*Spoliers Alert*: The following article reveals the important and crucial details of the movie’s plot.
Be It Salaam Namaste, Good Newz or Sultan, Bollywood makers disappoint us when it comes to addressing reproductive rights, especially abortion. Every time films address or touch the topic of abortion, they always shame women and making them apologetic if they take a stand.
Even though the laws and guidelines clearly state that ascribing personhood to a foetus is dangerous messaging, Bollywood still doesn’t care. Recently with the Netflix film ‘Mimi’, Bollywood has shown its regressive mindset once again. While the movie, starring Kriti Sanon, handled the topic of surrogacy well, it took ten steps back when it briefly touched upon abortion.
The Netflix film based on a small-town girl Mimi (Kriti Sanon) is about a woman, who dreams to becoming an actor. Realizing her dream to be an expensive dream, Mimi agrees to be a surrogate for an American couple ‘shopping’ for ‘healthy’ girls in India. But unfortunately, the couple runs away, leaving a pregnant, young girl alone to fend for herself.
It was then, doctor tells Mimi that more often than not couple’s abandon the surrogates and many of them opt for abortions. For a heavily-pregnant Mimi, even though abortion might not be an option, but still Mimi, in return goes on a rant about how the child is alive inside her and she can’t kill a breathing, eating child.
It’s not enough to handle the topic of surrogacy sensitively. A message about anti-abortion is harmful enough when so much is at stake.
It is quite disappointing how in the times when women from countries across the world are fighting for a right over their bodies, the movie Mimi openly shames women who choose to have an abortion. Just this simple scene takes us decades back as it questions the character of women who chose themselves over foetus.
Additionally, this also reduces the pain of those who have gone through an abortion due to their health or being victims of violence or even those who just didn’t think they were ready for a child. It’s not just us, but many netizens came forward to express the same disappointment.
#Mimi What a letdown! When will Bollywood stop glorifying motherhood & sacrifice?! To top it all the gross misinformation surrounding foetal abnormalities & abortion, in addition to stigmatising the issue, is so dangerous! Please just stop with these misleading narratives.
— Madhulika | மதுலிகா 🐘 (@madly_ka) July 27, 2021
Let’s just stop imposing dated notions of morality on a deeply personal choice a woman should ideally be free to make. Existing barriers already compel women to turn to quacks for clandestine, unsafe methods to terminate unwanted pregnancies. Puts their lives at incredible risk.
— Madhulika | மதுலிகா 🐘 (@madly_ka) July 27, 2021
Stop writing anti-abortion dialogues to make scenes sound emotional. This happened in #GoodNewwz also. It’s depressing and wrong.
Don’t even feel like watching the rest of the film anymore.— Analita Seth (@analita_seth) July 26, 2021
It kinda glorified that and that makes the society to think that is the only correct way. And when the doctor says about abortion, mimi clearly character assassinated people who abort🤷🏻♂️
— Dr KiRan KaRtheep (@drkiransrivi) July 28, 2021
At IFORHER, we believe it is a high time that we normaize abortion and stop shaming women for making a life choice! Mimi’s stand on abortion leaves you disappointed. It reduces the woman to her reproductive organs, who would drop everything to be a self-sacrificing mother! Dear Bollywood, please get well soon!
(*Screengrab from movie Mimi)