A mature married woman, empathetic towards her partner’s previous love, draws a line at a specific time, and walks out when that line is crossed. With love in her heart and habits in her purse, this is the gloriously dignified, understanding, strong Sudha, of Gulzar’s Ijaazat (1987). Then there is the rebellious, spunky, youngest daughter of a single father, who chooses freedom over rules and discipline, and transcends friendships across ages—giving precedence to human desires, peace and laughter over authority. Exemplifying the difficulty of ensuring change in one’s home more than the rest of society is Manju, in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Khoobsurat (1980). Then there is Rakesh Roshan’s defining Khoon Bhari Maang (1988), which brings alive the extremities in women, through subservience to emancipation and revenge. While the film relies heavily on stereotypes, it still propels the idea of women avenging their pain, ill treatment and the violence they are subjected to (apart from what is done to their families). In Mira Nair’s Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996), Rasa Devi is the epitome of grace and wonder as she teaches Kamasutra to her students.