Literature is the mirror image of society….so….why is it that when I want to read a novel or see a movie or a programme about the contemporary, post feminist Indian female, I hardly find anything related to it…? Bridget Jone’s Diary, Legally Blonde, Sex And The City among movies; Grey’s anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Sex And The City, Ugly Betty in the television shows; Shopaholic series , Princess Diaries, Pride and Prejudice in the chick lit genre have not only been immensely popular in the west but have also made a huge fan base in India. Then, why is there a scarcity of chick culture in the popular culture of India?
In Indian cinema women are still being given the passive roles of objects of desires or of the hardcore feminists challenging patriarchy, or of some kind of prop being used since the role of a female protagonist (however small it may be) is necessary to the plot. Indian television is still being dominated by the ever crappy saas bahu serials or over dramatic reality shows like big boss and the wide variety of talent hunt shows. As for literature is concerned, apart from two books (Trust Me & Piece Of Cake) I haven’t come across any other novel in this genre.
A contemporary Indian female would love to see a bharatiya avatar of the Bridget Jones (being bugged by her parents to wear traditional clothes and loosing weight to get married) or Rebecca Brandon (making chapatis in the kitchen for her Luke). Everyday women with everyday problems set in the Indian soil is what I’m craving for. A lighthearted yet intelligible heroine with the indianized set of problems and their unique solutions. Its certainly high time for the post feminist Chicks in Indian popular culture to mark the beginning and give the female audience something to relate to and hence really enjoy.
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