India is a diverse country. We expect it’s diversity to be visible in the Bollywood film industry – one of the greatest means of entertainment. But they end up stereotyping people on screen based on their profession or ethnicity.
Here’s a list of some of these flawed representations on-screen that have become deeply ingrained.
1. Pretty much every police constable is named ‘Tambe’ or ‘Shinde’ in Bollywood movies.
You just a pick any random Bollywood movie and you’ll find a police constable with the surname ‘Shinde’.
2. The small town to which the main lead of the film belongs to is almost always Lucknow and Kanpur.
From Tanu Weds Manu and Bala to Jolly LLB, Ishaqzaade, Pati Patni Aur Woh and Pagglait, there are so many films on this list. What’s this obsession with these cities, Bollywood?
3. NRIs in Bollywood movies are mostly Punjabis, right?
Be it Monsoon Wedding, Bend It Like Beckham, or Namaste London, all these films promote the idea that NRIs are all Punjabi speaking, Bhangra doing, Dhol beating people. Oh yeah, and they live in the UK or Canada.
4. The best friend of the lead actor is predominantly someone from the Muslim community.
Remember, Aparshakti Khurana as Abbas Sheikh, Guddu’s best friend in Luka Chuppi and as Fahim Abdul Rizvi, Chintu’s best in Pati Patni Aur Woh? In Mimi, Shama played by Sai Tamhankar, Mimi’s best friend was also Muslim.
The token Muslim playing second fiddle has gotten quite repetitive.
5. The lawyers in Bollywood movies will somehow always introduce surprise witnesses and find legal loopholes as soon they open a case file.
The list is long – Aitraaz, Jolly LLB, OMG, Section 375, Section 420, Jazbaa, Damini. Oh, and did you notice most lawyers in these films who win the cases are failed lawyers.
6. Goans are always shown wearing shirts like they are going to a carnival.
You’ll see them dressed in floral print shirts and drinking beer all the time as if they don’t really have any job and spend their days only on beaches.
7. Overweight people are always hopeless romantics.
They can’t have any romantic prospects unless they lose weight and turn hot.
8. A doctor is always just a call away for home visits and those in hospitals are all surgeons. How?
We don’t find doctor’s visiting our homes for small issues and then they’ll just give the patient some neend ki davai.
9. Super-rich businessmen will have a daughter with no ambitions in life at all.
For example, in Student Of The Year, Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) is the daughter of a rich stepfather who falls in love with Abhimanyu (Sidharth Malhotra), an orphan and a scholarship student.
10. The househelp will always be someone from the Marathi community.
You’ll find her wearing a nauwari saree and ending her sentences with Arre Deva.
Some of these might seem funny but they are problematic in one way or another. It’s time we change these representations and bring some newness in Bollywood films where a cop is not always Shinde or a student is not never studying in schools and colleges.
What are other such stereotypes you have noticed?