Lilly Singh Instagram – Last night, after about 15 years, I watched a Bollywood movie in the theatre: Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. It’s no secret I love Bollywood. In fact for a period of my childhood, I exclusively watched Hindi and Punjabi cinema (so much so that I often don’t know a staple North American movie my friends are referencing). But as an adult, my relationship with Bollywood has been bittersweet. Because I love the drama, music, dancing, theatrics and feeling of nostalgia. But I’m also a fierce advocate for women and it’s not lost on me how extremely sexist and patriarchal a lot of it can be (especially some of my classic favs). I’ve accepted that two things can be true at once: 1) Bollywood can be really meaningful to me and 2) I can also be frustrated with it sometimes. However, yesterday while watching Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, I couldn’t help feel some major resolve. It beautifully addresses so many important issues including sexism, body positivity, gender norms and homophobia in a way I’ve never seen before, while being entertaining as hell. This isn’t an ad. Im not being paid to post this or talk about the movie. I just believe in supporting the things you want to see more of. And I definitely want to see more female characters like Rani who stand up for themselves and take no disrespect. And I think it’s so important to see male characters like Rocky who are willing to break gender norms and demonstrate a willingness to change their minds/attitudes. I can admit that as a young girl, I grew up daydreaming about my wedding. Why? Because it was the goal, ambition or destination of every female character in Hindi movies. I’m so happy that young girls today have more examples of what women can achieve, so their daydreams can be about themselves and their goals, not just about a union to someone else. Progress isn’t perfect. After all, poor Rani still had to rock a saree in the snow (a part of the glass ceiling that just won’t break 😅). But this film was a major win for me and I cannot recommend it enough. Chose this picture because I feel like Rocky would wear it. Congrats @karanjohar @ranveersingh @aliaabhatt 🙏🏽 thank you for this gem.