Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is one of the most iconic films from the 2000s. For several reasons of course. At the time it released, the star cast, the fashion and and the picturization was one of its kind.
And though the film isn’t perfect, it has its problematic moments, there are some things I learnt from Kareena Kapoor Khan’s character Pooja Sharma AKA Poo that I still think about.
At first glance, Poo may come across as a catty young woman who is conceited and slightly self obsessed. But as her character unravels we see just how compassionate she truly is. And how she loved her family!
Back when the film had released, I was in a phase in life that I am sure many women can relate to. I hated the colour pink (or so I thought), because it was simply too ‘girly.’ To me, the colour symbolised the kind of softness that I was afraid to embrace. Especially because I grew up being told I was too fragile, too naïve and too feminine.
Popular media had made the colour out to be an emblem for girls who lack intelligence and the practical skills to thrive in this world we live in. For girls who are too simple minded to understand that a world exists outside of their own little bubble and as a result, they’re often snooty and inconsiderate of the people around them. I mean, just look at films like Legally Blonde and Mean Girls.
But when I watched K3G and saw Poo, a young girl who gets bullied for not being rich, and despite it still grows up to be a confident person, I realized something. Part of where her confidence came from was her love for clothes, and that too, a lot of pink coloured ones.
Pooja Sharma wore pink proudly, spoke her mind uninhibitedly and did not let the men in her life guilt her into being less flashy AKA she took up all the space she wanted unapologetically. Even when people made her feel like she was doing/being too much. And I believe that is an act of bravery in a world where women are constantly told to be less.
Poo had standards for how she wanted to be treated by the people around her, loved dressing up, and was incredibly compassionate about her family’s trials and tribulations.
Poo taught me that I can love soft toys, lip glosses and pink dresses all while understanding responsibilities and the seriousness of life. And that I don’t have to tone down my love for The Powerpuff Girls to be taken seriously in this world.
Thank you Poo AKA Pooja Sharma for being a role model to my 12-year-old self.