Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani: Boys don't cry, boys don't dance — how Bollywood is breaking the barriers

Believe it or not! The patriarchy and the regressive mindset still exist in certain parts of the country, which always try to show or rather implement some responsibilities and traits on males and females. While females have been instructed to focus on household chores, males have always been said that they are ultimate decision makers and they should not step in the kitchen or cry or dance like girls. However, with progressive and sensible thought processes, society is turning out to be a better place for both genders. And Bollywood is not behind to break these barriers with its enriching, eye-opening and entertaining content with the latest being Karan Johar’s directorial _Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani_ . The rom-com family drama talks about the social and human issues of body shaming, how are women’s undergarments looked down on by men and others.

One of the most beautiful aspects, for which RRKPK deserve praises, is showing unabashedly the modern perspective of a gentleman, who follows his dreams of becoming a kathak dancer irrespective of what others think about that dance form. Tota Roy Choudhury’s character wins you over with his subtle and impeccable portrayal. His character’s simple conversation shows the reality of society, where a boy or a man is questioned for choosing a dance form, which is feminine. He gets teased by friends, angst by parents and society. But emerge victorious with his sheer dedication, support from understanding and hard work. Extending the above sequence, KJo beautifully puts forward the mindset of orthodox people through Ranveer Singh’s acting mettle, where the actor’s character reveals that in his family boys don’t dance (especially classical dance forms) or do certain kinds of things as they’ll be looked down on after that. Boys or rather men do the classical dance with grace and elegance

While Tota’s character turned out to be an eye-opener, which paved the way to show  Bollywood its first male star in the form of Ranveer Singh to perform Kathak on the silver screen with finesse and elegance, south cinema comparatively has been immensely progressive with ‘Ulganayagan’ Kamal Haasan leaving us in awe with his Bharatnatyam performance in K Viswanath’s Telugu venture Sagara Sangamam followed by multi-talented Prabhudheva’s impeccable classical performance in Kadhalan. Boys do cry with their eyes, hearts and soul While society always questions boys’ or men’s tears and emotional moments, our Bollywood actors have owned the screens with their effortless portrayal when it comes to exuding emotional side. When the lead stars like Ranbir Kapoor (Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Tamasha and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil) Shah Rukh Khan (Main Hoon Na, Devdas, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa), and Salman Khan (Tere Naam, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Sultan) cry on the silver screen, it does not only moist our own eyes but also make their characters relatable to us.