#IndependenceDaySpecial: Noteworthy Indian film characters who found personal freedom

#IndependenceDaySpecial: Noteworthy Indian film characters who found personal freedom
14 Aug 2022

Independence comes in all guises, ways, and forms. Sometimes, it may mean breaking free from one's oppressors, other times, it may simply mean scoring an edge over one's inner demons.

Either way, it's difficult to straitjacket "independence" under one definition. As India celebrates its 75th Independence Day, we revisit some of our favorite movie characters, who, over the course of their journeys, found emancipation.

Rahul Kapoor from 'Kapoor & Sons'
#1

Kapoor & Sons is a window into the life of a seemingly normal but utterly dysfunctional family, where secretive seems to be everyone's middle name. Fawad Khan played Rahul Kapoor, a closeted writer, the "perfect" son of the family who languished under the pain of his perfection throughout, until the climax when he finally came out and wore his sexual orientation on his sleeve.

Ishaan Awasthi from 'Taare Zameen Par'
#2

Ishaan Awasthi is a landmark character because of Darsheel Safary's heartbreaking portrayal that can move you to tears, and the film's respectful, realistic representation of dyslexia. Awasthi's odyssey to liberty comes through a strenuous route that almost ravages his life. However, toward the end, art not only helps him find worth in his father's eyes but also lends him the voice he never had.

The 'wife' from 'The Great Indian Kitchen'

#3

The Great Indian Kitchen is an unapologetic feminist saga and is gutsy sans preachy tirades. It revolves around an unnamed woman (Nimisha Sajayan), whose wings are clipped after being married into a patriarchal household, where she is only relegated to a househelp. The drama narrates her rebellious emotions that simmer under the surface throughout, her confrontation with her tormentors, and eventually, her ultimate triumph.

Four protagonists in 'Lipstick Under My Burkha'

#4

Lipstick Under My Burkha is a tale of freedom, crisscrossed with gender politics. The film follows the journey of four women, all victims of patriarchy in their own ways. The Alankrita Shrivastava directorial doesn't only throw the spotlight on women's desire to escape the iron shackles of a conservative society, but also their sexual fantasies—which, in India, are seemingly reserved for men alone.

Badru Shaikh from 'Darlings'
#5

Badru Shaikh (Alia Bhatt) from Darlings is a quintessential wife—fiercely devoted to her husband and completely convinced that the alcoholic-abusive man will undergo a change of heart someday. However, this battered and bruised woman (literally and figuratively) eventually decides to handle her life's reins and exacts revenge from him after years of sadistic torture. Darlings, thus, becomes a story of delayed, yet exemplary courage.