Like many of us, I first watched Dil Toh Pagal Hai when I was in school. So young and so naive, I fell in love with this fairy tale. I was highly impressed with the movie, especially with Pooja (the lead character played by Madhuri Dixit). Not just me, many adore this movie even today. But recently, when I watched this movie during the lockdown, I realized how dumb the whole movie was and especially Pooja’s character!
I hated myself for being fooled by Bollywood makers and admiring Pooja as a leading lady. No one would deny that the movie was centred around the obsession of marriage; around the obsession of finding THE ONE! I noticed the substantial hollowness that exists at the very core of the movie. This time when I watched the movie, I could see how shallow the makers built the character of their leading lady – Pooja.
Pooja’s Dangerous Obsession Of Finding Her Soul Mate
If you manage to look beyond her obsession with finding THE soulmate, you will realize that Pooja, Madhuri Dixit’s character, does nothing else in the film. I mean nothing meaningful; nothing worth inspiring! Frankly, her job is to just look good, buy clothes from a shopping mall, dance around the trees without any sense of time. And, as per the makers, her most important job is to LOOK FOR A LOVER!
While her romantic philosophies don’t make any sense, she is always preoccupied with the idea of finding her soul mate. Every single moment of her day is just about finding her lover. Her character makes you feel that people are born to get married; and marriage is the only thing that completes us!
In a society, where women are expected to give up on their dreams for marriage, Madhuri Dixit character’s portrayal is quite problematic. In alignment with society’s regressive thought that marriage completes us, Pooja feels there is nothing as meaningful as marriage! Who cares about financial independence? Who cares about a career? As per Pooja, the only thing that we need to care about is to find our soulmate and get married!
It is sad how many of us idolized the character that was overly obsessed with marriage and love. I am sure our Rishtey wali Aunties must have hailed Pooja as an ideal girl, who does nothing but obsess about marriage and love! With no career aspirations, I am sure all the Rishtey Wali Aunties would be in love with her! But not just Pooja, the whole world of Dil to Pagal Hai is overtly obsessed about getting married. From lead characters to uncles to aunties, everyone is obsessed with marriage… How regressive!
Bollywood & It’s Dumb Portrayal Of Female Characters
Rather than giving us the female lead character, who is overly obsessed with love and marriage, I just wish Bollywood would have given us a more inspiring female lead! I wish rather than giving us a female character obsessed with soul-mate, Bollywood would have given us a leading lady – who learns how to fall in love with herself!
My Message To My Younger Self Who Was In Love With DTPH
I wish I could tell my younger self, who was in love with DTPH, that Pooja is the wrong role model. Marriage doesn’t complete us! We are already complete. I wish I could tell my younger self that life is not just about love or soul mate, it is so much more! I wish I could have told her that life is not about falling in love with your soul mate but with yourself!
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