Deveshi Chand Week 12

Gender Policing in Mainstream Bollywood Cinema: A Decade of Central Female Characters in Top-Grossing Bollywood Movies by Subuhi Khan and Laramie D. Taylor covers the stereotypical characters played by the central female characters (CFC) of mainstream Bollywood films and their impact on the social roles of females and gender norms associated with women in society. The characters are always shown to be damsels in distress, or devoted family women who find happiness by keeping those around them happy, while being sensitive, emotional and compromising. They dress like the 'good Indian female' are shown to be polite and reserved, while having the touch of felinity required. The article talks about the repercussions of portraying such roles on the society at large, for this confirms gender norms and increases gender role expectations from women, while also analysing the shaming and criticism female characters on screen face if they are shown to deviate from this clear image of how an Indian woman should be.
Even in new age films, where there is deviation from the age old patriarchal norm of how honourable women should be, the CFC does not completely ridicule these norms. There is a cautious display of how much freedom a woman can enjoy and this reflects further in the mindsets of the people.