Reflection Of Deepa Mehta's Values

At a time in the 90s when Bollywood was still obsessed with hero running around trees proclaiming his love to the heroine, Deepa Mehta did a courageous take on the issue of homosexuality in the Indian context through the experiences of a traditional middle class joint family that embodies patriarchal Indian values and culture. The movie depicts the framework of a patriarchal indian society that is built upon certain values and customs, corollaries of the hegemonic masculinity that is deeply embedded in the society. It makes us ponder about certain dimensions that form our consciousness and being, such as identity: how much of it is our own perception and consciousness and how much of it is a reflection of the norms and the ethos our society …show more content…
In Jatin and Sita’s marital life the trouble started brewing ever since the beginning as three days into their honeymoon Sita is forced to think whether Jatin even likes her as he’s shown as visibly unhappy and cold with her. Jatin still continues with his affair with his girlfriend, Julie even after she had refused to marry him and feels nothing for his wife, Sita and thus whatever physical relationship they have is devoid of any love and passion and is just done mechanically for the sake of the relationship that they are in. The matriarch of the family, Biji, is living an unacknowledged existence ever since the stroke that left her speechless and now conveys her wishes and likes by ringing a bell. Radha, very diligently feeds her, bathes her and cleans her, taking care of her every need. Mundu, the male servant who also helps her with all the household chores is shown as a very frustrated and irked servant who releases his tensions and frustrations by masturbating in front of …show more content…
Sita, exhausted from living in a loveless wedlock where her husband leaves her waiting every night while he’s out romancing with his girlfriend, wishes to go back to her parents’ house while Radha quietly mourns the bitter reality of her life wherein her husband feels alienated from her and doesn’t even acknowledge her presence in the bedroom except from the time when he has to test himself. So, this solidarity that arises with the neglect and the need of love that both the women feel develops into a bond, a relationship that is unnamed in the Indian culture. They find solace with each other and soon the emotional bond, one night, develops into a romantic relationship that fills the void that their dysfunctional relationship with their husbands left as one is out seeking perfection and nirvana of his soul by serving a swami and the other spends his nights with his Chinese mistress. They fulfil their desires by feeling each other’s warmth, tracing each other’s body and making love to each other at night. Soon, they started living a life that is not just bound by obligations and a sense of duty but by love, desires, seeking treasure in little joys like Radha’s makeover by Sita or both of them