Dil Dhadakne Do: Promoting Gender Equality
In a film industry accustomed to producing stereotypical content portraying gender norms, we get relief when we see scenes like the one in "Dil Dhadakne Do," which is an effort to advocate for gender equality. In one of the scenes from the movie, there is a casual conversation between Ayesha Mehra's (Priyanka Chopra) husband and Farhan Akhtar, a journalist. In the middle of the conversation, Ayesha's husband casually points out how he has checked all the boxes of being a woke husband who, unlike his forefathers, has "allowed" his wife to pursue her business as her career.
To this, Farhan Akhtar snaps at him and makes it clear that Ayesha's husband does not have the authority to give his wife permission to achieve her dreams. She has free will if she wants to invest in building her career as a successful businesswoman. The idea of allowing his wife is similar to him placing himself at an authoritative rank on a higher pedestal, which is problematic.
Farhan Akhtar was not among the main characters in the movie. Still, the power of his words gave his character perhaps the greatest significance in the film, which made this impactful clip popular among advocates for women's empowerment and emancipation.
The message of the film is something Farhan strongly believes in because of which he was keen to be part of the film," said Farhan's spokesperson in a statement. (Ians, 2015)
An empowering character like Ayesha's held great power in the film, thus representing a woman's ability to reach greater heights within herself. However, although Ayesha is a very successful businesswoman, her family constantly tells her that she has no value except as a wife and mother despite being very accomplished at her job. Unfortunately, she gets suppressed under pressure and faces difficulty standing up for herself. Ayesha's character should have been shown full vigor and determination to fight for her rights in front of her parents.
Link to the video clip: https://youtu.be/zsn2vuO8x-Y