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Durga: The Feminist Character that's the Need of the Hour

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🎬 Durga: The Feminist Character that's the Need of the Hour The Girlfriend is an important movie, made for this generation. I’d like to applaud Rahul Ravindran’s bold and realistic writing , especially in how he crafted Durga’s character. What stood out to me most was how Durga—a bold, feminist-esque woman—is not portrayed as: A vengeful and cruel archetype like Neelambari , or A clueless yet entitled trope like Shakti from Aan Paavam Polladhadhu Instead, Durga feels real, layered, and deeply human . 🌱 1. Durga Grows and Acknowledges Her Flawed Choices Just like all of us, Durga evolves. She expresses her interest in Vikram openly , without hesitation. She doesn’t shy away from her magnetic attraction to him. She questions why Vikram chooses the seemingly nondescript Bhooma Devi over her —the most popular girl in college. Yet, she doesn’t swear revenge . She confidently believes Vikram will eventually leave Bhooma Devi for her, rooted in her self-assurance rather than bi...
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6 Reasons why Padayappa is a Problematic Movie

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  One line review: The acting is MASS but the characterization is PISS. 1. "A woman must behave like a woman." Nah. Patience, anger, self-control, haste - these are all HUMAN, not WOMANLY or MANLY. It's maddening to see that, even 25 years later, Padayappa's advice to Neelambari on how she should behave is widely accepted as "normal." Humans (men and women) display a spectrum of emotions and actions - good and bad. What all of us must do is try to be better today than we were yesterday. 2. Rejecting a woman because she's not "woman enough." Grouping Neelambari's flaws as "manly" speaks volumes about how society lets men behave badly while restricting women. Padayappa could've rejected Neelambari because of incompatibility issues. But no, he had to take a dig at her "lack of womanliness." Neelambari too - could've chosen better. A man who mansplains how women should be isn't a catch, or manly for that matter. ...
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Men's Rights & Feminism According to Aan Paavam Polladhadu

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  I am not triggered by Aan Paavam Polladhadhu - I just pity the makers who think they did right by their target audience and those who think its stellar. Let's dive right into the elements that makes this movie a false representation of what feminism stands for and what is considered "men's rights." 1. Women following traditions (wearing the nuptial thread) are "men's rights." Tradition isn't the responsibility of only a certain section of the human population. If some people can choose whether or not to follow tradition, so can everyone. Many oppressive traditions have been scrapped from practice - culture and tradition are created by humans for humans. If the tradition no longer serves the current, transformed circumstance - it must be dismantled. 2. Women wearing elders' approved dressing and sitting position are "men's rights." Weird, because our elders also have the mindset that men must be providers - this movie vehemently op...
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The Girlfriend: Reclaim Your Power, Girls

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  One line review of The Girlfriend: If shame is different for men and women - IT'S TIME TO EQUALIZE. First of all, I'd like to commend Rahul Ravindran: a man who made a movie from women's perspective. I think Chinmayi and her experience made an impact on him and that birthed this movie. If Chinmayi introduced Bell Hooks in an interview, Rahul introduced Virginia Woolf - both are feminist writers.  1. It's nice to see Rashmika Mandanna actually given the scope to perform after all the flower pot roles she essayed. What I liked most is the character progression of Bhooma Devi: though it made me impatient and I wanted to shake Bhoo into reality about Vikram, I understood that change isn't immediate. And the breaking point of being betrayed by two men she trusted... felt real - every woman would've felt that in life. 2. Protector and lover only until it serves them. This is something women have long known. Vikram says that it's not the way to behave at women (r...
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After Illness-Related Disability, I Ran to Find a Job, Not a Husband

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  🌅After Illness-Related Disability, I Ran to Find a Job, Not a Husband In less than a year, I went from the left to the right — a bright student to a disabled young woman. Needless to say, it was devastating. But I realized some things in the years of my journey with a new identity, in a limiting, painful body. 💔 The Man Who Pursued Me… Left As I fought for my life in the hospital after diagnosis, the man who wanted to marry me — he brought a proposal through his family — absconded. He was my cousin's wife's brother. Everyone thought that he'd be a good husband for me. Except for the fact that marriage was the last thing on my mind — I was worrying about my A-levels exam results and whether I'd bounce back in time to attend university. 👁️ When Reality Hits, You See What’s Best for You I went from a so-called “attractive girl” to a girl on wheels everyone pitied — because “no man would marry me.” I was barfing in the hospital due to an allergy to medicine, ...
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Dude Roast

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  One line review: Dude tries to please both progressive and regressive audiences and fails at both - while succeeding at being shallow. 1. A woman proposes and the man she proposes to cracks a bawdy joke. Progressive: Woman proposing - appeals to progressive audience. Regressive: Man uses a blue film reference to the kneeling position  - appeals to regressive male audience. 2. Kural proposes marriage to Agan without even asking if he has mutual feelings for her. She assumes that he loves her because he's her first cousin. I saw this in Romeo Juliet as well. How can people assume such things? It's like an arranged marriage setup - everything works presumptuously.  3. Nuptial thread isn't important - what's important is the girl's heart behind the thread - then proceeds with a dialogue that yarn can't thread a needle without the needle's consent. Honestly, it was exhausting and confusing at the same time. The film tries too hard to round up divisive audiences...
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