Bollywood wives: On a tight leash?

Katie Holmes is being called a 'Stepford wife'. Derived from a novel titled 'Stepford Wives' by Ira Levin, the term refers to women who are overtly submissive to their husbands and try to be the perfect wife.
As per the gossip columns her life has been taken over completely by Tom Cruise who dictates everything from what she should wear, to whom she should talk to etc.She cannot wear anything flashy or revealing, has few of her own friends, no career and has transformed from an independent free-spirited individual to a meek and submissive one.
In a sharp contrast to Katie who is a young 21st century girl we have Demi Moore who is 40-plus and married to Ashton Kutcher, a guy nearly 20 years her junior. As a birthday gift for his wife, Ashton invited famous photographer Mario Testino home, to shoot some intimate pictures of Demi Moore. The husband had however, ordered "No Nudes", but the actress when told by Testino, "Let's get naked," couldn't resist herself and shed her clothes for the shoot.
So on one hand, we have an actress who defies her husband and poses for some nude pictures, while on the other we have one who seems to have lost her capacity to move a step without her husband's permission and approval.
This is not to say that Hollywood is full of celeb wives who function in extremes. In fact we tend to hear more of wives who would fall mid-way and move towards Demi Moore than of a Katie Holmes type.
We would probably assume that there would be a Katie Holmes in Indian film industry, Bollywood. After all in many parts of the country a woman is still expected to be a Katie Holmes and much more. But does that hold true for Bollywood too?
Right now there is a lot of speculation as to whether Aishwarya will work after marriage. Even as we discuss the combined brand value of the Bachchans after Aishwarya joins them, no one can really resist the temptation of talking about the future career plans of this successful actress. Abhishek has said that it would be entirely Aishwarya's choice but Aishwarya seems a difficult person to predict. Whatever she does, we do hope, she does it out of choice than compulsion.
Her would be mother-in-law, Jaya Bachchan decided to go slow on films once she got married and had her children. In an interview to IANS, she had said, that she left her career to bring up her children as she felt it was important that the kids have their mother around them. "You know I come from a home where my mother was always around. Just her presence gave me a lot of strength. Mothers don't have to teach you anything. Instinctively a child imbibes values and mannerisms from the mother....when I decided to pause my career to look after my children I never saw it as a sacrifice. The love affection and respect that the children give me today are more important to me than any other kind of success in the world."
Jaya Bachchan may have stepped out of the limelight but she didn't let her role as a mother and wife consume her completely. She ruled her house when she was busy within its four walls and once her children were settled she was back in the ring, launching a production house ABCL, with her husband and eventually getting back into acting.
Her contemporary Hema Malini also led a life on her own terms. Though she married an already married Dharmendra, it was a decision she made and she has never been heard regretting it. Dharmendra is known for his conservative thoughts. While he encouraged his sons to get into acting he was very reluctant to let Esha go before the camera. But neither then nor when it concerned her own career did Hema Malini allow herself to be blindly ruled. She continued to act, after both her marriage and motherhood. 'Aandhi', 'Toofan', 'Ramkali', 'Ek Chaddar Maili si' and 'Rihaee' were some of the hits she delivered after she tied the knot. When it became apparent that she no longer could play the heroine role, the actress diverted her creativity to direction and dance. Currently she is back to performing before the camera.
If this is the picture that our heroines of yore are presenting then what could be expected from the new.
When Madhuri Dixit tied the knot, one expected her to say a permanent goodbye to Mumbai and settle down to a life of comfortable domesticity, as the wife of a Denver surgeon.
The actress however, took her time to bid goodbye to Bollywood. Post marriage, Madhuri continued to shuttle between US and India, to complete her pending projects. However, keen to settle down with her hubby, she didn't take up any new projects. Though she did at this point agree to become the brand ambassador of Emami.
Now two kids later, the actress is back before the camera for Anil Mehta directed film, 'Aaja Nachle' under the Yashraj banner. Madhuri still, makes it clear that it is no comeback film for her as she is not interested in reviving her career. She is doing the film only because of the comfort level she shares with the production house. She feels her husband and kids still need her.
But these are choices that the actress has made for herself. She says that her husband in fact encourages her to continue acting, but, it was her own decision to stay and bring up her family. Her husband does not want her to be a meek, submissive, adarsh Bharatiya nari. Maybe Tom Cruise could take a tip or two from Ram Nene.
We would never expect firebrand Kajol to be under anyone's thumb. Marriage has not changed her one bit, the actress said once. She is as independent as she ever was.
Kajol has always maintained that quitting films was her own decision. Ajay, she has revealed, is very much the millennium husband who gives his wife space and has no qualms about his wife continuing with her career. In fact when Kajol decided to do 'Fanaa', Ajay took a two-month break from his busy schedule, so that, their daughter had at least one parent with her.
Sex bomb Malaika Arora still continues to scorch the silver and small screen with her presence. If it is not before the camera then it is before a live audience, but Malaika continues to do her job. Thankfully for her, Arbaaz gives her space and understands and respects her professional commitments.
Those familiar with the small screen would recognize Supriya, the bahu from the serial 'Tu Tu Main Main'. Married to child actor Sachin, the couple shares a 10-year age gap between them. But rather than throwing his weight over a young girl, Sachin and his mother encouraged Supriya to finish her education, and then when she took up acting, he was fully supportive.
Meanwhile, when it came to Karisma, she refused to accept anything and everything her husband did and said. On the verge of separation, the couple came back together to give their relationship another try. So while she may not stand any nonsense, the actress also understands the value of marriage and is prepared to do her bit to save it.
So, from the looks of it, Indian celeb wives do not seem to be that badly off after all. And it is not some new found freedom among the younger lot. All of the actresses have made their individual choices and decisions with no compulsion. Katie meanwhile, need not look at India for example. She has more than enough in Hollywood to understand what an equal marriage is all about.