Jornal de Comunicação de Massa e Jornalismo

The Bollywood’s Way of Reimagining Female Icons and Their Resulting Influence on Gender Imbalance in India

Abstract

Anisha Ray*

India as a country has always savoured the sexist commercial Bollywood palette. Everything served in the form of the classic ‘male gaze’ approved and grand musical format has been contributory in setting definite narratives that influence the mass beyond the screening of the film as well. While cinema is an art form that reciprocates to the mass’s demands and desires, the filmmakers in the country have definitely cashed on it on multiple occasions. From the acceptability of secondary position of female to revolutionary outbreak of pitiful acceptability of women in the mainstream men’s world, Bollywood has always set its tone as per the need of the hour, however at the end of the day it has always been a pawn in the game that largely benefits the culturally induced orthodox views about the gender roles and relationship and its resulting gender imbalance in the society. In the recent times, one such raging phenomenon of sorts has been Bollywood’s new found obsession with biopics on iconic women figures like Rani Laxmi Bai to Shakuntala Devi on rather debatable grounds of credibility. The phenomenon is revolutionary as acclaimed by the Industry but it sticks to the basics of stereotypes when it comes to gender role conventions as the tale as old as time. Although, the Bollywood imposed women liberation movement/portrayal have been quite efficient in revoking a certain cultural shift in the current times amidst too much of first world countries imposed globalization and its resulting sexualisation of a gender against the normalization of another, it has also in the same time deferred to a certain plotline that is quite instrumental in creating a unique perspective about women in general .The deteriorating culture that embraces women’s role as a house maker easily camouflages her achievements on grounds of professionalism and beyond . A women’s success has always been made synonymous with the satisfaction of the phallus and the warmth she extends by virtue of her womb and the resulting maternal instinct. The emotional turmoil proceeds over the need for applaud for hardships endured on grounds that are otherwise and beyond the requirement for a happy four walled home. The following research will try to analyse the co relation between Indian commercial cinemas in the arena of biopics made on women icons in Bollywood and its resulting contribution in setting definitive culturally confined gender roles that are biased on arguable stereotypes by taking into account selective cinematic study for the same.