What happens when the daily oppression faced by an ordinary woman is made public? How does the society react when the hitherto neglected and deemed insignificant issues about women are brought to the front? What we get is a public outcry. This is precisely what we got when Homi Adajania’s ‘My Choice’ starring Deepika Padukone and 98 other women was released. With 5,917,236 views in just a week’s time, this short film immediately came under the public radar for the ‘choices’ it endorsed.
Out of the many statements that Deepika makes in the less than a three minute video, one that instantly led to outrage was, ‘ My choice… to have sex before marriage, to have sex outside marriage, to not have sex.’ In the land of Kama Sutra, how can a remark about a woman’s sexuality go unnoticed? The criticism it invited was the advocacy of adultery and how women’s empowerment could be equated with her sexual choices. My response to these charges is as follows. First, by talking about having sex outside marriage, the video is not promoting extra-marital relationships but is fact throwing light on the glaring hypocrisy that runs this patriarchal world! It seeks to normalize a woman’s similar action which invokes brutal societal punishment whereas a man is conveniently allowed to do the same without facing society’s wrath. The point which it is trying to make is to do away with the sick double standards that mark our society with the example of adultery. A break from social expectations is the agenda and not the encouragement of adultery. Second, sex is not the only aspect of empowerment but one cannot deny it is an extremely potent one. In times when a woman is completely effaced of her sexual identity, where she is not allowed to discuss her sexuality, where sex is a matter of shame, it would be a narrow-minded take on the video to slam it for talking about a pressing issue which never seems to get the attention it deserves. More importantly, the video raises questions about a number of such choices and it is just ironic that the viewers ‘choose’ to focus on this one out of the many aspects.
Another, according to me vague, allegation leveled against it was that since it was an endeavor by Vogue, it took an elitist view on the issue and that it emphasised on ‘choices’ that were not universal. To those who side with this opinion, I would like to say, it’s disheartening that you don’t consider freedom, sexuality, obesity and identity potent enough to categorise them as general. The psychological oppression that a woman goes through when taunted for her weight, the social backlash she faces when she makes independent and socially unacceptable sexual decisions, the familial restrictions she is bound by, all for what? Being a woman? If you still think these aren’t salient concerns when shaping a woman’s identity, I can only pity you.
The most foolish criticism I came across was the trashing of Deepika for starring in this film. The audience needs to understand that she is just a popular actress who was roped in to widen the scope of this video so as to reach a larger mass. If you don’t like the content, you are entitled to your choice, but what is the point in defaming Deepika?
Whether it was successful in its attempt to alter the mindset, is undecided, but what is has certainly achieved is the stirring up of debates, commencement of conversations and an encouragement of thought in this direction. Its agenda was to expand the reach of ‘choice’ in whose respect it has made a commendable effort, I believe. To support this step or to dismiss it altogether is again, your ‘choice’.
