Feminist Reading of the Movie’ Cocktail’

                                Feminist Reading of the Movie’ Cocktail’

 

 

  “Cocktail” a biggest  block-buster movie of 2012 has made me to re-think, every time it gives me something that never allow me to have peaceful sleep, but the waves of thoughts go in the same direction that is feminist reading of it. At some accent Movie is following the same structure of the movie ‘’Kuch kuch Hota hai”. But “Cocktail” has left the strong image of Ideal Woman in our mind. It has directly conveyed the massage while “Kuch Kuch hota hai”has has mild tone and because of that we cannot observe it or we need that keen eye-sight for it.

 

 Movie has very strong star cast Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Diana Penty, Where Saif Ali khan is playing the role of Gautam who is Flirtious ,Casanova type Man. Deepika Padukone as Veronica successfully won our heart through acting and attitude towards life, a woman who likes to do party all the time and have no objection in ‘Leave in relationship’. She is modern woman with broad thinking and with womanly nature. Diana Penty as Meera also left strong impact on viewers, a traditional, cultured who knows cooking and can do prayers represents traditional Indian woman and her journey from the state of dependent to Independent. Their names are also suggestive but not in the case of Gautam. Meera suggests the traditional, shy and Sanskari while Veronica stands for modernity. While Our Gautam is not like Gautam Buddha who has sacrificed his family life for Brahmachrya but always ready to flirt with women.

 

 Last time when I was watching it, again it reminded me of the famous novel but Virginia Woolf “To the Lighthouse”, it again made me to think that how one woman consciously or unconsciously does not allow other woman to live respectful life in society, and how one woman has to change her way of life to get accepted by Man and society. This novel has two leading women character Mrs. Ramsey and Lily Briscoe ,as Mrs. Ramsey is dutiful and devoted wife for whom  her family and their desire is centre to all, while  Lily Briscoe is an artist and stanch feminist ,she is modern  women who does not like to be dependent on Man.

 

 Now as Mrs. Ramsey has set one parameter for woman to become “Ideal Woman “Lily Briscoe does not fit in this box and society could not accept her. This is what I observed in the Movie ‘Cocktail’ too.Where one who is presented as ideal does not allow other woman to earn respect from this male dominated society.

 

Here Meera (Diena Penty) stands for that Ideal woman who can do prayers, cooking, devoted and cultured, while Veronica stands for extreme modernity and boldness who likes to do party and fun with friends. Now have you ever asked yourself that why did not you like Veronica? Why we accepted Meera easily not Veronica??Why we do not have problem with Gautam who is changing the woman like clothes? Answer for all is our conditioned mind and society which never allow us to accept woman like Veronica who is far better than Gautam. This is really strange that we do not have problem with a man like Gautam who is Casanova and always interested in flirting, instead of it we appreciate and feel sympathy for him while Veronica who is far better than him in every aspect still not accepted by society. Why society always expect from woman that she should be pure, cultured and traditional. Why we accept man like Gautam and when any woman does it we do not accept her?

 

 What message movie has conveyed to society, it has clearly conveyed that if any woman wants to be accepted by Man than have to follow the tradition, have to do prayers and all that work? When Gautama’s mother came to their home He convinced Meera to act as her Girlfriend as he believed that Veronica is not ideal woman or not that traditional woman that her mother wants to see in her Daughter-in-law. It shows narrow man mentality that woman like Veronica is good as girlfriend but she is not marriage-material. And the ultimate solution for woman like Veronica is to change their life-style and thinking.Yes, when Gautam tells her that He loves Meera, she also tries to become like Meera. And she does even, she cooks for Gautam, prays to God and start wearing Indian Outfits too. So she does all this just to get accepted by Gautam.

 

 So, even today we believe that woman who lives modern life do not have character, Woman like Veronica is good as girlfriend but can never be marriage-material. This is how Man mentality works, how society sees the woman like Veronica. How one woman has set the parameter of “Ideal Woman “so high that it does not allow us to accept other woman who does not fit in it. Why we have concept of” Ideal woman “and not of ‘’Ideal Man “What can be parameter for ‘’Ideal Man”? If ever in future we will have it than what will be reaction of this male-dominated society??