Maja Ma movie review
This review contains some spoilers. So you can watch a movie and come back to this blog post 😀.
Phobia against homosexuality still very much exists in our society, be it within India or western countries. This is even more in small towns or rural areas of India, where knowledge is not enough and incorrect, and so prejudice and shame around homosexuality is more. The myth and phobia against homosexuality are often based on incorrect and incomplete information we receive about homosexuality (and everything in the LGBTQIA+ community). I have written about it in my other blog post, which you can read here. This prejudice and shame towards the LGBTQIA+ community, due to lack of proper knowledge, is shown in the character of Manohar Patel and many people in his residential society.
Though Pallavi's daughter Tara is kind and supportive, her son Tejas starts acting like someone ashamed of his mother after getting to know her sexual orientation. What he does ahead, reflects the common behaviour of people shutting their family/friends out after coming to know, and trying to find ways on 'treating the disease, by ways of either doctors or tantric babas. This happens even though he has lived in the USA, who is more open-minded than India, though still grappling with issues of phobia against homosexuality themselves (with the recent incident of 'Don't Say Gay').
After he confronted his mother, he said that he considered her a God. This reflects the mentality of children worldwide, be they small kids, teenagers or sometimes even grown, adult kids. There is this thought that parents are God, superheroes, etc, who can do no wrong. That their life is limited to being a parent, and not a person of their own- with their likes, dislikes and choices. Parents are considered as someone who will sacrifice anything for their kids, always. And when that bubble burst, kids start to cut off or shame their parents for making a mistake, having choices of their own (which is beyond that of a child's), and not sacrificing something for the child. Though on a little different tangent, society treats women and girls like God too (and later rapes them😓), who can do no wrong and is always forgiving and loving. We don't wish to be treated like Gods, someone can create mistakes, may not always be forgiving & loving towards everything, which is what feminism stands for.
Through a small conversation between Manohar and his friend, Moolchand, though not correct, they discuss the importance of female sexuality and pleasure.
In the end, the movie emphasized the importance of friendship within a romantic relationship/marriage, which helps it sustain itself. Being casual, knowing each other's likes and dislikes, and supporting each other helps the relationship go forward, happily.
The exoticization of India and Indian culture is also shown, by the parents of Isha (Tejas' girlfriend). The repeated exoticization of India, its cultural and family values was annoying and seemed forced, though it shows how it still happens, even by NRIs.
There is this dialogue that I liked in the movie- It is one's personal choice when, where and whom they wish to tell and come out of the closet. This statement holds even in the 21st century - we cannot force someone to come out of the closet (which her daughter Tara was doing). It is upon the individual's choice and comfort, whom they want to come to, and when. Phobias against LGBTQIA+ still exist, unfortunately very much, and it depends on the person when they feel comfortable and ready to come out, to trust the person(s) or publically.
Overall, the movie is a good one-time watch. It reflected the variety of topics that happens among people. Though for the characters of Isha's parents, their dialogues seemed a little forced and repeated. Madhuri Dixit's and Barkha Singh's characters are the ones I liked in this movie.
.jpeg)
Comments
Post a Comment