What we men want...the lit-slut test in Cocktail!

So when the world is singing peaens to Cocktail, I have my bones to give to the makers. Cliches abound in this film as well. It’s almost ironic the makers show Veronica so forward, drinking, making merry, clubbing, dating multiple men and sundry, they sadly are so conservative in their mindsets. In this happy façade of making so called progressive films (which means shooting in pubs and bars for most Indian film makers or force a string of abuses, crass language) some clichés still haunt our sensibilities. I will come to the point straight away. In Hindi films, heroes don’t fall for anyone who is a tomboy (Kuch Kuch Hota hain), fun to hang out with (Dil toh Pagal hain) or a wild child in Cocktail. So unless a Kajol slips into a saree and smears her eyes with kohl and adorns her hands with bangles, a SRK wouldn’t give her a second look. Saif Ali Khan sleeps with Deepika, keeps crooning how he doesn’t want to play the husband and enjoy his bachelorhood all lifelong and ends up falling for the desi girl who prays, cooks and picks dirty clothes from the floor. Finally Deepika has to cook lamb biryani and that something with yogurt (raita) and prays every morning and get into a salwar kameez to score with Saif and his mom. Almost like a litmus (or shall I say lit-slut test to turn from a slut into a Savitri). It’s appalling how her character is subtly labeled as a slut or else why would’t a Gautam get married to her. Coz we don’t marry morally inferior girls in Hindi films. Isn’t that regressive? Men do love independent women who don’t subscribe to the set parts played by spouses in a marriage. They not just date them and end up marrying the good old Indian bahu. I am almost aghast to see such a conformist orthodox movie coming from someone who gave me immense hopes after Being Cyrus and (Socha na tha).