A Critique of Heteronormativity in Rituparno Ghosh’S Films
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Amity Journal of Media & Communication Studies Copyright 2015 by ASCO 2015, Vol. 5, No. 1 – 2, 97-106 Amity University Rajasthan (ISSN 2231 – 1033) Deconstructing Desires: A Critique of Heteronormativity in Rituparno Ghosh’s Films Omkar Bhatkar Lecturer in Sociology, Russell Square International College University of London, Mumbai Email ID: [email protected] Ghosh’s films are remarkably informed by the social, cultural and economic changes wrought by the economic liberalization in the lives of the Bengali middle class. Though the films signify the local Bengali culture, the narratives, the agony, the desires, the human relationships and the treatment meted to these films is highly global. The paper wrapping the argument of a path breaking cinematic journey of Ghosh in the contemporary times, which revolves around anthropological issues concerning gender, culture and the body. Keywords: Rituparno Ghosh, Bengali Cinema, Queer in Cinema. INTRODUCTION Rituparno Ghosh follows in the legacy of Satyajit This essay in the first section introduces Ghosh as a Ray, Shyam Benegal, Aparna Sen creating art house filmmaker who provides an agency to his characters films, many of which revolve around the concerning gender, cultural identity and the body, in complexities of relationships, gendered desires, the which he challenges the cultural norms of body and intricacies of emotion and the often silent struggles gender; thereby providing an acrid critique of that are inherent in everyday lived reality. Ghosh hetero-patriarchy, often revealing the reality behind has handled the changing perspective of the apparently happy marriages, romantic relationships ‘Gendered Identity’ by intervening sanitized spaces and familial equations. of the middleclass home with narratives of sexual desires, thereby debunking prevailing notions of In the second section the paper problematizes the compulsory heteronormativity and notions of compulsory heterosexuality and heteropatriarchy. Ideas of Art, textures of monogamy in context to Judith Butler’s notion of interpersonal relationships, the politics of the home, gender performativity the “stylized repetition of identity, liberty and sexuality continue to form the acts” (Butler, 1993) that must be performed in order premise of Ghosh’s films. Ghosh’s films attribute to for gender to be achieved. Specific corporeal acts, his female and queer protagonists an agency or which are socially constructed and continuously reflect on the lack of it and make them question their performed, conform to a morphological ideal that subordinate status. He vociferously challenges pertains to regulatory cultural models of sex and accepted dynamics of power equations between men gender. An analysis of his films time and again and women, men and men, between parents and questions a woman’s lack of agency within the children, between heterosexual and queer people. heteropatriarchal family and the nation-state at Ghosh’s films are a critique of the norms that have large. been functioning unquestioned in society, especially in the context of the middle class home and the In the third section, the essay explores the queerness dilemmas of being modern and stuck in traditional of the characters through his trilogy of Just Another thoughts. Love Story, Memories in March and Chitrangada. 97 Butler’s theory of drag and performativity disturbs Binodini (Aishwarya Rai) in Chokher Bali walk out the notion of gender, thereby causing discomforts to on their respective husband and suitor to discover a the traditional norms and the heteropatriarchial life beyond the restrictive boundaries of the home. gendered regime. In this context, Rituaparno’s characters shed light on the unspoken narratives of Further Ghosh’s characters are not stuck between queerness. the tradition and modernity, but they are seamlessly fluid. It is the social structuration of society tha t Ghosh’s films are remarkably informed by the finds these roles and newer identities in conflict, as it social, cultural and economic changes wrought by seems to disrupt the patriarchal model. As the the economic liberalization in the lives of the Bengali characters are fluid, their roles are subversive to the middle class. Though the films signify the local traditional model of patriarchy and therefore Bengali culture, the narratives, the agony, the through the means of these desires and identities are desires, the human relationships and the treatment exposed the gaps and vacuum in the patriarchal meted to these films is highly global. The paper structure, that lacks to make spaces for women, for concludes wrapping the argument of a path their changing roles, identities and fluidity. Like in breaking cinematic journey of Ghosh in the one scene of Chokher Bali1 , Binodini flouts by contemporary times, which revolves around dressing and adorning her body. Unknown to anthropological issues concerning gender, culture Binodini, Ashalata calls for Mahendra and Behari and the body. and when they arrive to find Binodini adorned in jewels, an awkward conversation ensues where ACRID CRITIQUE OF PATRIARCHY although Behari states that Binodini looks beautiful, The emergence of the ‘new woman’ is central to there is an air of discomfort at the forbidden but Ghosh’s films; the reason being that the modern beautiful image of Binodini still is in her widow sari Indian who is modeled on the urban educated but covered in Ashalata’s marriage jewellery. middle class career woman, is expected to be both Significantly, this act conflates sterile widowhood modern and liberated without jeopardizing national (indicated by the white sari) with the possibilities tradition. Although this may be aesthetically and passions of marriage and youthful femininity pleasing, it only becomes so by refurbishing the (the jewellery) thus blurring the boundaries between image of tradition so as to “make its values up to socially demarcated roles. Binodini’s body, the site date”, but this is a superficial engagement between of her ’lived’ experience of being a woman the two concepts of tradition and modernity, on and grappling with the norms of society, articulates her through female bodies, as it only works by conflating tradition and modernity onto women’s 1 The ensuing story of Chokher Bali is a complicated web bodies so that “there is no longer any essential of love and forbidden passions, freedom and confinement, conflict between the values they present” (Sunder, in which Binodini is firmly enmeshed, struggling to make 1993). sense of her identity as a beautiful, educated and spirited Ghosh’s films makes a mark in launching an acrid young woman that is trapped within the confines of widowhood. Binodini forms a close friendship with critique of hetero-patriarchy, often revealing the Ashalata and also Mahendra’s unmarried friend Behari, reality behind apparently happy marriages, with whom she falls in love. However, when Mahendra romantic relationships and familial equations. His realises that Binodini is better suited to him than Ashalata films time and again question a woman’s lack of and expresses his attraction towards her, Binodini gives into forbidden passion and an affair ensues. This is agency within the heteropatriarchal family and the eventually revealed to Ashalata who runs away in despair nation-state at large. His female protagonists and Binodini, ordered out of the house by Mahendra’s struggle hard to throw off the mantle of patriarchal mother, goes to see Behari, who having always been her repression, often abandoning the seeming security true love, and asks him to marry her. At first Behari refuses and Binodini leaves the village but later Behari of the home and romantic relationships. For changes his mind and after finding her, asks her to marry instance, Ramita (Rituparna Sengupta) in Dahan and him. However, the next day when he arrives to take her as his bride, Binodini has disappeared 98 dissatisfaction with the confines of her social role as between mother and daughter brings about a a widow and subverts it. The two themes of this film catharsis reconciling the two estranged individuals. are the constraining nature of social roles assigned to women and the lack of socially sanctioned space The progress of the movie helps to analyze the for the expression of feminine subjectivity outside of mother’s situation and her life. As she says herself, these roles. motherhood and marriage was not necessarily a natural progression for her. This representation of Marriage and motherhood are axiomatic in Hindu motherhood thus stands to challenge the idealistic society (Kakar, 1988) Ghosh has challenged the and universalized image of motherhood notion of Motherhood through his protagonist and perpetuated by society and it critiques the ‘one size their individual identities beyond the conventional fits all’ paradigm in which all women are assumed norm. Like In Unishey April, it takes years for Aditi to marry and slip into motherhood with relative (Debashree Roy) to come to terms with Sarojini, ease. Sangeeta Datta has described this perception of (Aparna Sen) her mother, and reconcile herself with motherhood as an ‘ideological burden’. Ghosh the truth that a mother who does not live up to the demonstrates that motherhood is not only conventional expectations of motherhood is not something that needs to be worked at but that necessarily evil. Completely under the influence of traditional expectations made of women in modern an immensely egoistic father, Aditi develops a society are unrealistic in this respect. (Datta, 1990) strong revulsion towards her mother, who has relentlessly pursued her career as a dancer and Ghosh has time and again broken stereotypes and prioritized it over her responsibility as a mother and challenged the hegemonic discourse of patriarchy. a wife. Eighteen years after her father’s demise, Also Ghosh’s women are neither modern nor Aditi is still unable to forgive her mother and traditional, but they are somewhere in between the blames her for being selfish and career-minded. both. Also, their desires, inclinations, and dreams Aditi’s complete interpellation in patriarchal move between the traditional and modern roles and discourses prevents her from fathoming her identities.