Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to access exclusive content and expert insights.

subscribe now subscribe cover image
Sreemanti Sengupta profile imageSreemanti Sengupta

With a steady increase in women-oriented content in cinema, has greater representation managed to change stereotypical portraits of women on the silver screen?

Are women still given a second-tier status in Bollywood films?

With a steady increase in women-oriented content in cinema, has greater representation managed to change stereotypical portraits of women on the silver screen?

Bollywood is evolving and how. From the 1970s’ gun-slinging, hip-flask alcoholics coming home to despairing mothers and anxious girlfriends to today’s portrayal of women speaking out against a single slap, there has been a sea change as far as the portrayal of women is concerned. The subject has gained further relevance after Shah Rukh Khan, one of India’s biggest film stars, described his latest release, Jawan, as “a film about women made for men.” It subsequently went on to be a blockbuster.

However, the film’s posters tell a different story. With the exception of the sole one highlighting actor Nayanthara, they predominantly feature Khan, even though the film has a strong line-up of female actors: Nayanthara, Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra, and Deepika Padukone in a cameo role. It’s a Shah Rukh Khan film after all!

Such skewed occurrences in films positioned as “women-oriented” are not uncommon. A look at two studies on Bollywood conducted five years apart reveals that progress has been quite slow. It throws light on the fact that misrepresentation, or misleading portrayal of gender roles, is not merely a subject of academic debate but does have an impact on society. 

Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani (2012) placed Vidya Balan in the lead. Image: IMDB

Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani (2012) placed Vidya Balan in the lead. Image: IMDB

Balan also starred in The Dirty Picture (2011) that was based on the life of Silk Smitha, a yesteryear film actor in South India. Image: Rotten Tomatoes

Balan also starred in The Dirty Picture (2011) that was based on the life of Silk Smitha, a yesteryear film actor in South India. Image: Rotten Tomatoes

A slow transformation

“Notions on gender and sexuality are often constructed through the viewing of films,” stated the anti-inequality platform Oxfam India’s 2018 study, titled Indian Cinema and Young Viewers’ Responses to Gender and Violence against Women. It further mentions that most young men they interviewed considered gender roles depicted in films as “realistic and informative.” On the other hand, “The objectified image of a woman on (the) screen deeply influences young girls and women.”

A study conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) released earlier this year reveals how women’s portrayal in cinema continued to be disturbing. They continue to be shown in Western attire while romancing and in Indian attire when interacting with the male romantic partner’s family; they continue to use non-verbal cues to give sexual consent; and continue to be fair and slim. 

The performance of The Dirty Picture (2011)—which grossed ₹117 crore at the box office and earned its lead actor Vidya Balan a National Award that year—proved to be a watershed moment in the HIndi film industry. It gave way to other women-oriented clutter-breakers like Kahaani (2012), Queen (2013), NH10 (2015) and English Vinglish (2012) among others. Women scriptwriters, directors, and actors became more visible, and gradually, women-led films claimed box-office successes akin to the conventional male-led dramas. 

Show us the flaws

However, while a section of women-led films continues to be iconoclastic, another section, particularly the clout of women-led biopics like Rashmi Rocket (2021), Saina (2021), Manikarnika (2019), and Shakuntala Devi (2020), continue to have flimsy portraits of women as superhuman characters with no flaws to speak of. 

“Women-centric films do tend to be about staking a claim and a rightful place, as they should be. But we don't see as many stories as we should about the messy woman, the woman with flaws trying to live through difficulties,” says film critic Aditya Shrikrishna, adding that the gaze is slowly changing in Bollywood only in the last ten years, with the number of women writers and directors increasing.

A still from Manikarnika (2019) starring Kangana Ranaut, who played the titular role of Rani Lakshmibai. Image: IMDB

A still from Manikarnika (2019) starring Kangana Ranaut, who played the titular role of Rani Lakshmibai. Image: IMDB

Writer-filmmaker Vinta Nanda—who has written shows like Tara (1993) and Sansaar (2001), and directed films like White Noise (2004)—pointed out that women are increasingly being weaponised and made into larger-than-life heroes, thus blurring the lines between the masculine and the feminine. True equality will be achieved when women are confident and feel safe like men do, while not ‘having’ to be muscular, if that’s not what they desire to be.

“Women are becoming hyper-masculine—if women become like men, how does the world function?” Nanda says, adding that she thinks the debate around feminism is being highly misconstrued in Bollywood in the present time. “Everyone is alike, everyone is a hero, everyone is vengeful, everyone is misogynist, hypermasculine, arrogant, predatory, and everyone is a perpetrator of hate.”

The film industry, however, remains divided on the question of whether making movies is a question of providing people with entertainment or about carrying out a social responsibility, or, perhaps, both.  

Gauri Shinde's English Vinglish (2012) starred Sridevi in the lead, opposite Adil Hussain who played her husband. Image: IMDB

Gauri Shinde's English Vinglish (2012) starred Sridevi in the lead, opposite Adil Hussain who played her husband. Image: IMDB

NH-10 (2015) is a thriller based on real incidents starring Anushka Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam and Deepti Naval. Image: IMDB

NH-10 (2015) is a thriller based on real incidents starring Anushka Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam and Deepti Naval. Image: IMDB

Whose buck is it: Responsibility in films

Pubali Chaudhuri, writer for movies like Rock On! (2008) and Kai Po Che (2013), is of the opinion that labelling films as “women-oriented” only add to the hype around ordinary iterations of masterful films on feminist subjects of the past, both in the art house and mainstream spheres. 

Chaudhuri says that much before Gangubai Kathiawadi’s (2022) extraordinary success, came Shyam Benegal’s Mandi (1983), a nuanced portrayal of life as a prostitute, though Gangubai too carries the legacy beautifully. Before Kangana Ranaut’s character discovers the life of freedom outside marriage in Queen, films like Rajnigandha (1974) were an intimate portrayal of an engaged woman who briefly becomes attracted to her ex-lover. 

“It is not enough to show a policewoman in a khaki uniform—this is not lady justice! It can be a corrupt police officer; women can be easily corrupt, women can lie, they can manipulate. Why do we have to iron out all these wrinkles and show her as a saint?” she asks, adding that films of the past on the same subjects were much more nuanced in their treatment, and every iteration should look back to see if they have taken a step forward from their predecessors.

Alankrita Shrivastava, writer of films like Lipstick Under My Burkha (2017), Dolly, Kitty, Aur Woh Chamaktein Sitarein (2020), disagrees. According to her, films should not be placed under such pressure to pass some sort of test. “It’s not right to judge these films…it’s not a level-playing ground,” she says, arguing that it was first necessary to ensure that women have equal representation on screen and behind it before finding flaws in women-centric content. 

For Shrivastava, both kinds of films were necessary—while the larger-than-life heroes capture the public imagination, nuanced narratives address real issues. 

Konkona Sen Sharma in a still from Alankrita Shrivastava's Dolly, Kitty, Aur Woh Chamaktein Sitarein (2020). Image: IMDB

Konkona Sen Sharma in a still from Alankrita Shrivastava's Dolly, Kitty, Aur Woh Chamaktein Sitarein (2020). Image: IMDB

“Of course, there should be more films that portray women as they are, as they walk the earth or their lived experiences. This is closer to what I like to explore,” she says, citing Piku (2015) and Luck By Chance (2009) as films that truly explore the woman’s character and shies away from the girl-boss feminism that we have become used to. She, though, insists that the first requirement is “to occupy more space in the industry”, which is why no type of women-led content should be discouraged. 

The TISS study pointed out that “greater expression of ‘modern’ identities (was noticed) in women-centric movies compared to box-office topper films.” While women-centric films were changing several stereotypes of Bollywood, their analysis of box office hits showed little change, from what the Oxfam study observed. “Ensuring equity in representation is so much more than mere lip service,” the TISS study concluded. 

Smita Singh, writer of Raat Akeli Hai (2020), said that women filmmakers or screenwriters “should not carry the burden of” focussing on female characters alone. The female gaze is an organic development from one’s lived experiences, and should not be forced upon a writer, she says. 

Raat Akeli Hai had a man at the centre. If I cannot be a woman writing about a man, then what will you say to Yash Chopra defining female beauty, sensuality, and romance for so many decades?” asks Singh.

Shoojit Sircar's Piku (2015) starred Deepika Padukone in the titular role. Image: IMDB

Shoojit Sircar's Piku (2015) starred Deepika Padukone in the titular role. Image: IMDB

The story of Piku revolved around a father-daughter relationship, with the role of the father being essayed by Amitabh Bachchan. Image: IMDB

The story of Piku revolved around a father-daughter relationship, with the role of the father being essayed by Amitabh Bachchan. Image: IMDB

With India seeing more and more OTT releases following a viewership that has gotten used to staying at home during the Coronavirus pandemic, their function in curating content has become pivotal. 

“Films alone can’t change the world. We need education, policies, and infrastructural support to change mindsets and regressive societal frameworks,” says Svetlana Naudiyal, Programming Director, MUBI Asia, adding that their platform, nevertheless, had a focus on nuanced gender portrayal.

“On MUBI, we spotlight the brilliance of women filmmakers from around the world through the ‘Reframing: Women Directors’ series. From feminist icons like Agnes Varda to upcoming talents like Emma Seligman (Shiva Baby, 2020), Martine Syms (The African Desperate, 2022), this collection is a beautiful dive into diverse, nuanced, and empowering stories,” she shares. 

Whether a numerical increase in women-created or women-centric content ultimately leads to a change in societal gaze remains to be seen. “We have spent so much on the male leads—the confident, upper caste, heterosexual and patriarchal hero—and the audience have also been conditioned to pay money to see only that kind of hero. We need to break these norms,” says Shrivastava.

While a part of Bollywood may find itself in the same situation as the falsely deified woman in Satyajit Ray’s iconic Devi (1960), they might, too, be contributing to the bigger picture. Singh points to a promising future, saying films like Queen and Thappad (2020) point towards a future of inclusivity, “They show how women-led films can be looked at as being enjoyable, entertaining, relatable, and have drama and romance at the heart of it.” 

As it stands, women-led films have a long way to go, but are on the right path. To conclude, as Naudiyal says, while movies occupy and influence the public gaze, they cannot be treated as sole harbingers of change. 

Also Read: Indian literature and cinema are no longer diluting their offerings to cater to a global audience

Also Read: Indian cinema’s attempts at capturing the reality of domestic violence

Also Read: How item numbers became a lurid staple of Indian cinema


Subscribe for More

Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to access exclusive content and expert insights.

subscribe now