I got
my hands into Pink exactly after one
year of it’s release and I am happy that it happened. I loved the movie for the
fact that it perfectly portrays a misogynist society where the stereotypical
norms and prejudice only shackles women. Pink
was a surprising exception among the movies crossing hundred crores with five
songs, few kissing scenes, humor, a bit of Bollywood masaala and well known celebrities.
Gripping from the start to end, Pink
is a courtroom drama revolving around the lives of three working women who stay
in South Delhi and are flat mates.
Summing
the movie in short, three women go to a rock show and have dinner with newly
met friends. Unfortunately the evening takes an ugly turn for them after a
couple of drinks. Rajveer molests Meenal and as a step of self-protection she
hits Rajveer on the head, injuring his eye. These girls lose their smiles and
peace of mind but when nothing pops up for three days they believe the story
has ended. Rajveer who cannot believe he nearly lost an eye because a woman hit
him decides to seek vengeance on them. The three women are subjected to
constant threats, intimidation and harassment from Rajveer and his friends. Meenal
is abducted and terrorized, Meenal's roommate Falak loses her job because of morphed
pictures of her on a porn site, Andria is sent threatening messages on phone and
their amiable landlord is threatened with harm until he evicts the girls.
The boys lay siege and do their best to break the women into submission. The
guys malign and intimidate them in every way possible but when it doesn’t work
Rajveer uses his powerful connections to file a wrong FIR against the girls
labeling them prostitutes. When no lawyer is ready to fight their case, the creepy
neighbor suffering from bipolar disorder comes to their rescue. As the
case unfolds we can see the deep set prejudice
of the society. Prosecutor
tries to break them down by trying to prove all three to be promiscuous. Meenal is asked scathing questions. Prying neighbors
build the women’s character on crazy speculations and blame them. Even a woman
investigative officer forgets her womanhood and helps the wrong ones in their
ill motives. Police disapproves to lodge a complaint just because the
perpetrator is from an influential household. But with the help of the lawyer,
the women triumph over the odds and like a phoenix they rise from ashes.
The
movie clearly lays bare the double standards of the society we live in where
women who drink are believed to be characterless but alcohol consumption for
male is considered just a health hazard. Being feisty and frank for woman is
considered to giving hints for sexual approach but for men it is considered to
being friendly. It’s fine for men to live independently in a city but not for a
woman as it confuses men. It’s okay for men to visit their female friends in
their flats but a woman will be judged for bringing a man to her flat. If a
woman has a sexual history she is of questionable character but a man’s isn’t a questionable matter though it needs
two to tango.
It mocks the society where the ticks of the clock and venue determine
a woman’s character. A woman is believed to be giving
hints if she is present in rock show but she is believed to be from a decent
household if she is found in a library or a temple. Where character assassination and
slut shaming is all it needs to break a girl down. It beautifully pictures our society where men and women are judged by a different moral yardstick and ridicules people who
assume that if a woman is willingly roaming around with a man then he has the license
to touch her. It presents the hollow mentality of men which believes a girl who
is ready to drink with them would have no problem to sleep with them either.
Acting
of all the characters are so convincing and top notch that you start hating the
prosecutor every time he trashes the female character and tries to modify truth
for his profit, you start hating the male characters every moment they pass a sexist comment. The anxiety, frustrations and angst of
the three flat mates is so realistic that you start to see yourself in their
shoes. Even in his seventies Amitabh
Bacchan wows the audience by his magnetic and prolific acting. The hard hitting
dialogues which embarrass and enlighten you at the same time, well fleshed story and the
acting makes the movie worth a watch. The movie perfectly establishes the fact that when a girl says no to being touched, then no man has the right to force
himself on her whether a woman is a sex-worker, wife or slave. No isn’t a word but it is itself a sentence which
needs no logic clarification or explanation.
Pink is a powerful statement on
the existing feudal mindset of a majority of India. Though set in Delhi the movie was quite
contextual and relateable. The concept was nothing new and I have been feeling
it as a Nepali woman too yet it gave me goose bumps. A very single plot conveys
so heavy message with such an ease that it demands for appreciation. Pink is definitely worth a watch.
