Behold, Love has officially left the building!
On one hand, there’s the infamous Brangelina divorce that suddenly seems to be on everyone’s news feed and minds, giving way to a gazillion ‘none-of-our-business-but-we-still-got-to-know’ questions- Why did they break up? Was he cheating again? But they were the ideal couple…and all that. Most people I know have suddenly lost their “faith in marriage”, because of this breakup; this and the many many cases of infidelity that we see both on-screen, off-screen and sometimes in our own neighborhood that shakes our beliefs quite a bit.
I agree, people did cheat in the past- the difference being it used to be a very discreet affair. Today even if the affair itself is discreet, the shame afterwards is celebrated. Be it a man or woman- cheating today is justified and waived off if the couple fell out of love, fell in love with someone else or there were just too many irreconcilable differences. Apparently, if Brangelina couldn’t stand the test of time, no one else can!
Why has it become easier to make them your role models- who don’t share the same beliefs, values or lifestyle as you, and have done far more things than sitting glued to the TV or mobile and not be inspired by your own parents who are still together even after 30+ years and numerous ups and downs of life? The classic answer I get to this is- they were different and times have changed. Most people would never agree to their own ignorance and these are the occasions when I realize that stabbing myself would be a less painful option than convincing them.
While marriage and monogamous relationships are clearly no longer trendy anymore, serial dating is what everyone wants these days. There’s an array of absolutely pointless new-age movies endorsing casual relationships, sex, skinny bikini clad women, one night stands, live in relationships, more sex and just about everything that sells these days. Where life is portrayed as pages of Vogue and is all about traveling to exotic locations, wearing fancy clothes, metro-sexual heavy built guys who try to woo women with cheap pickup lines. There’s ‘extravagant, carefree and independent’ stamped all over it.
You might ask, what’s so new about this? We’re all way too familiar with the American Pie series, Friends with Benefits, No Strings Attached and many more movies from the west that we’ve all watched, laughed and loved. But Indian cinema took some time catching up, and we’re finally here. We took a big leap from Baghban to Befikre and boy are we proud! We’ve matched our western counterparts yet again! Our movies too are fun, exciting and living the American dream (While the Indian dream dies a slow painful death).
Oh but wait, isn’t this the era of women empowerment? The movies have a fix for that too. Don’t mistake our female character to be just a pretty face. The writer carves her character to match the hero’s- she’s flawlessly beautiful who shares an equal screen time, has a powerful backstory (maybe she’s a dancer or business woman who fought her family and insecurities to be independent, rich and successful) and suffers from major first world problems. She also, like our guy, doesn’t believe in love or marriage, and wants ‘nothing serious’. Why should boys have all the fun, eh? We can be promiscuous and still classy! If the character is still too boring, an element of disturbed childhood is added, because that’s what everyone goes through these days and we all could do with a little more drama in our lives.
But wait, there’s a plot twist! No matter how much the movie banks on these cheap theatrics and skin show or ‘No I Love You’s’ and casual dating , the second half of the movie will definitely show a happy ending, aka the characters fall in love with each other. Or if the writer is smarter than your average Joe, the couple parts way amicably only to find true love somewhere else. Yes, love is definitely in the books, but you might have to make few mistakes before you find the “Right Match”.
I can’t blame the movies, after all it’s all about Entertainment. But I’m shocked by the hypocrisy of these celebrities who we literally idolize and worship. They talk about liberation, literacy and empowerment, but are okay with being objectified in movies.
One quarter of our country is fighting for equal women’s rights and in midst of serving prompt justice against the hundreds of women who are raped, abused or assaulted not just on the streets but in their own houses; while another portion of people are desperately praying for more rains or trying desperately to combat water scarcity; yet another half is fighting the growing intolerance in our diverse country- we all need a break right? Maybe that’s why these movies sell. The reality is just too boring and bitter and who wouldn’t want to escape to a world that is rich, glamorous and free of troubles?
Moral of the story is that love exists- not the Romeo Juliet kinds, but more in-the-moment kinds. Something that happens more than once-in-a-lifetime. True love will only be portrayed in a 2:00 minute Uber ad, because that’s how short-lived love is. Who wants to watch a 3-hour movie of a couple who fight but chose to stay with each other, even if that’s the reality? That just wouldn’t sell! Life’s all about speed and there’s no time for sappy, mushy things. There is no time to take that extra effort in the relationship and understand or sort things out with our partner. A love that’s easy to find and easy to burn is what we look for. Unfortunately, Commitment is a long word; Choices is shorter and exciting.
I guess it’s my fault that I chose to stay an old school romantic in this tinder obsessed world. A world that believes that classics are boring and outdated, and being the old-fashioned one-man woman is a faux pas.
