For our latest Saucy Deep Dive, we chose the early 2000s classic Mohabbatein starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
In Mohabbatein, Shahrukh Khan comes to Gurukul to teach music and bring “love” into Amitabh Bachchan’s overly strict and bizarrely religious school...college...university? It's never really made clear.
Shah Rukh Khan’s plan to bring love to the school revolves around teaching three students - played by Uday Chopra, Jimmy Shergill, and Jugal Hansraj to fight for their love. Which ala Bollywood includes eve-teasing, relentless stalking, and coercive behavior disguised as romance.
This fan-favorite has not aged well and actively perpetuated problematic ideas about romance, love, and consent. It objectified the women on screen and robbed them of their agencies.
Was it just a product of its time or did it have a much more adverse and continuing effect on the cultural and media landscape of South Asia?
To know more about our discussion and to find out how Mohabbatein fared on the Sauce Meter (our in-house feminist film rating system), read the extended show notes on our website with additional resources and content!
More available on SareesOnScreen.com
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[Music Prod. By LuKremBo]
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