...juggling between power, status and authority
In Gulaal, the testosterone driven political landscape serves as a ground for Kiran (Ayesha Mohan) to come as a manipulative figure. She uses men in all possible ways to hold a certain position in the Rajputana political system. She appears like a chess pawn throughout the film. She specifically uses Dileep (Raj Singh Chaudhary) for political benefits. When their relationship commences, she begins to grab a hold over him. They both merely communicate because she imposes her decisions upon him by dominating his opinions. This relationship clearly portrays female dominance. This female dominance is juxtaposed with male ignorance of Dukey Bana (Kay Kay Menon) towards his wife (Jyoti Dogra) and mistress Madhuri (Mahie Gill).
Sunaina (Zoya Hussain) and Shravan (Vineet Kumar Singh) in Mukkabaaz have a relationship which grows and attains maturity gradually. There is immense love between them but sometimes they fight like teenagers. She slaps him impulsively everytime he gets on her nerves. But after facing realities of marriage and responsibilities, she happens to balance the gender roles by writing a letter saying, “hame pata hai hum shadi ke baad se thode swarthi ho gaye hain. Aaj amma boli ki baccha karlo jaldi se aur hame ehsaas hua ki baccha ka toh hum soch bhi nahi sakte. Ka hai ki kitna karna hai humko abhi. Tab ehsaas hua shadi humko karni thi lekin tum taiyar nahi the. Tumhara khud ka bhi apna sapna hai. Tumhara national aane wala hai. Naukri pakki honi hai aur ham apna rona leke baith gaye hai. Tum abhi sab chhod ke boxing pe dhyan do tab tak hum aise hi chitthi likhke kahenge jo kehna hai. Jab champion ho jao tab ham dhund lenge tarika ek dusre se baat karne ka.”
They both endure a respect for the bond they share. Whereas Bhagwan Das Mishra and his wife’s relation goes unnoticed until his wife says, “beta hum tera saal ke the jab Bhagwan Das humko byah kar laye the. Vo jo keh rahe hain manlo aur karlo. Hume pata hai hum kis aadmi ki dulhan rahe hai itne saal.” This speaks about Bhagwan Das’s domestic as well as social dominance. This has been prevalent for years and the adamant ego of Mishra will never resign his dominating self.
Sarita (Saiyami Kher) and Sushant (Roshan Mathew) undergo a gender role reversal in Choked. This crafted role reversal comes to the sight from the very beginning of the film. She is the breadwinner in their family, a wife and a mother. Being a woman, she can’t help but clean up and organise everything around the house the moment she returns from work. But his heated argument between his side business partner Dinesh (Uday Nene) reveals the situation between Sarita and Sushant:
Dinesh: main teri biwi ke bare me bolu?
Sushant: Dinesh tu band kar yar..
Dinesh: nahi nahi sorry sorry sorry..biwi toh ye hai, Sarita iska pati hai
Sushant: bohot comedy karra hai tu..bohot comedy karra hai tu?
Dinesh: tu biwi hai..jhukta kyu hai..biwi aane ke baad jhukta kyu hai tu?
The unfulfilled dream of becoming a singer haunts Sarita every night. She regrets the past happenings and looks frustrated and lethargic. Her numbness has similarly affected her relationship with everyone around her. She seems to be behaving like a man who works and earns for the family. There are instances when she spends money all by her means indicating monetary control. The greed of newfound money with suspicious concerns lets her lie carelessly. Whereas Sushant’s longing for emotional connection with Sarita is visible. Their marriage and personal relationship gains a lively tone by the end of the film. Sarita overcomes her inner demons and gets back to her older self, free from regrets she held on to.
In Ugly, Shalini (Tejaswini Kolhapure) is oppressed by the dominating behaviour of Shoumik (Ronit Roy). The film takes upon an egoistic take in terms of almost every character. The gritty truth about their muted marriage is already established audio visually in the beginning. But the instance when Shalini questions Shoumik serves as a justification to his crude behaviour and ill treatment towards her.
Shoumik: Main tumse kuch puch raha hoon Shalini
Shalini: Kya puch rahe hain aap? Kya? Kabhi ye pucha ki main kaisi hoon? Mujhe kuch chahiye? Main unn paiso ke sath vo karne wali thi, vo lene wali thi jo aapne mujhe diya nahi. Kyu shadi ki mujhse? College ka badla lene ke liye? Ye dikhane ke liye ki maine Rahul ko chun ke galti ki? Ya aap mahan hai..haina? Shadi karke mujhe ghar baitha diya. Kaidi bana diya aapne. Kabhi pyaar se haath lagaya mujhe? Aap darwaza band karke sote ho. Kabhi notice kiya ki khana khana khate waqt main kutte ki tarah aapko dekhti rehti hoon. Kabhi pucha hai maine khana khaya hai ya nahi? Itni nafrat karte ho toh shadi kyu ki?
Whenever Shalini and Shoumik are within the same frame, a constant tension builds up. His dominance seems prevalent throughout the narrative. The dark and edgy characters in Ugly delve into a number of human complexities.
Another film that portrays male dominance like Ugly is Raman Raghav 2.0. Not just the male characters, but the overall society reflects their understanding of women as an object. The relationship between Simmy (Sobhita Dhulipala) and Raghav (Vicky Kaushal) portrays sexual interests. There is a pivotal scene among them after they have had intercourse where Simmy asks him to use protection during sexual activity. Their conversation showcases her assertiveness and his fury as a reaction,
Simmy: Phir se pregnant ho gayi toh?
Raghav: Teen abortions ke baad koi pregnant nahi hota
Simmy: Ye kisne bola
Raghav: Mujhe pata hai
Simmy: Agar ho gayi toh?
Raghav: Toh tumhari marzi hai, baccha chaiye hoga rakhlena nahi chahiye hoga maar dena haramzade ko
Simmy: Tum protection use nahi karoge
Raghav:(flushes toilet)
He is least concerned about this matter and finds it as casual as flushing in a toilet.
Simmy: Shaadi karoge? Hua kya hai?
Raghav:(stares at her)
Raghav: (looking at newspaper headline) Haath mein tha mere ye
Simmy: Kaun?
Raghav: Ye.. Isne apni behen, uske pati aur ek bacche ko maara hai. 6 saal ka baccha tha
Simmy: Tune bhi toh 3 bacche maare, mere
Raghav: Tujhe darr nahi lagta mujhse?
Simmy: Kyun?
This signifies that male dominance attains a sense of satisfaction when the people who they look down upon respond to them in the form of fear.
Human intricacies like male dominance, female dominance, ignorance, numbness and ego are some of the many aspects that Anurag Kashyap’s film characters deal with on gender oriented parameters. Each layer is put forth with dynamic intensity and nuanced portrayal in Gulaal, Mukkabaaz, Ugly, Choked and Raman Raghav 2.0.
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