This Article is From Sep 19, 2014

Punjabis, Bengalis, Delhi Girls: When Bollywood Loses the Plot to Stereotypes

Punjabis, Bengalis, Delhi Girls: When Bollywood Loses the Plot to Stereotypes

More often than not characters get generalized, and consequently, trivialised.

New Delhi: Bollywood films have entertaining tales to tell, and entertaining characters act those stories out. But more often than not their sketches get generalized, and consequently, trivialised. Sonam Kapoor's Khoobsurat, which hit the screens on September 19, got us thinking of the times Bollywood went overboard with stereotyping. We give you an overview of Bollywood's take on some Indian communities and characters.

Punjabis

It seems like Punjabis in Bollywood are generous with cuss words and are pretty much crude if not extremely 'bubbly'. Especially Bollywood's Punjabi mom. Case in point: Actor Kirron Kher, who has played the over the top Punjabi mom in quite a few Hindi movies such as Khoobsurat, Dostana, Total Siyaapa, along with the recently released Khoobsurat among others. Most Punjabi moms are shown to be focused on either getting their daughters married or to get them to learn to make gol chapatti and aloo ghobhi, like Shaheen Khan in Gurinder Chaddha's Bend It Like Beckham. A small observation: Punjabi dads are somehow always calm and composed, with an exception of Rishi Kapoor in Patiala House, where the equation was the other way around.

Bengali

The depiction of Bengalis in Hindi film industry is that of overtly snooty or extremely intellectual and poetic people who are fluent with their Bangla and their Rabindra Sangeet, but suspicious of everything Punjabi. Also, they can speak English which can give the British a run for their money but when it comes to Hindi or any other language, they just can't cut it. Films like Vicky Donor, Bullett Raja and Devdas are among those which prove our point.

South Indians

Did you know that all South Indians do not have that thick an accent and their sentences are not always punctuated by Aaiyyo? Mehmood (in Padosan) and Deepika Padukone (in Chennai Express) show off Bollywood's narrow approach towards people from down South, with their stereotyped mannerisms and twangs. Konkona Sen Sharma's depiction of Tamilian in Mr and Mrs Iyer was closer to reality. Even Revathy, Alia Bhatt and Shiv Kumar Subramaniam got the accent near to that of Tamilian Brahmins really sound. Thank God.

Nerds

It's not just culture that Bollywood manages to misrepresent. The list also covers people. Do nerds always wear thick black-rimmed glasses, wearing clothes and donning a look which makes them a walking-talking social pariah? We don't think so! Even Hermione Granger was a 'nice looking girl' (maybe first brought to attention by Viktor Krum). Aamir Khan in 3 Idiots was a non-socially awkward, believable version of a geek unlike Sanjay Dutt's roommate Swami in Munnabhai who seemed like he bathed in oil every morning. But what is more upsetting is Bollywood's obsession with turning a geek into a fetching diva or a dude before he/she gets anywhere with the opposite sex or manages to get popular. Remember Deepika Padukone's character in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani?

The Small Town Girl

When it comes to the gaon ki gori Bollywood has had a change of heart over the years. For the longest time dames from 'small towns' and villages in Bollywood were shown as these innocent and gullible little damsels in perpetual distress. For example, Mandakini in Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Juhi Chawla in Bol Radha Bol. But the 21st century small town girl is brattish and knows how to get things done her way. Remember Parineeti Chopra in Ishaqzaade, Alia Bhatt in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya, Bipasha Basu in Bachna Ae Haseeno and Kangana Ranaut in Tanu Weds Manu?

Delhi Girls

Truth be told, Delhi girls, whatever said and done, are not half as naive or clueless as Kangana Ranaut (in Queen) or as flashy as Sonam Kapoor (Aisha). Granted that we like out gol gappas, Rajouri, Sarojini and papdi chaat, but we take immense pride in it and are very wordly. Given that Delhi is one of the unsafest cities in the world, the Delhi girl is more bad-ass than Bollywood thinks, given that it is always glorifying the Marathi Mulgi.
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