Throughout history, Bollywood films have illustrated a representation of women in India in various forms. Arguably, it is certain that Bollywood films comprise of gender-based stereotypes. The female characters, situations, and plots concerning women in Indian films have been steered by stereotypical ideologies. Across the globe, extensive research had indicated that Indian films top the list of undermining women. Moreover, a sample survey established that Indian females, for an extended period of time, have portrayed females in sexualized roles. It is well-known that the notion of objectifying women on the screen has been a conspicuous issue that the films have been clashing with. Ironically, these films have remained unpopular in painting female characters in organized stereotypical frames. The audience of these films assumes particular stereotypes and throughout history, it has developed an easy task for filmmakers to assign roles and responsibilities to the characters.
Filmmakers depend on the outfit, mannerism, and dialogues to typify and differentiate between what is good and what is bad. The Bollywood projects released currently have no difference with the ancient ones as they demonstrate the gender inequality between men and women. The modern-day culture has been affected by the dilemma as the stereotypes continue to persist in the film industry. For instance, during the Golden Age of the Indian Film Industry, the roles and characters of younger women were separated into two: The Vamp, and the Damsel in Distress. The Damsels in Distress were assigned heroines roles, but males were expected to save them at the end to depict the bravery and manhood of male characters. The Vamp, on the contrary, performed a similarly valued purpose even though is not a heroine one. They were termed seductresses who would shift the mind of the heroes to contribute to inevitable victory. In this paper, we will comprehensively address how women are represented in the Indian films. Furthermore, we will draw insights from particular films and movies of Indian origin.
The Slumdog Millionaire is a western movie about India that depicts the representation of women in a negative way. It illustrates the matters of child sex trafficking and the gender impacts associated with child labor and life in the slums. The film shows young girls who are overworked in the Red Light District in India. The young girls are left with no choice but to work so that they can sustain their lives. In the process, the young females are expected to drop ambitions in their lives, including education, so that they can raise funds to sustain their families. For instance, in the film, Latika is a young girl who undergoes training to become a sex dancer and a prostitute. The director goes ahead to label Latika as a prize, and this illustrates an instance of reductionism. Latika is reduced and well-defined by her body. In the film, a man describes the situation claiming, “Have you any idea how much this little virgin is worth?” The Slumdog Millionaire film reveals how the women are outlined as poor victims in the male suppressed society. Women who work as sex workers are treated as objects that are possessed by men. It is wrong how men perceive women as items of pleasure and ones who are supposed to entertain them.
In most Indian films, women are given the traditional role of a mother, and this is restated throughout the film. Women are expected to fulfill the domestic responsibilities as mothers. The feminine roles are given to establish the gender differences within the society. The women are expected to uphold their traditional values. Thus, they are allocated subordinate roles. Women symbolize the community, and they maintain the community values. On the other hand, men are given the patriarchal roles, and they appear to control women in the relationship and the society at large.
It has been alleged that members of the community have a socially constructed view of reality. According to Das, Hari, and Mallika Das (63), “ the existing institutionalization, current patterns of interactions, rituals and prevailing beliefs tend to justify and explain why things are done the way they are.” After a period of time, people take on specific norms as their own. In the process, the prevailing values are reinforced, and the social transformation is made difficult. People align themselves in terms of gender expectations within the society. Gendered roles within the society determine the self-expression between individuals and how behaviors of others are interpreted. As a result, people behavior in accordance to the expected and accepted standards within the society.
Undoubtedly, Media is a key agent of cultural transformation. The numerous channels of visual as well as mass print media play a significant role towards establishing a media-savvy society, for instance, India (Das, Hari, and Mallika Das 63). It has been asserted that mass media and literature, “influence early childhood socialization by providing opportunities for role modeling and information seeking outside family and school” (Das, Hari, and Mallika Das 64). Furthermore, the myth of womanhood arranges for unanticipated insights concerning women. Through mass media, the occupational aspirations are shaped by what is seen suitable for males and females. As a matter of fact, the cultural norms within the Indian culture and the universe at large are shaped and influenced by various visual channels. The Hindi films remain at the center stage of establishing the socially construed view of reality.
Previous research has established that the tendency of media to depict gender roles in an essentialist manner have worked to the disadvantage of women. Since time immemorial, Hindi films have attributed the success of women to male mentors as well as supportive husbands. On the other hand, while a man succeeds, he is personally accredited for the success. Apart from the films, women are also depicted differently in advertisements. For example, women are portrayed as dependent and in need of protection of men. Besides, it is rare for women to make important decisions on their own without consultation. Furthermore, women are given the role of homemakers, and they take charge of the home settings always. It is absurd that the male-dominated society perceives women as sexual objects. The gendered stereotypes are still strong despite the test of time, and nothing seems to change.
In Bollywood, women are wronged or revered. For instance, they are situations where dark-skinned women are mistreated by men. In most situations, they are forcibly married, and men decide whether or not to engage with other women in sexual affairs. The worst problems in Hindi films is not treating women as sexual objects but as mindless objects. Over the past, the traditional roles and women in India had been applied in assigning roles to characters in films and movies. The problem with this notion is that it has propelled destructive stereotypes about women in the society. As a result, the women directors, as well as actresses, are developing sensitiveness and becoming vociferous so they can condemn this practice.
As long as we can remember, Hindi films have fabricated the image of an Indian woman as fixed stereotypes. For example, women are expected to remain innocent and get married. In addition, mothers are expected to remain humble and understands situations where they undergo suffering. Also, when a woman sins, the society expect her to repent so that she can be forgiven. Women are also not supposed to carry grudges when wronged. These images illustrate how women are weak, expected to uphold the values and virtues of a mother, as well as shun violence.
Indian films have had a peculiar dichotomy for an extended period of time. First, some films symbolize a woman as a universal mother, and a goddess. On the contrary, some films represent a woman as a temptress, and capable of shifting the focus of men to achieve their ambitions. In other words, these women are destructive and uses beauty to disrupt the desire of men to succeed in life. The scenarios described illustrates the traditional dichotomy.
In Indian cinema, mostly, the ideal women is perceived to be submissive, humble, steadfast, and concerned with the affairs of the family. Within the Indian society, the roles of women in the society have transformed from temptresses to antiheroes. For heroines, they have the power to engage in drinking alcohol or even smoking like their fellow men. But after they are married, they are expected or forced to change their way of life so that they can become housewives. In the end, the women behave according to the norms and expectations of the society.
There are Indian films that demonstrate the changing image of the female component in the Bollywood. Since ancient times, the Indian cinema concentrated on mythological stories and outstanding epics to indicate the role of women in the society. During the 1950s and late 1970s, the golden era of Bollywood films occurred. This period earmarked the portrayal of a rural India that has vibrant traditions. The Indian cinema showcased the customs, relationships, ethics, and norms of Indian Society. Examples of popular films that Indians could associate their lives with include Padosan, Half Ticket, Pakeezah, and Mother India amongst others. In this golden era, some films remained exceptional as they introduced a new perspective of the Indian women in Bollywood films. We can all agree that some films gave women important roles as a high sense of responsibility. Like male actors, filmmakers started to assign women with equally dominant roles in Hindi films.
Mother India film, produced by Mehboob in 1957 is a spectacular film that makes efforts to combine traditional values and socialistic ideals. Radha is the protagonist and is married to Shamoo. After struggling with finances to sustain the family, Radha’s husband runs away and leaves the wife to take care of the family on her own. Radha faces misfortunes as two of four sons dies in a flood. Because of the lack of ability to adapt to this helpless situations, Sukhilala takes advantage and offer food to Radha in return for sexual favors. At the start, Radha is not interested in such favors, but it becomes difficult for her to resist over time. She decides to sleep with Sukhilala to save her starving children. When she heads to Sukhilala residence, she receives a divine signal that her eloped husband was still alive and within no time, she is instilled with hope and changes her mind.
Compared to other films, it is unimaginable that the society allows Radha to inaugurate a new canal constructed in her village. Most interestingly, the men who attend the function are dressed in Gandhi caps and calls Radha the mother of the village. The men oppose any ideas that suggest that Radha should not inaugurate the function. In the opening of the film, the filmmaker depicts Radha as a survivor and one who is capable of providing effective leadership in the new era of prosperity and development. The title of the film “Mother India” also focuses on raising consciousness within the society concerning the value of women.
In Mother India film, Radha is represented as an ideal wife and a caring daughter-in-law. Her strong love towards her husband is said to be divine. The protagonist is highly responsible and uses her brains to the best ways. For those women who watches this cinema, they are expected to follow the aspiration and be like Radha. On the other hand, men are also anticipated to look at Radha and identify her as a wife and loving mother. The film emphasizes on the new roles to shun the perception in other films that women are only expected to perform submissive roles and remain under the image of men. The film also requires men to value and respect women and at the same time treat them as their equals. It is saddening how the gendered stereotypes in the Indian society aimed at victimizing the space of women within the society.
Mother India film aimed at going against the perception that Indian tradition and customs were not good for the Hindu fraternity. The film demonstrated that Indians were not weak, they had the ability to rule themselves and improve the state of their economy (Quinn 294). The film director charged the role of the subjugated Indian woman to a more positive and responsible one. From other films, women had been portrayed as sexually subservient to men, and they were forced to subscribe to the social patterns that allowed men to dominate and make a decision at all times. According to Quinn (294), the women in India were exposed to significant challenges like early marriages, lack of education, prostitution, vulnerable diseases, and burden of giving birth too many children. The film addressed the plight of women and wanted to change the perceptions within the society.
Mother India is an example of a film that demonstrates the Aspect of Nehruvian. First, it was produced ten years after the attainment of independence in India. The insertion of Nehruvian aspects can be well demonstrated by the aspirations of the filmmaker to include the democratic and socialist vision inside the film. The protagonist, Radha, illuminates the socialist bent by demonstrating the capability of women to socially progress. Nehru initiated the socialist experiment in the earlier years. The director of Mother India film, Mehboob, integrates society accepted values, with the socialistic ideals similar to those of Nehru.
It is absolutely true to conclude that Indian films reflect the demographic and cultural diversity in India. The masses have always identified the Indian society with the practices demonstrated in Bollywood films. On the contrary, there are experts who believe that these films illustrate viewers’ desired version of reality. These films influence people and the society. For instance, women are expected to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the man they love. They are not supposed to complain even when the man is on the wrong side. The love between couples is put into test although, in most times, the man becomes a hero and saves the women so that they can enjoy an everlasting love together. Such instances are meant to depict men as superior beings and ones that guarantee protection to women and children in the Indian society.
Indian cinema are a true transformation of the Indian society. They depict the hierarchical structure of the family and society. Although the Caste system was abolished to eliminate this patriarchal system, the gender-based discrimination associated with it still prevalent in the society. The advancement in education and economic progress from the 1990s has created a more open and tolerant society, but barriers created by the gender stereotypes are still affecting the manner at which people relate. It has been said that Indian films certainly reflects the happenings within the society. They proceed further to demonstrate the desires, hopes, values, and traditions in the society. But it can be said the Hindi films do not reflect the dreams of individuals in the society. Indian films reflect the society but not the dreams and inspirations of people.
The popular films in India depict women in stereotypical roles of subordination. Ghadially (171) asserts that women are forced to accept the sexual violence that is subjected to them by men. Moreover, Indian cinemas proceed further to glorify the abuse of women by men. The sexually violent portrayal of Indian women is manifested in most films, and this is not a good thing. Violence and sexuality are intertwined throughout the cinemas and applied to define romance. It can be said that these Indian films portray the beliefs that force and physical aggression were genuine measures of expressing romantic love. Thus, “sexual violence was not only normal but also expected in romantic relationships between heroes and heroines” (Ghadially 171). The extremely violent portrayals can influence members of the society to engage in acts of sexual crimes because violence is seen as a normal thing.
The elucidation above illustrates how women in Indian cinema were represented in the society. Since the beginning of Indian films, women has been subjected to victimization, discrimination, and oppression. It has been established that the male-dominated society has always protected themselves from competition from women and have used this to undermine the role of women in the society. It is ironical that the society expects women to carry on even in situations where they are forced to engage in activities that doesn’t excite them. Women are treated as sexual objects and are expected to perform their submissive roles without complaints. The best thing is that this notion of undermining women is slowly fading with time. Filmmakers have started to produce films that depicts a strong women who remains inspiration and not undermined by the male fraternity in any way.
Work cited
Das, Hari, and Mallika Das. "Gender stereotyping in contemporary Indian magazine fiction." Asian Studies Review 33.1 (2009): 63-82.
Quinn, Edward. Critical Companion to George Orwell: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. Infobase Publishing, 2014.
Ghadially, Rehana, ed. Urban women in contemporary India: a reader. Sage, 2007.
