Watched dirty picture yesterday. There was a "dignified" lady sitting beside me....who muttered under her breath "what is this woman up to!". This simple comment led me thinking...about vidya and the trajectory her career has been following. In many ways quite an extraordinary journey, this ordinary girl from kerela ,has undertaken in our supremely gender biased film industry. Blessed with a traditional indian face this damsel has nothing "traditional" about her choice of roles. She loves subverting stereotypes and i love her doing so....
PAREENITA- THE MARRIED WOMAN (2005)"an ode to shankuntala"
Even as akshay kumar and john abraham were grossing moolah ,for fooling around an army of girls in garam masala (another big hit of 2005),there was this new girl on the block....who with her big red bindi and waist length thick locks..made sure that parineeta would always be remembered for her performance rather than the male lead or the director.
Inside closed doors they exchange vows of togetherness.This simple gesture hold a lot more sanctity for lolita than an entire gamut of rituals for social acceptance of marriage, but her trust is soon betrayed. In many ways lolita is much like shankutala...who marries dushyanta in secrecy only to be forgotten and betrayed later...For both shakuntala and lolita marriage was beyond the drama of social sanction...both pay for transgressing the patriarchal order...and both seem unapologetic about it.
As a newcomer one needs deep sensitivity and lot of guts to attempt such a role..vidya did it and with much elan.Her classic looks only added charm to this classic period drama.
PAA- THE SINGLE MOTHER
A contemporary woman who is brave enough to give birth to her child outside the sacred arena of marriage.She asserts that a kid without a father may be difficult to bring up but not impossible to.Rather than pleading before the male lead for acceptance, she makes the man go on his knees to beg acceptance from the family he once betrayed. Once again vidya seems to be in contol ...rather than being controlled
ISHQUIYA-" KRISHNA" THE ENCHANTRESS
In Ishquiya vidya is the femme fatale, the enchantress who makes two men go week on their legs to achieve her ulterior motives.From the innocence of parineeta, vidya takes a huge leap to become a seductress in ishquiya. Krishna's philosophy seems simple....There is no wrong in a woman choosing to exploit her charms to get what she wants to.She is a village belle who knows how to fire a gun, how to deliver mouthful of abuses and how to make men dance to her tunes....Once again she is the one in control....the one who knows how to subvert the dynamics of power play.
SILK-THE DIRTY SIREN....
In an industry obsessed with zero figures...who else would have dared to pile up oodles of tummy fat and even that to be exposed without any inhibitions. In playing silk vidya most dexterously exposes the filth of
male duplicity layer by layer...in the process loosing her own sense of self. The dirty picture makes you ponder......Where does the dirt actually lie? Unlike her other characters, vidya as silk is not in control....she is here- a prey. But her vulnerability as an ambitious woman in tinsel town only acts to strip man off his garb of dignity and honour.
PAREENITA- THE MARRIED WOMAN (2005)"an ode to shankuntala"
Even as akshay kumar and john abraham were grossing moolah ,for fooling around an army of girls in garam masala (another big hit of 2005),there was this new girl on the block....who with her big red bindi and waist length thick locks..made sure that parineeta would always be remembered for her performance rather than the male lead or the director.Inside closed doors they exchange vows of togetherness.This simple gesture hold a lot more sanctity for lolita than an entire gamut of rituals for social acceptance of marriage, but her trust is soon betrayed. In many ways lolita is much like shankutala...who marries dushyanta in secrecy only to be forgotten and betrayed later...For both shakuntala and lolita marriage was beyond the drama of social sanction...both pay for transgressing the patriarchal order...and both seem unapologetic about it.
PAA- THE SINGLE MOTHER
A contemporary woman who is brave enough to give birth to her child outside the sacred arena of marriage.She asserts that a kid without a father may be difficult to bring up but not impossible to.Rather than pleading before the male lead for acceptance, she makes the man go on his knees to beg acceptance from the family he once betrayed. Once again vidya seems to be in contol ...rather than being controlled
ISHQUIYA-" KRISHNA" THE ENCHANTRESS
In Ishquiya vidya is the femme fatale, the enchantress who makes two men go week on their legs to achieve her ulterior motives.From the innocence of parineeta, vidya takes a huge leap to become a seductress in ishquiya. Krishna's philosophy seems simple....There is no wrong in a woman choosing to exploit her charms to get what she wants to.She is a village belle who knows how to fire a gun, how to deliver mouthful of abuses and how to make men dance to her tunes....Once again she is the one in control....the one who knows how to subvert the dynamics of power play.
SILK-THE DIRTY SIREN....
In an industry obsessed with zero figures...who else would have dared to pile up oodles of tummy fat and even that to be exposed without any inhibitions. In playing silk vidya most dexterously exposes the filth of
Good one titali... :)
ReplyDeleteThe flow of portrayal of Vidya in different movies and comparison with contemporary society is excellent.
Its a huge 'manly' step for me to accept many things you have said about we poor fellows :P
Latika...I enjoyed reading your blog...Its interesting to read the comparison you have made...And the pics you have chosen...Aarohi
ReplyDeletethanks
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