A mere shout in the void or a strong statement?

By Sana Chaudhry

23 April 2016

There was quite a lot of fervent surrounding a Bollywood film that was recently released in Pakistan. Tickets were bought and breaths were held: this production sincerely promised a role reversal that was unheard of in the East. If you have ever had the chance of studying sociology, you’ll probably be aware of the notion of the ‘New Man,’ somebody who is very different from the quintessential macho male figure. He does not want to be the superman, and sole breadwinner but instead is more sensitive and expressive. However, research suggests that most men only partake in housework to the extent of ‘helping out’ or spending quality time with children – the hardcore homemaking was still expected to be the responsibility of the woman. Keeping all this in mind, no matter what the cinematography of the movie may be like and no matter how weak the script seemed to be, there are some reasons why Ki and Ka almost got it right. Here we look at five reasons how the movie managed to do so:

1) Ka or Arjun Kapoor, took complete responsibility of homemaking – not assisting, not helping out or just a little bit

From cooking to cleaning, he did it all!

2) That standoffish attitude by Ki or Kareena Kapoor was on point

In the real world, men consider housework ‘no work’. The movie’s role reversal is apt in tackling with this issue as well.

3) It outlined how balance of power does not require taking turns on top

If both the spouses want to be famous so be it! Nobody needs to make the ultimate sacrifice.

4) It was not a spin-off of Hum Tum

Considered to be the ultimate comment on gender behavior, Hum Tum merely scratched the surface of the gender conflict that dates back to time immemorial.

5) However, still need more movies to address the issue seriously

Packaging gender issues in satire and humour are old news now. Some things just need to be taken more seriously now.