Yesterday I watched Lajja for the first time. (What does the title mean?) As this is an older movie, I’m not giving any information about the movie itself. For me it was the first Bollywood movie with such a topic. I understand that Vaidehi, Maithili, Janki and Ramdulari are all names of Sita, that Sita is Rama’s wife, was kidnapped by Ravana and afterwards treated rather badly by Rama and that the other names refer to other episodes in her life. I also understand that the examples given of very much abused and misused, killed and raped women serve as examples of women’s treatment in India. I feel impressed by a number of things.
There is a huge need to make such a movie.
Such a movie is made.
It is viewed by the audiences as interesting and entertaining. (I gathered that from the reviews here.)
Obviously it is true that in India women are quite often treated as shown in the movie. For example murders of a new wife because of a too small dowry sometimes make it into the media even in Germany. Or the incident of the almost-drowned girl child (why on earth does he want to drown her in milk?)
I have never seen any such movie made in Hollywood, or in Europe for that matter. The problems may no longer be that big here but they do exist all the same. I remember a friend who, on having delivered a girl for her first child, was told: Never mind, maybe the next one will be a boy. In India, movies seem to play the role of a means of education of the people, rather than being exclusively meant for entertainment.
Of course the movie has entertaining moments, but it is also very shocking. One of the worst moments was to me when Vaidehi was scolded by her own parents. The thought that a woman who was sent back by her unfeeling husband does not even find support from her own parents is very hard to bear.
There is one character in the movie I cannot understand. This Bulwa appears like a cross between Robin Hood and Zorro in order to save or avenge every woman. That is a nice thought and a nice-looking Ajay Devgan, but it seems to be very unrealistic.
All in all, watching this movie reminded me that in Germany too the early post-war feminist movement began by reporting unfair police-questioning or unfair trials in rape-cases (Such as: Wasn’t she wearing a too short skirt anyway?) or in cases in which a husband had killed his wife (She was always nagging.) and similar things. This was about 30 years ago. Nowadays it seems that these problems no longer exist. I can only wish that this movie may help women in India and everywhere else in the world where such help is needed.