Angry Indian Goddesses: A (Biased) Review
Among Bollywood’s (many) shortcomings is its failure to capture the essence of strong female friendships on screen. Women are often portrayed as being too obsessed with men to be able to divert attention to their girlfriends. Growing up, I found this portrayal incredibly disconcerting: it stood in stark contrast to the girls I knew in real life. My friend circle comprised four unique young women, who’ve stood by my side from the second they entered my life. My safe space is in the middle of our tiny circle, arms and legs intertwined, filled with laughter and love. Even though adulthood has scattered us across different states, our WhatsApp group is still the first recipient of a text whenever we have important life updates, such as how we did on a recent assignment or how big that annoying pimple has gotten.
The first time I saw a group of friends in a film whose bond reminded me of ours, it was in this (rarely heard of) gem called Angry Indian Goddesses. The movie revolves around a group of seven women, one of whom, Frieda, a photographer, invites her college friends over to her family home in Goa for her bachelorette week. The friends are a diverse bunch, including a powerful CEO Suranjana and her 6-year old daughter Maya; half-English, half-Indian aspiring Bollywood actor Joanna; struggling indie rocker Madhureeta; social activist Nargis, and Pam, whose slightly conventional ideas don’t stop her from questioning the oppressiveness of her arranged marriage. Lakshmi, the maid, is spunky and blunt, and a constant member of the circle.
The movie’s plot isn’t particularly streamlined, but it primarily traces the girls’ interactions and activities during Freida’s bachelorette week, as they wait for her to reveal who she’s getting married to. The first half of the movie is a delight to watch, and the fierceness of their personalities ensured that the song ‘Aali Re’ from No One Killed Jessica was playing on repeat in the back of my mind throughout. While in the second half, the plot takes a darker and slightly trite turn — it still has certain scenes with exceptional acting that left me an emotional mess.
Angry Indian Goddesses is, admittedly, a flawed film. If you asked a film critic, they’d probably mention the way in which the movie attempts to incorporate a tad too many social issues: it feels like multiple checkboxes are being ticked. Gender inequality, gay marriage, sexual harassment and rape — check, check, check. Not to forget its cringe-worthy, idealistic final scene, and a disturbing sequence of a man being objectified and ogled by a group of women. That being said, this movie does right by its women. It’s a ‘fuck you’ to people who think girls’ sleepovers are nothing more than naked pillow fights. It’s a ‘fuck you’ to anybody who sees women as being one-dimensional. It’s a huge ‘fuck you’ to anybody who assumes that we can’t stand up for ourselves, that women aren’t capable of anger, that we’re likely to cower behind men in fear when things get tough.
There is such nuanced diversity in the characters’ personalities; and yet, their compatibility is unquestionable. Good-natured teasing is always overpowered by an unwavering acceptance of the other for who and how they are, even if their lifestyles are poles apart.
Angry Indian Goddesses celebrates womanhood and female friendships beautifully, in a way that Indian cinema has not often successfully captured. In spite of its flaws, it’s worth the watch for its stunning choice of actors, and a first half that’s full of moments that’ll make you miss your best friends.
