and family simultaneously. Priyanka Chopra added magnificence to the character through her honest acting and expressions. Well, the movie turned out to be an inspiration for many.
- In 2016, “Neerja”, directed by Ram Madhvani is a biopic on Neerja Bhanot, who risked her life as a flight attendant while saving the passengers in a flight hijacked by terrorists. The story revolves around the year 1986. Neerja Bhanot was awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously for her self-sacrifice. The movie is directed beautifully with an applauding performance by Sonam Kapoor that reaches out to millions of viewers.
- In 2017, Nitesh Tiwari directed, Dangal is a biopic based on the life of two wrestlers – Geeta and Babita Phogat. The story revolves around the wrestling journey of the duo and their training by their father since childhood. The movie discards gender discrimination and appreciates the initiative of Mahavir Phogat that led her daughters to be the champions and perfect representation for all women out there working hard for their life.
- In 2020, Shakuntala Devi, a biopic released on the Indian mathematician regarded as the human-computer. Her awestruck mathematical skills made her profound and are stating that women have left no stone unturned in achieving heights.
In the same year, ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’ has been released, the life story of the first Indian women fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force, Gunjan Saxena. The tale of her life struggles, dedication, and discrimination faced as a female is truly inspiring and has been brought forward by Bollywood presenting her courage during the Kargil War.
- In 2021, a movie based on the famous Indian badminton sportsperson, Saina Nehwal has released. Saina’s biopic directed by Amole Gupte is a true story of determination and dedication and is highly inspiring for the girls who are seeing a dream for themselves.
Gone are times when actresses were a part of the character playing as a victim, vamp, or a decorative piece. Bollywood has been successful in creating these biopics and is giving us a reason to believe all that our women have achieved and given to the nation. After 74 years of freedom, a lot has changed over these years. Women once suppressed folk of our nation have become more independent now. No field is left untouched by the women of our country. Well, not to forget women as Rani Lakshmi Bai have been independent before independence to give the nation its freedom and power. And Bollywood has sincerely paid a tribute through the biopic ‘Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi directed by Krish and Kangna Ranaut.
With the completion of 74 years of Independence and to Independent India, let us celebrate the victory of both freedoms to the nation and its womenfolk. There are still stories that are unsung about the achievements of women from Independence till now. Bollywood directors are on their way to bring forward those unsung stories. Well, this tribute to the women achievers and representatives of women folk by Bollywood is worth appreciating to present a different inspiring era of Hindi cinema before its viewers.
