Parallel Reels: What can be scarier than reality?

This article will have spoilers; read at your own discretion

Why are many people afraid of women having desires? And this desire is not just for sexual needs. Of course, that is very important, but many are afraid of women having any sort of desire. A desire to be loved, to be heard, to be seen, to be independent, and to just... exist. Are things changing now? Probably. And yet, somehow, are things still the same? Probably. This is where feminism finds its roots, and that is why the idea of what women want has been the forefront of many a film, cutting across genres and languages.

Now, not many want to engage with feminism-related conversations because today's pop culture has changed the definition of the word. A call for equality has been twisted into something sinister to antagonise those asking for the same. Once it dawned on some that feminism meant parting ways with what they had, to accommodate someone else's needs, things changed. And that's why, even in our cinema, feminism-related conversations had to be disguised under different names. Women's Empowerment became the go-to scheme simply because it still allowed the movers and shakers of the world to 'do' something. Someone had to empower the women, right? And writing a 'powerful' monologue here, and a 'hard-hitting' conversation there became the norm, even if they were far and few in between. 

And that's when horror films came into fruition. It is almost like the witch-based stories in the West, where women who asked for what they wanted were branded as witches and burned at the stake. Obviously, they returned to exact vengeance. Closer home, we had a wronged woman, entering the soul of some hapless person, to fulfill a desire. While it is deeply concerning that feminism needs the garb of the ghost to make a point in our cinema, a few steps forward is still a step in the right direction. 

And a couple of those steps happened this year with two films — Praveen Kandregula's Subham and JP Thuminad's Su from So — that had a lot in common, and almost all of them were quite good things.

The Worlds...

Subham is set in the town of Bheemunipatnam, which is just about away from the bustle, and yet, isn't too far away from modernity. This allows a plasma TV to exist alongside a cable connection, and both remain a stone's throw away from the advent of the internet. 

Su from So is also set in a coastal town where things are a bit more archaic, but it has people still strongly connected with each other. Both towns are inhabited by people who think they know a lot, but hardly know anything when it comes to things that they would actually benefit from knowing.

What is an alpha male? Subham's Shahjahan and Venkatesh know it well. Who is an alpha male? Su from So's Ravi Anna. But one of them is better than the other because he uses his alpha-ness to help others, and not dominate over the 'weaker' sex. However, both these worlds are inhabited by men wanting to be alpha, and refrain from showing any emotions to each other lest they are considered 'weak'. Who is the weaker sex, now?

Anyway...

The Problem...

Subham has a ghost entering every house in Bheemunipatnam at 9 pm to watch a serial called Janma Janmala Bandham. A serial about a husband and a wife who seem not to get along with each other, but still stay together because that's what most couples in serials, and in real life, do. Also, she loves him more than he loves her, and she wants to live a life that would make him love her. Now, you might ask why? But if this logic isn't applied to many of our mainstream films and reality, why ask this of a TV serial?

Su from So has a ghost entering every house of the quaint hamlet because... one guy decided to peep into the bathroom of a girl he had a crush on. From here, all hell breaks loose, and the world ensures the conjured-up ghost remains shackled in his house, and he hopes to find a way out of his wretched existence.

The Solution...

Samantha, who presented Subham, plays the all-knowing Maya, who has a solution to the problems faced by the husbands of Bheemunipatnam every single day from 9 pm to 9.30 pm. Similarly, Raj B Shetty, who backed Su from So, plays Guruji, who descends to the village to help them live a life of peace and comfort away from the paranormal.

The Actual Solution...

Listen. Observe. Realise. Understand. 

It is beautiful how Subham subverted a cliche into telling a compelling story about desires. It showcases patriarchy in a way that is not often seen on the big screen. Yes, we have seen men being vulnerable, but it is not every day that we see them completely clueless. Even the ‘heroes’ have no idea as to what to do, even if there is overwhelming evidence asking them to listen, observe, realise, and understand the women around them. And the biggest strength of the film is how it isn’t preaching something extraordinary. It just asks you not to take the women in your life for granted. Yes, she will make you a cup of piping hot coffee, but can you not be a bozo about it? Can you keep financial decisions for the household as an activity involving the wife, too? And… what is the point of all of this ‘alpha’ male or ‘sigma’ male if all you gain from that is a false sense of respect? 

When the ghost in Su from So turns out to be the mother of a woman who is left all alone in a neighbouring village, you expect things to take a rather interesting turn. But the film takes one of the most grim turns seen in recent cinema history. Of course, it is funny, light, and engaging. But beneath all those layers lies the story of a woman who just wants to be loved, heard, seen, respected, and… exist. A woman who needed a saviour, a protector, a sympathetic shoulder to cry on, someone smiling at her, and just asking if everything was alright. Simply said… a mother. 

Basically, Su…bham from So is a reminder that just like how it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to stifle a woman. The film shows how many such women are silenced systematically by the actions of a few and the inactions of the rest. And if such a basic requirement has to be wrested from the powers that be through the powers of a ghost, or the belief that there is retribution coming the way of the perpetrators from the beyond, then so be it.