Hindi Films That Focus On The Struggle Of Young Widows To Break Free Of Stigma

Every year, Hindi Cinema churns out a huge number of films, primarily catered to the masses, and thus focussing on entertainment than championing a cause. However, there are times when filmmakers present films that are based on social issues like gender discrimination, queer rights, etc, forcing us to change our gaze. These films serve another purpose- they help other filmmakers to break the mould and aim for different plots and characterisation. Take the portrayal of young widows in our films over the decades for instance.

Yesteryear filmmaker Mehboob Khan’s Mother India—which was allegedly a remake of his earlier film Aurat—was one of the first films of the Hindi Cinema Industry that had a young widow in the lead role. Mother India is still considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. There have been many films in the last two decades, where young widowed women are at the centre of the story like Ishqiya, Rajneeti and Qarib Qarib Singlle. However, very few films solely focus on their journey.

Here’s a selection of five Hindi films on young widows and their journey:

Pagglait

Starring ">Sanya Malhotra, Pagglait is one of the most practical and non-melancholic films that the Hindi film industry has ever produced. Malhotra’s Sandhya is expected to mourn her husband, who she was married to for just five months; however, she does not feel sad. Sandhya still harbours desires to fulfil her dreams and does so without inhibitions which does not go well with others. Pagglait showcases a young widow's journey to break free from social restrictions and live life on her own terms.

Dor

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Set in Rajasthan, Dor explores the budding friendship between a young widow Meera (Ayesha Takia) and Zeenat (Gul Panag). While Zeenat seeks the newly-widowed Meera to get a pardon for her husband, they form a bond that ultimately helps Meera break away from the shackles of a life devoid of joy, exuberance and build a new path for her. The 2005 release by Nagesh Kukunoor was appreciated for its positive messaging.

Prem Rog

The Rishi Kapoor-Padmini Kolhapure starrer was a breath of fresh air for cinema in the 80s- an era notorious for churning out regressing films. Prem Rog is a story about how Kapoor’s Devdhar fights against all odds to bring happiness into the life of childhood friend Manorama, played by Kolhapure, who is widowed after her husband dies four days after their wedding. The film was not only a Box Office hit but also received critical acclaim.

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Mrityudand

Directed by Prakash Jha, Mrityudand is a film that presents various social-gender issues. Madhuri Dixit’s Ketki is married to Vinay (Ayub Khan) who, under the influence of a corrupt contractor, goes down the spiral of alcoholism, domestic abuse and is later killed by him. The film follows Ketki’s quest to fight for her rights along with Chandravati (Shabana Azmi) and Kanti (Shilpa Shirodkar). The film was critically acclaimed and Madhuri was lauded for her performance in the film.

Water

In the third instalment of Deepa Mehta’s Elements Trilogy, Water explores the story of how widows were expected to live in renunciation after their husband’s death and the atrocities they are subjected to in a pre-independent India. Through stories of Kalyani (Lisa Ray), Chuiya (Sarala K) and Shakuntala (Seema Biswas), the film broaches the subject of how the widows were mistreated in the name of customs.