Bygone Bollywood
Bollywood has had an age-old stereotypical archetype of how women, especially wives and mothers have been perceived on screen, with the typical devout wife, who is willing to sacrifice their personal desires for the well-being of their spouses being portrayed as the “protagonist”. Women pursuing their ambitions were villainified or were not charted out as full grown characters with a proper redemption arc; and Rhea Saran played by Preity Zinta comes across as a breath of fresh air.
Picture this: Preity Zinta rocking the screen as Rhea Saran, breaking all the old-school rules for how female characters are supposed to roll in Indian cinema.
“KANK”
The Bollywood film “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna,” directed by Karan Johar, is like the Bollywood blueprint for spicing up the love and relationship game that never prevailed before. From critiquing societal conventions to rejecting old female cliché, more specifically, Rhea Saran, played by Preity Zinta, the film truly cooked up something different, given the time of its release. From putting forth the struggles of a married career woman trying to juggle between personal and professional, to being a caring and empathetic mother and wife, especially with an insecure husband who ends up engaging himself in an extra-marital affair, we cannot get enough of Rhea Saran!
Rhea Saran, The Queen that You Are!
Rhea Saran’s role embodies attributes that defy stereotypical representations of women, deviating from conventional female tropes that had existed in Bollywood. Breaking away from the archetype of women as housewives, Rhea is depicted as a strong and self-reliant professional.
Rhea ain’t your typical Bollywood leading lady. She’s not just the pretty face cooking up a storm in the kitchen. No sir, she’s slays it in the professional world, showing everyone that women can crush it in their careers too. This is the modern woman that we had needed to bring female cinematic depictions to where it is now. She broke the mould and made it clear that success isn’t just for the guys.
She exemplifies the variety of women’s duties outside the home through her career-oriented approach, which acted as a catalyst in shifting people’s perception of what gender based social norms should be in 90s India.
However, a standout point which makes her a total boss-lady is her confident personality. The fact that Rhea was so outspoken and confident in a time when female characters in Indian cinema were typically portrayed as subservient and passive becomes a cherry on cake. She is fearless, yet caring for her family. She is unabashed in expressing her ideas and standing up for herself, but still understands her responsibilities and duties in her family. The dichotomy of the character set her apart from the stereotypically submissive female characters and acted as a torchbearer to how Bollywood started changing its depiction of women. It was like, finally, a female character who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to say it out loud. Total game-changer!
Women can be ambitious without being selfish and evil became a thing, all hail to Rhea Saran.
Now, of course, not everyone is on board with the way “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” throws down the relationship gauntlet. Some people do hold the movie responsible for simplifying things a bit too much. But hey, it’s sparking a conversation, and that’s what makes her and the movie endearing to watch. Whether you’re vibing with it or not, it shook up the scene and added some much-needed flavour to Bollywood.
In a nutshell, Preity Zinta as Rhea Saran is the Gen-Z icon we didn’t know we needed in Bollywood. She was out there redefining what it meant to be a leading lady, smashing stereotypes, and bringing a dose of realness to the big screen even before it was a thing; all while rocking her chic outfits. “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” might not be everyone’s cup of chai, but it’s undeniably a bold move that’s got the Bollywood game buzzing.
