Does Bollywood have a women Problem?
Shafik Mandhai and Vibhav Gautam raise pertinent concerns in this Al-Jazeera article about the problematic culture that has been propagated on the big screen. This has several implications, primarily the normalization of eve-teasing and other such practices under the guise of romantic gestures. I seek to reflect my thoughts on this in this final summary.
Prima facie, there appears to be a sheer misuse of societal privilege and positionality by the people behind the camera. A lot goes on into producing a film. This includes script writing, production, nuances in acting, etc. I understand people who are part of the film crew to be relatively more privileged and aware of their positionality. On the other hand, the audiences that consume these films cannot be understood to be equally, if more privileged. This has disproportionate impact on the working class, who may view films as a medium of catharsis from the struggles of their daily lives. Such people are liable to be misled easily, which highlights the sheer irresponsibility on the part of people in the film industry.
Another aspect that emerged is with reference to 'Pink' as an example of a film that represents women in a progressive manner. I argue that this understanding is a hasty one, as it still carries undertones of subverting female agency. Ofcourse, the lack of objectifying scenes and frills is a positive outcome, yet it is undeniable that so much more that can be done. Amitabh Bachan as a male comes to the rescue of the three girls who are helpless, facing alienation from society. This in my opinion subtly portrays the male as the eventual saviour, which again reflects a deeper problem in terms of writing films. The need for representation in films for the role of protagonists is important, so as to reach out to society and sensitize them about how capability is not defined by a person's gender.
Shafik Mandhai and Vibhav Gautam raise pertinent concerns in this Al-Jazeera article about the problematic culture that has been propagated on the big screen. This has several implications, primarily the normalization of eve-teasing and other such practices under the guise of romantic gestures. I seek to reflect my thoughts on this in this final summary.
Prima facie, there appears to be a sheer misuse of societal privilege and positionality by the people behind the camera. A lot goes on into producing a film. This includes script writing, production, nuances in acting, etc. I understand people who are part of the film crew to be relatively more privileged and aware of their positionality. On the other hand, the audiences that consume these films cannot be understood to be equally, if more privileged. This has disproportionate impact on the working class, who may view films as a medium of catharsis from the struggles of their daily lives. Such people are liable to be misled easily, which highlights the sheer irresponsibility on the part of people in the film industry.
Another aspect that emerged is with reference to 'Pink' as an example of a film that represents women in a progressive manner. I argue that this understanding is a hasty one, as it still carries undertones of subverting female agency. Ofcourse, the lack of objectifying scenes and frills is a positive outcome, yet it is undeniable that so much more that can be done. Amitabh Bachan as a male comes to the rescue of the three girls who are helpless, facing alienation from society. This in my opinion subtly portrays the male as the eventual saviour, which again reflects a deeper problem in terms of writing films. The need for representation in films for the role of protagonists is important, so as to reach out to society and sensitize them about how capability is not defined by a person's gender.
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