Lakshya Turns 21: Romila Dutta Was the Feminist Bollywood Hadn’t Seen Before

In an industry where female characters often served as background cheerleaders to the male lead’s journey, Romila was different. She had a voice, a career, a moral compass, and most importantly, she had agency.

More Than Just the Love Interest

Set against the backdrop of a fictional war inspired by the 1999 Kargil conflict, Lakshya could have easily reduced Romila to a one-note romantic figure. But screenwriter Javed Akhtar wrote her with substance. She was a woman who loved fiercely, but who also knew when to walk away. Romila broke up with Karan (Hrithik Roshan) not out of pettiness, but because he lacked direction and maturity, something she refused to settle for.

She didn’t exist to be Karan’s motivation, yet her choices played a vital role in his growth. At the same time, her journey wasn’t defined by his. We saw her thrive as a journalist, hold her ground in arguments, and later, even walk away from a fiancé whose chauvinistic attitude she couldn’t ignore.

A Rare Feminist Portrayal in Early 2000s Bollywood

Romila wasn’t written as a caricature of feminism; she wasn’t angry for the sake of being angry, nor did she position herself as superior. She was complex, empathetic, ambitious, and strong. Her profession was portrayed with rare authenticity, showing her as a war correspondent who reacts with emotion but also responsibility, comforting a grieving soldier even after a brief moment of losing composure.

For a mainstream film in the early 2000s, this portrayal was unusual and refreshing. In the name of building a feminist, Javed Akhtar did not write a character who was arrogant or argumentative enough to only consider herself right, the analysis notes, and that’s exactly what made Romila special.

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Preity Zinta’s Understated Power

Preity Zinta played Romila with the right balance of intensity and restraint. Her performance ensured that even when she wasn’t the central focus of a scene, her presence left a mark. She wasn’t the protagonist, but she was someone you could admire, root for, and remember.

Why Romila Still Matters

As Lakshya completes 21 years, it remains one of Bollywood’s finest coming-of-age dramas. But for many viewers, especially women, Romila Dutta was a game-changer. At a time when Bollywood rarely gave women layered characters, she stood tall, not just as Karan’s ex or future partner, but as a woman who knew her worth and demanded better.

And in a film filled with battle sequences and military glory, that quiet, personal victory was just as powerful.

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Image Courtesy: IMDb