Women in Indian Cinema

 

Women in Indian Cinema

Cinema is a medium that captures and mirrors the social, economic and political mood of the country at any given point of time. It is no surprise hence, that female characters in movies have also changed over time. From the anguished mother waiting for her sons, the damsel in distress whose only role is to get rescued by the hero to films being spearheaded by strong women roles, displaying the contemporary societal mindset towards a portrayal of women empowerment, women as figures who can literally do everything. This is of course, far easier said than done. However, with the amount of impressionable youth flocking to movie theatres and OTT platforms for the consumption of entertainment, it is a tiny step towards a much bigger change that needs to happen.

 

            From the 2000s, the power dynamic started to shift noticeably, women wanted things, their dreams were bigger, they were ambitious, competitive. This has also been attributed to the inclusion of more women in the process itself – and their viewpoints and the issues they face in life being brought to the fore. 2012 was when English Vinglish was released, proclaiming to the world that there is no age limit to learning, especially for Indian women, stereotyped often as less intelligent than their male counterparts, hence making them unsuitable to step out for jobs. Same is the case for Shashi Godbole, played by Sridevi, who enrolls in a conversational English learning course in London itself, following an incident with a rude waitress. She is committed to her goal and at the wedding that she was supposed to attend, makes a speech, completely in English, earning her certificate as well as the respect of her husband and daughter, who lament for having treated her with disrespect. Shashi not only surprises her family with her English, who only knew her as a timid home-maker but also shows her wisdom, using money from selling laddoos to pay for the course fees. Thus, she breaks down a lot of the cerebral cages that women had been locked in.

       

     Mardaani with Rani Mukherji in the leading role was a pathbreaker and opened eyes for many who thought that women were unsuitable for work that required violence. Mardaani 2 further brought out the issues that women have to be aware and afraid of in their day-to-day lives. The only fault of the women that Sunny chose to kill was that they were confident women, not afraid to voice their opinions, and that made them targets of brutal rape and murder. Shivani, Rani’s character, the Superintendent of Police, Kota, tries to bring justice to Latika, and prevent further murders but the public judgment of her failure comes too quick and she is to be removed from Kota in two days. She, however, succeeds in cracking the case. Mardaani, as the name suggests, is a movie where sexual violence is not glorified but shown as what it is, a tool for the male antagonist to satisfy his desire of putting women in their rightful place according to patriarchal norms. The name of the movie itself seems to imply that women have to masculine to be empowered, however it saves itself by making its women characters what they are – not some larger-than-life figures, normal women, who choose to be bold, courageous. It sends out the strong message that ignorance isn’t bliss, it is essentially, fuelling the fire.

            In 2015, came Piku, breathing fresh air into what the caricature of the modern woman was supposed to be. Piku, played by Deepika Padukone, is an independent woman, literally. She knows what she needs, running an architecture firm that she herself built from scratch and her business partner also caters to her emotional and sexual needs. It is also a story of a woman who does not need a man to ‘support’ her in any form – she takes care of her father’s needs herself and makes it clear that whoever marries her also has to include her father in their lives. Cue the entry of Rana Chaudhary, the owner of a taxi business. She argues with him incessantly, but what is so realistic is that it is not a fairy tale love story of the prince saving the princess or an enemies to lovers trope – Piku remains grounded, making the bigger decisions of her life – about marriage, herself. It is also refreshing to finally see a woman who breaks the stereotypical norms of the virgin, innocent woman waiting for her father to approve of her match.

            Thus, from the above instances, it can be seen how women are being increasingly being depicted as individuals with minds and desires of their own instead of just a being for furthering of the plot. Though objectification of women’s bodies still exists with unrealistic standards being set just for a woman to be called ‘beautiful’, more focus is being put on how everyday women can be extraordinary, how all women are heroes in their own lives. Little things go a long way in making changes and hopefully this is just the beginning.  

 

 

Madhurita Mahato,

Content Head.