LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 21:12 December 2021
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Rethinking Women in Contemporary Hindi Cinema

Harpreet Kaur, Research Scholar and Dr. Shweta Gupta, Associate Professor

Abstract

This study throws light upon the portrayal of women in Hindi Cinema. Cinema is one of the most influential and powerful mediums of mass communication and entertainment. Delineation of Women in Cinema has always been a hot subject of debate and discussion. Taking a broad glimpse of Cinema and Women, we see that right from its inception till the present day, women have been an important part of Hindi Cinema. The Contemporary period of Hindi Cinema marked a transition and became an emblem of women empowerment and emancipation. Contemporary Hindi Cinema is celebrating the diversity of women and their multi-faceted role in society.

Keywords: Hindi Cinema, Women, Patriarchy, Feminism.

Introduction

A fusion of several art forms, Cinema has a magnetic hold on the mind of the audience. Cinema has a wider catchment area. Since the introduction of the motion picture, the world of entertainment has undergone a revolution and cinema has really become a global enterprise and reached unprecedented heights. It won’t be wrong to say that the Film is motion, picture, sound, theatre, and school, all packed in one and which is why it can communicate effectively to thousands of viewers. Cinema is really a statement of life and its documentation. The raw material of cinema is life itself. Characters depicted in films represent socio-cultural conditions of society and its political and economic fabric. Khwaja Ahmad Abbas calls Cinema “People’s Art”.

The portrayal of Women in Cinema has always been a hot subject of debate and discussion. As women constitute almost half of the population and hence their correct portrayal of celluloid is very essential for breaking stereotypes that exist in our society. It is very sad to admit that our Indian Society is patriarchal to the very core. Here men are seen as breadwinners and the role of a woman is restricted to being a good homemaker. She is seldom considered as an individual who could play a multi-faceted role in society, but Feminism has contributed a lot towards changing the status of women in society. Feminist Writings of Mary Wollstonecraft, Simone de Beauvoir, J.S Mill, Elaine Showalter, Alice walker, Margaret Atwood, Julia Kristeva, Betty Freidan and many such had a profound impact on society and Hindi Cinema could not remain unaffected by it.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Harpreet Kaur, Research Scholar
harpreetkaur198888@yahoo.com

Dr. Shweta Gupta, Associate Professor
shweta0180@gmail.com

Department of Humanities, Babu Banarasi Das University, Lucknow
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