Gender equality in a male-dominated society has always
been a sensitive issue to handle. The new wave of women empowerment which is
sweeping the nation attempts to do just that. The short film titled “My Choice”
by Vogue features Bollywood’s top actress Deepika Padukone in a good social
initiative on women empowerment. Is she able to drive the message home? To an
extent, Yes .. but not completely.
The video relies more on sensationalism to get the
point across. I do tend to agree with some of the statements. “My body, My
mind, My choice – to wear the clothes I like, even as my spirit roams naked” is
a great start to the video. It says a lot about freedom for women, to lead
their life the way they want and not be judged about the choices they make. The
message was loud and clear, women empowerment is here to stay! Another thought
worth a mention “You are my choice, I am not your privilege” perfectly echoes
the sentiments of the women whose partners take them for granted and treat them
as the inferior gender. Domestic violence and violence towards women in
general, is an evil in the society which needs to be eradicated.
However, the short film continues to go overboard with
opinions which seem feminist. Be it a man or a woman, there should be a place
for morals and ethics in everybody’s life. Some of the comments made are just
not in good taste. Promoting or glorifying adultery in such a manner is
completely unacceptable.
The video completely fails to address the problems and
hardships of the under privileged women living in the rural parts of the
country. Just flashing few random images of villagers in the midst of other
shampoo models is not enough when all the comments made in the video are
completely irrelevant towards them! Gender equality is a lot deeper issue for
these women than the women living a comfortable life in the cities. Although 2
minutes is too less, issues like female infanticide, illiteracy and domestic
violence (which was touched masterfully in the “Boys don’t cry” video) should
take center stage.
The irony of the entire situation is that both parties
primarily involved in the making and presentation of this video, Vogue and
Bollywood, have a history of objectifying women. Considering these obvious
loopholes, this short film made with good intentions lacks depth of thought and
execution. We need a slightly bigger film, because 2 minutes is not sufficient
time to discuss about such a delicate matter.
I will summarize everything by saying “Having a choice is always a good thing, but if you don’t use it
wisely, you will end up making a bad choice”.
