Premarital sex is still a huge taboo in Indian society and among the major reasons why women go through risky procedures for abortion when they find themselves with an unwanted pregnancy.
The pressure to abstain from sex until marriage is immense, especially on women, who invariably bear the brunt of social judgement. However, this short film from Blush titled The Good Girl makes one think about how a parent's support to a young woman can make all the difference in such a situation.
In the film, a young woman is in the bathroom, on the verge of finding out if she's pregnant or not. However, before she can find out, her mother barges in and starts chit-chatting with her about the party her father wants to throw for her in the evening.
It's only well into the monologue that her eyes fall on the pregnancy test and the two women talk about it. While the familiar scenarios of blame and guilt play out in both their minds, the mother decides to be supportive.
When the daughter begins to apologise, saying she always made the wrong decisions and that she knows she isn't the "good girl" they wanted her to be, the mom says, with a catch in her voice, that she herself was a woman who had never been allowed to make any decision - even whether they should host a party that evening or not.
Although she is angry with her daughter about having unprotected sex (the mom ends up reading messages from her boyfriend), she offers to be by her side to get through the ordeal.
What's interesting is that both the women have this conversation even before finding out the result of the pregnancy test. The result, much to their relief, is negative but the mother's offer of support changes their relationship for good.
While the subject itself is refreshing, what's even better is the number of people who have applauded the film - many of them are young women who've thanked their moms for being their support system.
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