Indian filmmakers often shy away from narrating tales of sisterhood on screen. The last time a film did it, it had to fight a long battle to secure release. Who can forget the hard time Alankrita Shrivastava faced in getting a clearance certificate from Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for Lipstick Under My Burkha. The film was shamed for being a 'lady-oriented' flick, for its exploration of women's independence and choices. Since then, filmmakers have found little hope in talking about women and their bonding as a serious subject.
However, bromance-loaded films have long been a sure shot formula for easy success. Filmmakers have used it as a core subject to narrate stories in different genres. Previously, films such as Rock On!, Dil Chahta Hai, Dostana, Three Idiots, Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara, Kill Dil and Gunday have narrated stories of bonding with focus solely on male characters. But, are stories of female bonding—with women an essential element of the script—slowly starting to find takers in the silver screen?
Things changed significantly with the release of Kangana Ranaut-starrer Queen. The film, which traced the journey of a shy girl getting a taste of life thanks to her bold friend Vijayalakshmi, connected well with audiences across the country. However, despite Queen becoming increasingly successful, the race to use sisterhood as the crux of the scripts took a long time. However, due to changing dynamics of the society, and films being an important part of our culture, female bonding has found its way back into Indian cinema. Director Shashanka Ghosh has revived the love and friendly bond between four girlfriends in Veere Di Wedding. Using their bonding as a pillar of strength, Veere Di Wedding highlights the significant problems that modern day women face—divorce, lack of attention as well as a trust issues in marriage. Simultaneously, these sisterhood tales are an eye-opener to serious friendship goals as well.
