In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai quantified the stranglehold of patriarchy on Hindi cinema. They analyzed 25 of the biggest box-office hits from 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, and 10 women-centric films between 2012 and 2019. The period was chosen to determine if there were any changes in the narrative following the 2012 gang-rape of a female student on a bus in Delhi, the resulting uproar over the crime, and the introduction of tough new laws to deal with crimes against women.
We continue to gather different views from those who are or were in the field of journalism.
Aparnna Hajirnis – Former entertainment journalist and full time academic. Compulsive watcher of movies and tracks and internet trends.
Bollywood has always been sexist and misogynist. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, every Bollywood film had rape scenes and this continued till the ’90s. There have been scenes where it was shown that a woman has been stalked by her lover. Interestingly most of them were played by none other than Shah Rukh Khan and later that girl falls in love with the guy. This kind of toxicity has always been glorified in Bollywood.
However, recently I have had various conversations with a lot of people and I have realised that the ’90s were probably the strongest era where actresses took the centre stage in Bollywood. These actresses had all kinds of essentials like fashionable attire, expressive acting skills, etc. Hence, they were not always cast for showpiece purposes. Of course, song and dance are a very important part in Bollywood. That is how the world knows Bollywood for. But Sridevi, Tabu, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, Urmila Matondkar, Manisha Koirala, etc., have also played bigger and important roles than the male actors.
But unfortunately, this improvement couldn’t last longer when these actresses got married, decided to raise families and left the vital position in Bollywood. Post 2000, a lot of models, Miss India winners and contestants started becoming actresses. Now these women had a very little experience in acting. Hence they were mostly cast in as an ornament. That time the stories used to revolve mostly around the male leads and actresses barely had 30 minutes of screen presence. Actresses were just cast to play the lover’s role. That’s it.
Sadly, even these days, this trend is still continuing. But I feel that Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma and Sonam Kapoor, to some extent, are trying very hard to change this trend. However, again, when they are cast opposite Salman, Shah Rukh or Aamir, they don’t get much recognition. If actresses have to play any vital role, the makers have to cast Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao, Vicky Kaushal opposite them. So, basically it’s not actually playing the main role or not getting the full limelight, instead, these A-list stars feel like it’s kind of an insult to them (to star in such films). They take it to their ego.
Akash Mirchandani – Independent freelance entertainment journalist and business owner. Addicted to the world of cinema.
Bollywood has a long history of sexism, with male actors dominating the industry and female characters often being portrayed as weak and subservient. This has led to financial consequences, as many films with strong female characters have been box office flops. However, there is a growing movement to challenge this sexism, and some recent films have been successful in breaking this. If Bollywood were to fully embrace gender equality, it is likely that the industry would see a financial boost, as more people would be drawn to films that portray women as strong and independent. Despite this strong perception, actresses try to make changes but box office flops do not help for others to continue the same path.
Item songs are often inserted into Bollywood films with no relevance to the plot.
These songs are typically objectifying and sexualized and they are often used to appeal to male audiences. While most find these songs to be demeaning and unnecessary, the makers stoop to such low levels in order to get better visibility to their films and such songs can bring good box office numbers as they are heavily promoted by music companies.
Sadly, Bollywood will continue to do so as long as there is an audience for them. Ultimately, it is up to us to decide what kind of films we want to see in our film industry.
The question should be reformulated to what will happen if Bollywood stops being sexist? What are the financial consequences on this industry?
Srestha Sarkar – Freelance journalist and film reviewer.
Yes, absolutely sexism has always been there in Bollywood. Look at the songs and vulgar costumes given to the actresses and the female background dancers! It’s totally unnecessary. Sometimes even if there’s no need to put an item song, still the makers do this in almost every film. For example Nora Fatehi “Garmi” song, don’t you think it was unnecessary to make her display like that? This objectification is very prevalent in this industry.
Bollywood is also very stereotypical, although there are several female filmmakers who have tried to break it and show us some strong female characters other than just being an item number or on-screen sexualisation. Just like ‘English Vinglish’ (2012) or ‘Dear Zindagi’ (2016), these films have given us a valuable social message that not to just use women as an ornament only and show the strong, independent and powerful side as well. This definitely needs to change in Bollywood.
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