How are women projected in the Indian films?

We have witnessed the history of Indian films and seen the phase where women have been portrayed as strong, fierce characters to places where they were seen on the screen just for beautification. They were shown on the camera to decorate the screen and make everything look picturesque in their position. But it is true that the films where they were portrayed as strong or independent women are very little in comparison to the prior case. Here we discuss the different types of roles that women have played in Indian films:

• Political Roles: There have been movies where women have played strong political roles that contrasted the way women were actually seen. These roles meant strength and independence in their own fields and also were different from the basic frames that were shown for women. But they were strictly political since they didn’t mix with the glamorous or stylish or the objectifying nature of the cinema.

• Man’s World: How can a woman act strong when it is a man’s world? That is somewhat the exact representation of women in Indian films for a very long time now. The mediocre lives are shown where they are portrayed as objects for sexual pleasure or someone who is there just to work for a man’s happiness and how he says. The men dominated the world as well as the screen by being the superior characters. The women portrayed a character very inferior to the men with no voice whatsoever to speak above or against their rules. Everything showed was from a man’s point of view.

• Glamourless: Now after these roles, women also portrayed roles that did not need any glamour. They were the major characters in the movie and they easily replaced the need of a hero. They either portrayed strong mothers, workers or even someone who contributed herself to the world. They have been the heroines to shine after playing roles that made them the icons that stood out from the generalized They even managed to bag out some very negative roles in terms of what the audience was used to witnessing.

The harsh reality is the objectification faced by the women and that is not entirely industry’s fault but also the audience enjoyed it. So, the times are changing and so is the content and it is just matter of time when women would be portrayed for much better roles!