Curves are in

Aradhika Sharma

At last the filmmakers are casting heroines in leading roles that are not setting impossible standards of beauty! These are sexy, charming and appealing ladies, who inspire romantic love and physical attraction in the opposite sex without seeming utterly fantastical and distant to ‘normal’ women who are watching them in movie halls. It comes as a huge relief that it’s not just the flawless Deepika, Aishwarya or Katrina who can find love and the eternal sunshine of amorousness but women like the feisty Vidya Balan (Tumhari Sulu), Parvathy Thiruvoth (Qarib Qarib Singlle), Bhumi Pednekar (Dum Laga ke Haisha, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan) who are catching the fancy of the likes of Irrfan Khan and Ayushmann Khurrana.

The talented Swara Bhaskar has essayed strong roles of ordinary women in movies such as Nil Batte Sannata, Anarkali of Aarah and Tanu Weds Manu. Her roles have been more about a feisty spirit than a perfect body. Yet in the web series It’s Not That Simple, she’s pursued by three men (although admittedly, she’s glammed up for the role). 

This is not to say that actresses with slender bodies are merely glam girls! Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Aishwarya Rai, etc. are undisputedly fine actresses. However, the standards of beauty that they set with their body types are daunting for the average Indian woman.

The full-figured girl would certainly identify with Vidya, Bhumi and Parvathy, who don’t just promote the more realistic body type in their films but also the achievable aspirations of everyday woman. So when Vidya Balan, who plays the pleasingly plump housewife in Tumhari Sulu, says, “Main kar sakti hai!” it seems quite inspiring.

Parvathy, the delightful find of Qarib Qarib Singlle, plays the 35-year-old Jaya, who is tentatively exploring the option of discovering a new relationship. Jaya is a pleasant-looking, professional woman who looks rumpled at bedtime and crumpled when she’s just out of bed.

Bhumi Pednekar, who played an overweight young bride in Dum Laga ke Haisha, said in an interview that she wasn’t body shamed for Dum Laga Ke Haisha; rather, she got much appreciation. For good reason! At last, here was an icon for women who don’t have super-hot bodies exploding the unwritten rule that good-natured fat girls like her don’t get guys like the handsome Prem.

She lost weight for Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan but thankfully, she’s neither super skinny and nor has she lost her natural flair.

Vidya Balan has redefined the word sexy in Indian cinema. She burst the skinny myth in The Dirty Picture and totally comfortable with her size continued getting meaty, women-oriented roles (Begum Jaan, Kahaani, Kahaani 2). Vidya has learnt to revel in her sexuality.

In popular entertainment in the recent times (in spite of the universal brouhaha about fat shaming), the fat or the not-so-good-looking best friend is the overused plot device to either provide a foil or comic relief. Thankfully, these feisty ladies are breaking the mould as directors are making films to celebrate all body types. Maybe the time has come at last when ‘regular’ women can stop trying to hold in their tummies and just exhale! 

On a different track

There’s a collective sigh of relief from women who watch movies! Finally their role models of beauty and romance can be actresses with curves and with bodies that are natural and achievable as opposed to the impossibly starved silhouettes that they must torture themselves to achieve. 

“Somehow, they’re just more natural!” says Akanksha Mahajan, who works for an IT-enabled company.

 Isha Sharma, sales executive at an interiors store, says: “I’ve always been fretful about my weight. Logic contends that it’s silly to judge oneself by one’s weight but when you’re bombarded by images of reed-thin beauties, you do tend to compare yourself negatively and logic goes out of the window!” “Fashionistas like Sonam Kapoor earn millions modelling their ultra-thin bodies. Not only can they afford to go on fancy diets and therapies but they don’t have a choice but to be thin if they must survive a demanding glamour industry. If we want bodies like that while juggling a job and a family, we have to either starve ourselves or opt for some pretty awful-tasting, energy-sapping ‘healthy’ diets. I’ve done all of that and the net result is that I’ve been crabby all the time either because I was either dreaming of food or was constantly craving for one glass of wine or a plateful of hot jalebis! I’m so glad that normal and plus-sized bodies are getting acceptance!” says Manushi Misra, a lawyer.