Bollywood and Women: A Journey of Women From Mother India to Lipstick Under My Burkha

Changing Dimensions of Women Characters in Bollywood  

Movies of Bollywood have always contributed to understand a vast variety of social issues surrounding the Indian society, which is dominantly patriarchal in nature and practice. According to Deepa Mehta, an acclaimed film director, female characters are being written by men and they are very stereotypical. 

The projection of female characters in Bollywood movies has been looked upon with a critical glass of patriarchal norms and believes. However, Bollywood has never lagged behind in the contribution to understand the feminist issues in India.   

 

" Does art reflect life? In movies, yes. Because more than any other art form, films have been a mirror help up to society's porous face."    - Marjorie Rosen 

Bollywood films have shown Indian women in different roles of mother, wife, sister and friend etc. But these films have either focused on the female characters in either highly idealistic figures or as villains. On the one side, the women have been appreciated for her sacrifice in her traditional roles like the movies Mother India or they have been rejected altogether as villains if they do not fulfil the standard parameters of patriarchal society, like the movies of Lalita Pawar or Bindu. However, Bollywood through its movies is constantly trying to break the established norms of society and traditionally accepted roles for a female, like The Guide, Aawaara, Shree 420, Fire, Water or Fashion etc. 

Bollywood through its movies is constantly trying to break the established norms of society and traditionally accepted roles for a female, like The Guide, Aawaara, Shree 420, Fire, Water or Fashion etc. 

Women characters have evolved a lot in the Bollywood movies so in the society. An image of a social, simple wife in Ghar ho to Aisa, Biwi ho to Aishi, Ghar Sansaar, we see a parallel construction of a working woman image like heroine in the movie Rajnigandha, Yeh Kaisa Insaaf and Dooriyan etc. However, these characters choose to work either because of financial problem in the house or they are from a middle-class family and they need to support their family to survive economically.

After 1980s, we could clearly perceive a transition in the roles of women characters in the Bollywood films and moreover, we see some of films stories centered on female or written with the female characters point of view. Some of the very famous movies of Bollywood have heroines in the center like Hema Malini, Rekha, Deepti Naval, Shabana Aazmi, Jaya Bachchan, Smita Patil and Sridevi etc.

In their movies, we see the female character fighting for their emergence and also fighting against the mechanism of patriarchal male figures to find their own roots.

In the movie Subah  (1981), for the first time in the history of Bollywood cinema, we witness a woman who chose to work for her wishes instead of choosing to work to fulfil the family needs or any other economical pressure.

Then starts another phase of Bollywood cinema where female characters have learned to rebel against the traditional roles and have taken the charge of their lives into their own hands. Movies picturing Meenakshi Seshadri (Damini), Madhuri Dikshit (Mritudandand Anjaam), Sridevi (Army) etc.

With the rebellious roles of women in films as heroines, women have also started interfering into the male dominated roles of director, writer and producer and took up these roles very seriously. In this series movies like Fire and Water, produced by Deepa Mehta have its own importance, and does the director. Though, we have other important women directors like Farah Khan, Zoya Akhtar, Nandita Das, Meera Nair, Aparna Sen, Meghna Gulzar and Kiran Rao etc.

Recent years with the movies like: Thappad, Queen, Chhapaak, Highway, Saand Ki Aankh, Raazi and Rashbhari etc.,  have seen a totally transformed women in the movies of Bollywood. These movies have females protagonists, who are hitting upon the patriarchy directly and seek their individuality. They are getting prepared mentally to leave toxic relations and masculine obligations in the search of their own identity and their own piece of sky.

They are getting prepared mentally to leave toxic relations and masculine obligations in the search of their own identity and their own piece of sky.

However, most of the movies are still written with the male characters as protagonist as they attract more audience than the female centered movies, and directors are looking for the commercial success. Yet, this small change is positive and promising for a brighter side of cinema and we can hope for more female centered movies from Bollywood in the future.

  

Image Source: all picture taken from Google

Blog by: Manju Yadav "Mann"

I am a multilingual poet and translator. I like to write about women in all fields of life and reflect on their challenges in this constantly changing and demanding situations of society. I would love to listen your feedback or any suggestions. 

Thank you so much!💗

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