TREATMENT OF FOREIGN WOMEN IN BOLLYWOOD

Recently we had a classroom activity- Group reading and discussion.My group had four girls Monali, Tejasvi, Brijal and myself. The topic of my group was “Post colonialism and Culture Studies”. It was an amazing and wonderful experience working in a group. Thanks to our teacher Dr.Dilip Barad for this new learning method. We discussed many things in class like the influence of Hollywood films on Indian and other culture, How the Third world represents the First world and so on. We have lots of example of films directed by foreign directors and in which India is shown in a bad way.

Are they alone showing us in a bad way or are we doing the same thing??????????

Here I would like to talk about the treatment given to foreign women.

If we look at the movies from postcolonial perspective, we see that Hollywood movies portray Indian culture or Indians in a bad or say in a dark way. We question that why Indians are looked down by the Third world nations.

But we should also think the other way that how the foreigners are portrayed in the Bollywood films. Especially I would like to highlight the treatment given to the foreigner girl. Bollywood play a part, however small, in the recurring misbehaviour against foreign women in India.

In 1970, Saira Banu in ‘Purab Aur Paschim’ played a British blonde named Preeti who favoured mini-dresses, smoking and drinking. Preeti has no idea of "Indian values" until she meets Bharat (Manoj Kumar), an Indian in London for higher studies. Bharat, of course, wants to transform her "Western ways" so she fits the popular conception of a good bride, and brings her to India. Eventually she adopts the Indian lifestyle, becomes a good Indian girl, not just a zone of sexual pleasure.

She is accepted only because she adopts the Indian life style. Women and specially women from outside other countries are judged by their clothing and living habits.

There were various white actresses in Indian movies of the 50s and 60s that portrayed scantily-dressed with a cigarette in their hand and consuming alcohol. Who can forget Helen, the cabaret queen of Anglo-Indian/Burmese descent, who enhanced innumerable films from the 50's onwards? Her role, as such, was to be in the background, a source for the male gaze.

If we talk about contemporary time, it has only gotten worse. The foreign women are many times shown as they are things to be used and thrown away. The male protagonist may indulge in a romantic leisure with the white girl but inevitably ends up falling in love with the Indian girl. Then what about the foreign women? They are portrayed as if they don’t have any kind of feelings or it is ok if they waste time with the hero.  For example: - Florence Brudenell Bruce, who plays ‘Jo’ in Love Aaj Kal, and is only worthy of a time pass with Saif Ali Khan before he happily gets back with the lovely Deepika Padukone.

This, however, is as good as it gets for white actresses in India. Most foreign women who work in the Indian movie industry are demoted to the portrayal as dancers dressed in spare, clothes, either the vamp or the applicant for a one-night-stand when the actor is rejected, drunk or upset. The Indian girl never has a one-night-stand, rarely smokes or drinks or wears tasteless clothes. If they do, they are not to be respected but looked down.

Many times foreign women are shown in TV shows or movies to gain TRP or profit. For example: - Every season of Bigg Boss brings in a woman from different countries. The role what the foreign heroines gets in movies can also be questioned.

So when Indians are portrayed in a bad way or dark way, we feel insulted. The question is do we treat them in a better way.

 WHY THIS HYPOTHETIC WAY OF THINKING?????

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