I just watched Dorothy, and now i hate how the entire concept of masculinity has been shoved in our minds since the start
First of all, this movie is a masterpiece. I could not believe my eyes from the moment it started because the storytelling is so seamless and engaging. I loved Rishikanth in Modha Ratri and seeing him in this role was such an out of body experience. Sananth is a revelation and i hope he does more work going forward.
Now coming to the movie and its portrayal of soft masculinity, I cannot help but think of a better way to describe what makes a “man” masculine. We have been fed and told this for a long time. “Men don’t cry”, “we have responsibilities”, “we don’t have time for expressing”ourselves etc etc but while watching this movie I felt so seen? I’m someone who actually feels a lot. I don’t know whether it’s due to my upbringing or i am built this way but I genuinely feel it’s very natural to express love and affection for people you like. In this movie Rishikanths character starts as a timid person but eventually turns into this tough man who seldom has time to think about things. But his characterisation in this movie is so perfect that he still has no problem in “expressing” himself.
Coming to the queer part, I value my male friendships a lot but I am yet to find a good friend who doesn’t make crass misogynistic and homophobic jokes. I put a story on my Instagram for this movie and one of my very close friends replied “gay sex aa? d*nginchkuntava? 😂” . We’ve been friends for a long time but he still passes the odd remark about things like these which irks me a lot.
Anyways, I’m glad that this movie is getting the recognition it deserves. I sat in a packed theatre where people where clapping and whistling (in a good way) which made me understand that hyd as a city may have people who are more open minded and are willing to consume content even if it makes them uncomfortable. I hope this movie resets people’s thinking about masculinity as a whole and our society becomes more inclusive and open towards soft men because masculinity isn’t repressing someone and performing as an alpha it’s about acknowledging your own emotions which by extension makes the relationships in your life more meaningful and fulfilling.