Bollywood’s Feminist Revolution: A Study of the Emerging Trends and Themes in the Portrayal of Women in Indian Cinema

Abstract

Women’s perception of themselves in today’s modern world has been profoundly affected by the media and has played an important role in modernizing societies. Previously men were considered to be the breadwinners in most societies, while women would be the homemakers. Indian cinema has witnessed a significant transformation in the portrayal of women in its films in recent decades. Modern films depict women as increasingly autonomous, confident, and driven by their professional aspirations. India is characterized by a highly patriarchal society, and this has been especially true for women. In contemporary movies, gender representation has rapidly changed in Bollywood impacting patriarchal Indian culture where the depiction of women breaking out of conventional roles and proving themselves creating new benchmarks. This study analyzes four women-centric Bollywood movies namely Saand Ki Aankh, Queen, Mimi and Gangubai Kathiawadi concentrating on the evolving patterns of how female characters are portrayed in movies. This study aims to assess the depiction of female gaze using a triangulation of both quantitative and visual content analysis methods discussing the shift in paradigm and portrayal of women as self-reliant, motivated, and career-oriented protagonists.