Deewana

A few years before Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! was released, there was Deewana (1992), a film which reminds me of nothing so much as the Old Testament book of Ruth, a personal favorite. Deewana has everything- women helping other women, women defending themselves, broken social taboos, love at first sight, the poor and weak triumphing over the strong and wealthy, arguments for Hindu widow re-marriage and against marital rape, and several epic dance numbers. I particularly enjoy this one: 

Im pretty sure I had a Barbie with that outfit. Maybe all the outfits. Who doesn’t love a dance-on-mountain-top sequence? But to the real reasons I love this film:   

1) Kajol (Divya Bharti). The subtitles on Netflix are uninspired and Kajol appears far less assertive and sarcastic in English than in the original Hindi. Which is distressing, as much of the glory of this film is Kajol’s no-nonsense attitude toward the men in her life. She fights off a would-be rapist. She publicly shames Raja (Shah Rukh Khan) on two separate occasions: first on the street in front of a sea of on-lookers, and later in a temple full of worshipers. Kajol stares Raju down when he stalks and then plans to kidnap her, and he loves her for her strength. Kajol later follows her heart to new love rather than remaining chastely devoted to the memory of Ravi, her first husband, as expected of Hindu widows, and it is Kajol who makes the first physical move in her new marriage.

2) Laxmi Devi. Kajol's Naomi-like mother-in-law, Laxmi Devi (Sushma Seth) bravely does what needs to be done in the face of tremendous grief, fear, and loss. She also puts Kajol’s needs as a woman and as a human being before society’s expectations of a good Hindu widow, which is extremely unusual in Hindi-language cinema. Relationships between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law (sasas and bahus) are notoriously difficult (and not just in South Asia) and often shown in cinema to be nasty, competitive, and jealous. In contrast, the women of Deewana have men in their lives, but they turn first and foremost to one another. The love stories are peripheral to this, the most important relationship in the film.

3) No marital rape. It is worth noting that although Raja initially considers abducting the widowed and disinterested Kajol, after the wedding he sleeps elsewhere, declaring that he won't touch her until she wants him to. Given that marital rape is again legal (or rather, an impossibility) in India, and wasn't a crime everywhere in the United States until 1993, this is quite a declaration. Which is not to suggest that all husbands were rapists before marital rape became illegal, or that making marital rape illegal made it stop. However, the decision to include this particular scene was a deliberate move in a deliberately progressive film. Now- Raja's transition from stalker to husband is obviously problematic, and the transformation of his character from deewana (a man crazy with love) to perfect husband and son-in-law is jarring and inexplicable. But in a film that acknowledges that sex is about power and consent, the scene matters.   

4) No victim blaming. After Kajol fights off a would-be rapist, husband Ravi and Laxmi Devi believe her without question. They then summarily banish her attacker, their own blood kin. In addition to establishing villainy, the attempted rape highlights Kajol's fighting spirit and the love between Laxmi Devi and her new bahu. Moreover, the refusal of Kajol's new family to engage in any sort of victim blaming cements this as a decidedly pro-woman (pro-human-being) film. For an important account of victim blaming in India, please read my amazing friend Vaidehi Joshi's post about her own experience in Mumbai. Important: victim blaming is by no means limited to India.

5) Economic transformation. Released in 1992 as India’s economic liberalization policies were taking effect, the film shows tentative forays into consumer culture while maintaining old-fashioned film tropes. Raja may have Rocky and Top Gun posters hanging in his room, but the language of villainy is English. The young women on the beach in swimsuits wear modest one-piece suits and look like real women wearing swimsuits. This is not “Dard-e-Disco”. The limited product placement is also noticeably different from the consumer-oriented Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! When compared to SRK’s 2011 RA.One, the difference is glaring. 

6) SRK's film debut. The film also shows that SRK is one to watch- his on-screen charisma is remarkable, even when he is doing ridiculous things like carving Kajol’s name into his arm and dancing on a motorcycle.

For viewers interested in gender, or Hindu widow remarriage, Deepa Mehta's Water (2005) is required viewing. Water is visually spectacular, with over-saturated colors, phenomenal performances, and near-perfect direction. But it is also deeply, deeply depressing, so much so that the rest of your day will probably be shot. Watch Water, by all means. But don’t plan on getting anything else done that day. Or watch Deewana and be happy instead.

Film: Deewana (1992)
Director: Raj Kanwar

Writer: Sagar Sarhadi

Runtime: 185 minutes

Language: Hindi

Country: India