How Rocky Randhawa & Satyaprema Have Redefined The Connotations Of Green Flag; Role Bollywood Plays In Society
Bollywood Defining Green Flags: Green flags are people who have healthy behavioral signs and traits in a relationship. Rocky Randhawa and Satyaprema are two examples from Bollywood of what Genz would call the green flags.
Now many teenage girls or even boys are criticized as being naive and tender-hearted to anticipate people to be ‘green flags’ in contemporary relationships especially because over many decades, the angry, glass-breaking, will burn the world for prototypes sold in the cinema have taken a rooted residence in our definition of having a protective, loving and warm partner. Something that is now categorized as a ‘red flag.’
But neither cinema, nor many forms of art have stopped portraying these ‘red flags’ characters, and showing only ‘green flags’ could end up masking reality and homogenizing the form of art to please certain strata of society. Then in what ways could these representations make an impact on the impressionable minds of their audience who quite literally personify themselves with the characters they watch on screen?
Rocky Randhawa- Green flag who goes to the gym, but also loves to dance
The freshness Rocky Randhawa brought on screen was the mere fact that the guy challenged the conundrum faced by the connotations of a green flag. Most times, being called a green flag is associated with being conventionally feminine, and physically puny.
Rocky, on the other hand, is stereotypically West Delhi, goes to the gym religiously, has a sculpted body with six-pack abs (a lil unrealistic of course), moves with protein shakes in his hands, and speaks his heart out.
But he also wears chunky jewelry, and bright colored clothes, respects boundaries, loves with all his heart without the fear of seeming weak, and yet is afraid of expressing his emotions to the patriarch of the family. He is emotionally available and understands the need to openly communicate with his partner. Traits that generally get stacked as ‘girly.’
So many young male audiences resonated with his well-built, hunky personality at first and admired his ability to delicately tread on matters of love and family, which also encourage and inspired them for the same.
Satyaprem - A familial, loving husband pursuing his partner’s happiness and comfort
Satya or Sattu is a jovial young lad, who ends up liking a girl, and wishes to pursue her but simply backs out when he finds she is romantically involved with someone else. Unlike the much-represented stalkers who make it a mission to make the woman ‘fall in love’ with them by stalking them around the campus, in the streets, and threatening to whoop their current lovers. A green flag!
However, when the stars cross for Satya and Katha to be wedded, his pursuit of love is not hard and fast but patient, understanding, and affectionate.
SRK- "The greenest green flag"
Shahrukh Khan has been set apart from the other male actors of his era and the rest existing eras. Most of his fame is credited to his female audience who loved him for his tender touches, explicitly romantic gestures, and open expression of love, warmth, and respect towards everyone and not just women.
These characters took away the burden of performance men feel most times and gave them a way to express themselves. Cinema is indeed a reflection of society, and society has all kinds of people. But cinema also holds the power to bring foundational changes by representing what may not be the norm. It's a two-way street, and both impact each other in similar ways.
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