India's reel revolution

Blatant disregard of commitment, multiple partners, open relationships and premarital sexual escapades are a few things that have had no place in Indian culture. That is, until Bollywood decided to reinvent entertainment. What initially shocked now merely intrigues. Packaged as harmless entertainment, movies are slowly changing the way we see things.

Does real life inspire reel life or does real life aspire to what is projected in reel life? The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Art — be it movies, literature, music or paintings — is inspired by the dramatic and unique aspects of real life and are framed appropriately for either artistic expression, entertainment value or both. Sometimes this very act deems them acceptable; for others, they are framed because the audience is likely to accept and relate to it. Bollywood movies are certainly no exception. Movies inspired by the underworld such as Company, Gangster and Satya lent a human face to social ‘rogues'.

The other subject now popularly reflected in Bollywood themes is the changing societal values and norms in India concerning relationships, sex and notions of privacy. Delhi Belly depicts a couple spontaneously kissing in the heat of the moment at the back of a car, oblivious to friends in the front seats. Men and women with no sexual relationship nor any immediate intentions are routinely shown sharing the same bed in several movies such as Wake up Sid, Anjaana Anjaani, Band Baaja Baaraat etc.

Business as usual

Multiple, overlapping relationships or casual sex are not moral matters anymore as shown in Ishqiya, Band Baaja Baaraat, Anjaana Anjaani, Break Ke Baad, or Love Aaj Kal. Amrutha Sathyan, a 26-year-old online advertising professional from Bengaluru says, "I think the most realistic movie of this day and age is Band Baaja Baaraat. There is often a fine line when you cross from the platonic to the dark side. While narrating incidents to friends, the most common line used is, "Man I was so drunk that night," which often leads to a one-night stand. Even the post-mortem of the morning after is shown in such a natural light." Sathyan's reference relates to the casual manner in which the couple dismisses ‘what happened that night' to nothing of importance to be spoken of again and that it was business as usual with them.

While extra-marital sexual liaisons are yet to enter the mainstream media without a moral undertone, there is higher tolerance for subjects such as open marriages and spouse swapping in this newly liberated Bollywood, in films such as Mixed Doubles, Dil Kabaddi and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. Rishar Raviraj, a 31-year-old communications strategist from Mumbai says, "Dil Kabaddi explores the relationship between two married couples and goes on to show how the older married man enjoys a wild night with a younger woman, but then later realises that he likes the stability of his overbearing wife. The wife tries to date other men but then she starts missing the spontaneity of her estranged husband. They are all real characters in today's India."

Previous age norms such as the woman having to be younger than the man, have also been dealt with in movies such as Wake up Sid. This is certainly not restricted to reel life. As in the west, celebrity examples of this would be Aishwarya Rai marrying Abhishek Bachchan, who is younger than her by two years; Saif Ali Khan, who married a much older Amrita Singh, and Sachin Tendulkar's wife Anjali, who is five years his senior.

The new norm

Sex without marriage, living-in and premarital sex seem acceptable in how relationships are portrayed in most movies such as Delhi Belly, Turning 30 and Love Aaj Kal. Anusuya Mitra, a 25-year-old PR professional from Mumbai says, "Bollywood movies now attempt to reflect social behaviour in relation to various earlier taboo topics such as live-in relationships, STDs, abortions, premarital sex and homosexuality without being preachy. They intend to highlight that it is OK to do your own thing as long as it makes you happy and you are moving towards what you want in life. This reflects the changing mindset in young India, which is a necessity."

Mitra further adds: "Almost all my friends have dated and lived-in with partners, but not necessarily with the agenda of finally getting married. Premarital sex is no longer taboo for the greater section of Indian youngsters (in some cases this is freely discussed with the parents also). More than 60 per cent of my female friends have had abortions and discuss it freely with close friends." The real side of this is portrayed in conversations on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Status messages and tweets openly discuss one-night stand experiences, break-up woes and sexual orientation.

Whatever the reasons may be for real or reel life changes, Indian society is experiencing an upheaval in its relationship structure and sexual equations. It would be interesting to watch what Bollywood may capture next and how our gullible minds react to it.