Pregnancy in Society Based on the Movie Chutney Popcorn

Pregnancy is a complex time in a woman's life, full of changes and emotions. The way a pregnant woman feels about herself changes because of their experiences as well as the reactions they receive from the people around them, both in the community and their own family.

In the movie, Chutney Popcorn, a 1999 movie directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by Susan Carnival and Nisha Ganatra, the main character, Reena, agreed to have a child for her sister because she was unable to, but Reena's girlfriend, Lisa, is having some problems with her being pregnant. Here sister starts questioning the idea and tells Reena not to go through with it but she does anyways.

A woman's emotional reaction to being pregnant can vary from time to time, at times positive other times negative. The positive outlook on pregnancy usually includes the awe of knowing you have a living being growing inside of you, having a sense of being grown up, the attention you receive, and especially having a sense of purpose in life. There are however negative emotions that go along with pregnancy. These include increase of fear and anxiety, feeling fragile and helpless, loss of identity when everyone is only interested in the baby, and the fast changes you're dealing with that usually result in emotional stress.

In the movie we were able to see some of these reactions during Reena's pregnancy experience. Reena was happy about being pregnant, it was something she wanted to do to help her sister. She was in awe about having a child growing inside of her and I think she also enjoyed the attention she got from the family since when she was growing up, she was never in the positive spotlight. Her pregnancy made her feel like she had a purpose in life. At the same time, her pregnancy brought emotional problems to her relationship with Lisa, who wasn't ready for her girlfriend to carry a baby.

Not only do the woman's own feelings determine her experience during this time of pregnancy, but the reactions of those around her do as well. Some of the most common reactions people have towards pregnant women include avoiding them as if they aren't there, being very helpful and not allowing them to do anything strenuous, as well as making them feel incapable in the workplace, and treating them as a child telling them what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.
In the movie we don't see too many public reactions towards Reena's pregnancy but there are a few. There is the obvious reaction of her mother, who is disapproving at first, thinking Reena shouldn't be getting involved in something like this. From the start her mother isn't supportive of her lesbian lifestyle, and I believe she thinks Reena is too young for the responsibility of having a child. At another point in the movie we see Reena walking down the street where someone is passing out flyers. When this person sees Reena, not only does she not give her a flyer, she also turns her back on her and acts as if she isn't even standing there.

It's interesting to relate an experience which is commonly witnessed in our society to one that takes place in a different culture. Although the actual experiences may differ a bit, the same idea of self emotions and the reactions of others play a large role in the pregnant woman's experience, as we saw in Chutney Popcorn.