Hello Readers! Women’s Day is here, and I had the perfect plan to celebrate—an all-out Bollywood movie marathon featuring powerful female friendships, heartwarming camaraderie, and stories that uplift and empower women. Sounds perfect, right? Well, reality hit harder than a dramatic Bollywood breakup scene. Finding a decent Bollywood movie that actually portrays female friendship in a genuine way? Near impossible. My movie marathon dreams crashed and burned faster than a box office flop. I looked online for films that portray female friendships, and the results? Well, Google came up with films like Veere Di Wedding, Sukhee, Crew, Pink, Aisha, and whatnot.
It got me thinking: Why is it so hard to find good Bollywood films about sisterhood? We have countless movies celebrating bromance. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, 3 Idiots, Dil Chahta Hai – these are classics! They perfectly capture the camaraderie, the laughter, and the shared experiences that make male friendships so special. Guys go on epic adventures, support each other’s dreams, and navigate life's ups and downs together. And we, the audience, eat it up! We connect with these characters and their bonds. Sure, we have the pair of Naina and Aditi from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, but is it really just about female friendship?
Where are the equivalent films for women? Where are the movies that showcase the same depth and complexity in female friendships? Sadly, they’re few and far between. What we often get instead are films that reduce female relationships to tired stereotypes or use them as mere plot points.
Think about it. How many times have you seen a Bollywood movie where the female characters are just there to be the "heroine's friend," offering little more than superficial support or, even worse, engaging in petty rivalries? It's frustrating!
For instance, take Veere Di Wedding by Shashanka Ghosh. When Veere Di Wedding was announced, it seemed like Bollywood was finally ready to embrace an all-women buddy film. With a star-studded cast featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhasker, and Shikha Talsania, expectations were high. It was marketed as this ultimate girls' night out, a celebration of female friendship. Unfortunately, the film turned out to be more about flashy outfits and luxurious lifestyles than genuine friendships. While there were moments of camaraderie, the story lacked emotional depth and was riddled with melodrama that didn’t quite land. The characters were more like caricatures than real people, and their bond felt manufactured. Instead of celebrating the essence of female friendships, the film ended up being a glossy, superficial showcase of privileged women dealing with first-world problems.
Then there's Crew. The premise of women working together had potential, but the film fell short. It had all the elements of an entertaining heist-comedy but focused more on the crime caper than on meaningful relationships between its leads. Female friendships deserve more than just a passing nod; they need heart and nuance. While Crew had its fun moments, it ultimately failed to explore the emotional complexities of women supporting each other through life's ups and downs. The characters were one-dimensional, their interactions lacked authenticity, and the plot was predictable. The friendship angle felt like an afterthought, lost in the noise.
Inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, Aisha was supposed to be about modern female friendships. Instead, it gave us a superficial portrayal of women whose relationships revolved around shopping, gossip, and matchmaking. Sonam Kapoor’s Aisha spends more time meddling in her friends’ love lives than actually supporting them. While the film had its light-hearted charm, it didn’t capture the true emotional depths of friendship between women.
And what about Sukhee starring Shilpa Shetty? While it tried to portray a mother’s journey of self-discovery with the help of her friends, the film’s simplistic narrative and underdeveloped characters failed to resonate. The film took a predictable route, presenting friendship as a secondary theme rather than a driving force. Instead of celebrating the joys, struggles, and resilience of long-term female friendships, it focused too much on a single character’s journey, sidelining the very relationships that could have made the film stand out.
Yes, Pink was a hard-hitting film, but did it really give us an authentic portrayal of female friendships? Pink focuses on individual battles against a patriarchal system, it addresses crucial social issues, and the focus often shifts away from the intricacies of female friendships. Though the women support each other through a traumatic experience, the narrative primarily revolves around the legal battle and the male characters who champion their cause. The nuances of their bond, their individual struggles, and their support for one another beyond the immediate crisis are often underdeveloped.
It's not all doom and gloom, though. If there’s one Bollywood film that truly did justice to female friendships, it’s Parched. Directed by Leena Yadav, this indie gem tells the story of four women—played by Radhika Apte, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Surveen Chawla, and Lehar Khan—who live in a patriarchal village but find strength in each other. Unlike the glossy, urban stories Bollywood usually tells, Parched is raw, emotional, and deeply moving. It doesn’t just scratch the surface of female friendships; it delves into their core, showing how women uplift, protect, and heal each other even in the harshest conditions. Their bond is messy, full of love, laughter, heartbreak, and solidarity—just like real friendships. This film proved that Bollywood can tell meaningful stories about women, but for some reason, it just doesn’t do it often enough.
I, for one, was incredibly excited about the prospect of Jee Le Zaraa. A road trip movie starring Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, and Katrina Kaif? Three friends embarking on a journey of self-discovery? It sounded like the perfect antidote to the lack of good Bollywood movies about female friendship. The anticipation was palpable, the potential for a truly meaningful portrayal immense. But, as is too often the case, the project stalled, leaving that void unfilled and reinforcing the very issue this article explores.
The stalling of Jee Le Zaraa just underscores the problem. We need more filmmakers willing to tell these stories—stories that go beyond the surface and explore the messy, beautiful, challenging, and ultimately rewarding reality of female friendships. Stories that show women supporting each other, challenging each other, and loving each other unconditionally. We need to see the laughter, the tears, the arguments, the reconciliations—the whole package.
The lack of well-crafted female friendship stories in Bollywood is a reflection of a deeper issue: the industry still views women primarily through the lens of romance or family drama. Female characters are rarely allowed to exist outside of their relationships with men. When they do, their friendships are often treated as side plots rather than central themes.
Bollywood needs to significantly up its game. Creating authentic and nuanced portrayals of female friendships requires moving beyond tokenism and stereotypes. It demands exploring the complexities of these relationships and acknowledging the challenges, insecurities, and power dynamics that can exist alongside love and support. Films should showcase the diverse range of female experiences, demonstrating that women can be friends despite differing personalities, ambitions, and life choices. By portraying female friendships with depth and authenticity, Bollywood can do more than just entertain. It can create space for meaningful conversations about female experiences, challenge societal norms, and empower women to recognize the importance of their bonds. It's time for Bollywood to recognize the power of these stories and start telling them with the sensitivity that they deserve. The audience is ready for more than just fleeting glimpses; they're ready for the full story of female friendship.
So, here's my plea to Bollywood: Let's ditch the tired tropes and embrace authentic storytelling. Let's create films that celebrate the strength, resilience, and beauty of female friendships. Let's give our audiences the Bollywood equivalent of Little Women. Let’s give our audiences characters they can relate to, stories that inspire, and bonds that resonate. It’s time for Bollywood to step up and give us the BFFs we deserve. Until then, we’ll keep waiting for the day when Bollywood truly celebrates female friendships the way they deserve.
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