Saiya, Banu Mein Teri Maiya!

It’s a man’s world. Let’s face it.

We can demand equality in jobs, walk streets topless, hold candle marches, but in a deep rooted subliminal cube floating in our existence somewhere, we accept.

I am by no means implying anything that could open doors for a volley of meaningful conversation. I’m simply stating observation from an article on Bollywood couples, that I recently read.

It was about actors that played each other’s love interest and then, blood relations, a few movies apart. Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh will soon be playing a couple in Bajairao and siblings in Dil Dhadakne Do. SRK and Aishwarya have done it too.

But a choice of role I found really interesting - Rakhee played Amitabh’s love interest in Kabhie Kabhie and later his mother in Shakti. The two movies were released 7 years apart.

So 7 yrs later, the Indian audience was still willing to clap and sing along with Mr. Bachchan as he romanced his new muse, but their tolerance level towards the female protagonist had her slotted into the role of a mother (I’m sure one of substance)

Big B also romanced Waheeda Rehman in Adalat, and 7 yrs later played a dutiful son to her in Coolie. With all due respect to Rakhee and Waheeda Rehman, their decision to play mother to a colleague they once romanced, shared equal poster space with, must have born out of circumstantial pressure of an imprudent audience.

A topless Salman Khan will still encourage cat calls, but a Preity Zinta (not topless) does not have it in her anymore. There will be a Pa, a Cheeni Kum, a Bhagban but how many English Vinglish?

Call it balls, call it talent, but hats off to the ladies, for giving a different meaning to the scene while holding the same man to their bosom, merely 7 years apart, one as lover then as a mother!

We still love a trotting Salman, but do we want to hear sweet nothings from Madhuri anymore(“Uhu! Uhhuu!”) We’re proud of the fact that “Aunty police bulalegi par party yuhin chalegi”, but why does Raveena not get Mast Mast? We’d swayed along with SRK when he asked Juhi “Aur Kya” but did anyone want to see her being his “Chamak Challo”?

We fight for rights and then discard them. 

I’d like to see Priyanka play Ranbir’s mom. Haa! There will be more Gunday’s  and other wall décor stuff, until one day a come back will be announced. People wouldn’t have even noticed the absence, cause all along her male contemporaries were in your face romancing a few talented and other look alikes. But always there!