The Bollywood industry is one of the largest industries in India and the films that are produced there, are widely viewed in all parts of the world (Sidhu). However, even though the Bollywood industry has become more popular and branched out to appeal to audiences outside of India, it (has brought with it some problems as well.) is also problematic. It is problematic because there is a vast divide in the a lack of representation of queer women and female sexuality in Bollywood cinema. (,) In comparison to the representation of gay men in Bollywood cinema, there is a vast divide. This divide can be seen to by demonstrateing how and why male sexuality is more accepted in Bollywood cinema than is female sexuality. In arguing these points (,) I will compare and contrast on films that showcase lesbianism to films that showcase ‘gay men’. These films include, Girlfriend and Dostana, however and I will also make reference(s) to the film Fire(,) due to its depiction of female sexuality. I will then go further to demonstrate that this divide, in Bollywood cinema, is a result of historical factors that have placed women and men into strict gender roles.
Films that depict female sexuality are rarely seen in Indian cinema and those that do, appear only to suit what the audience wants. When a film such as Girlfriends, is compared to another Bollywood film such as Dostana, one is able to see how different and unique each film is. In terms of how they portray female and male sexuality, stereotypical behavior of queerness, and with examining how they did in the box office, one is able to see how audiences’ views differed depending on what gender’s sexuality is being depicted (lesbianism or gay men).
Girlfriend was a film released in 2004 and di...
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...e films that depict lesbianism.
References:
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Das, Surjyakiran. “Girlfriend – movie review by Surjyakirna Das”. Planet Bollywood. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
Dostana. Dir. Tarun Mansukhani. India, 2008. Film.
Fashion. Dir. Mahdur Bhandarkar. India, 2008. Film.
Girlfriend. Dir. Pammi Baweja. India, 2004. Film
Honeymoon Travels. Dir. Reema Kagti. India, 2007. Film.
I Am. Dir. Tom Shadyac. India, 2010. Film.
Mukherjee, Prabhati. Hindu Women: Normative Models. Calcutta: Oriented Longman Limited, 1978.
Sidhu, SJ. “Where are all the queer women in Bollywood?” The Aerogram. N.p., 30 Aug. 2013. Web 28 Nov. 2013.
Smith, Nicole. “Subordination, Equality and Gender in India”. Article Myriad. N.p., 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
In Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Mulvey states that, “Traditionally, the woman displayed has functioned on two levels: as erotic object for the characters within the screen story, and as erotic object for the spectator within the auditorium, with a shifting tension between the looks on either side of the screen.” (Mulvey 40). A woman’s role in the narrative is bound to her sexuality or the way she
Kraus, Carolyn. "Screening the borderland: transsexualism as cinematic metaphor." CineAction 78 (2009): 17+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 5 Oct. 2011
Riseman, Barbara. “Gender as a Social Structure: Theory Wrestling with Activism.” Multicultural Film: An Anthology. Spring/Summer 2014. Eds. Kathryn Karrh Cashin and Lauren Martilli. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2013.
While still acting within a male paradigm, given the film’s director is a man, Departures still manages to give its female characters the space and time necessary to create depth and a strong, essential narrative. While the film does the work of deconstructing the bias against women in film, the view is left to absorb these characters and appreciate them as the strong figures they are without reducing them to or denying them of their womanhood. This turn towards modern feminism represents a trend of post-war Japanese film towards globalization and anticipating the role of international film festivals in the films demographic. While Takita sets up the film against the universally accessible themes of death, honor and questions of womanhood, he also teases the specifics out with predominantly Japanese cultural references. The end product is a film that resonates with everyone, but rings particularly true to Japanese culture, while nodding its head to the changing nature of Japanese womanhood and all that
The “lotus blossom” stereotype is an Asian American female stereotype that portrays them as feminine, submissive, and desirable romantic interests for the white male protagonist (Tajima 309). Although the stereotype is the production of films fetishizing the “traditional Orient” culture, the stere...
Film scholar and gender theorist Linda Williams begins her article “Film Bodies: Genre, Gender and Excess,” with an anecdote about a dispute between herself and her son, regarding what is considered “gross,” (727) in films. It is this anecdote that invites her readers to understand the motivations and implications of films that fall under the category of “body” genre, namely, horror films, melodramas, (henceforth referred to as “weepies”) and pornography. Williams explains that, in regards to excess, the constant attempts at “determining where to draw the line,” (727) has inspired her and other theorists alike to question the inspirations, motivations, and implications of these “body genre” films. After her own research and consideration, Williams explains that she believes there is “value in thinking about the form, function, and system of seemingly gratuitous excesses in these three genres,” (728) and she will attempt to prove that these films are excessive on purpose, in order to inspire a collective physical effect on the audience that cannot be experienced when watching other genres.
Led by Laura Mulvey, feminist film critics have discussed the difficulty presented to female spectators by the controlling male gaze and narrative generally found in mainstream film, creating for female spectators a position that forces them into limited choices: "bisexual" identification with active male characters; identification with the passive, often victimized, female characters; or on occasion, identification with a "masculinized" active female character, who is generally punished for her unhealthy behavior. Before discussing recent improvements, it is important to note that a group of Classic Hollywood films regularly offered female spectators positive, female characters who were active in controlling narrative, gazing and desiring: the screwball comedy.
For the purpose of this study, I will critically examine the representation of homosexuality in Hollywood cinema. I will specifically analyse films from the early 90’s to mid 2000’s from ‘Philadelphia’ to ‘Brokeback Mountain’. This dissertation will argue that over the space of 12 years homosexuality has become an acceptable part of cinema. I will look at early Hollywood’s representation of homosexuality depicting how aesthetically so much has changed. The current paper will predominantly focus on the two films ‘Philadelphia’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain’, by critically analysing the aesthetic differences between each film as well as their overall importance to gay culture.
...s often the stubborn majority, as it is difficult to simply change a characteristic so widely embedded in the framework of cinema. Therefore, it is not my objective to say that all movies must pass the radical Bechdel test or include the presence of a strong, independent female character; rather, we as a society must recognize that we are inherently biased in the topic of gender and must make an effort to exhibit a more conscientious and sympathetic portrayal of women in cinematic media. The simplest resolution can begin with clothing, where an audience’s viewing is not diverted by the lack of clothing from either male or female characters. The task of reinventing cinema is to reinvent a century of subconscious thinking, and only by taking one step at a time can both men and women watch a movie where all characters, both male and female, can be represented equally.
This essay explains the journey of Bollywood (Indian Film Industry) and how it has changed itself and its audience’s perspective on Hindi Cinema. Applying the key features from Dennis McQuail’s “Normative Theory”, the relationship between Bollywood and the audience, controlled by the censorship board will be explained; and how both, the Bollywood industry and Censor Board are responsible for bringing changes to each other in the terms of rules, regulations, audience’s attitudes and their demands, in every period of time. According to McQuail (2010), a normative theory is adopted to clear the confusion prevailing in the information industry, that has become self-centred in modern days; and also to examine if the information created is to serve own self or the government. There have been endless debates by the contrasting individual ideas on how the media should be controlled from displaying unethical contents, and normative theory helps in guiding the individuals (theorists, writers, society and general public) to produce suggestions and ideas that media should follow, for the benefit of society and media (McQuail, 2010). The Indian Film Industry was established in 1913 but began to be known in 1920 (Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, 2010). Bollywood, since then, was and is still controlled by the censor board, however the censor board went through a few transformations, from being independently owned by police heads of every region, to Bombay Board of Film Censors, and finally to the Central Board of Film Censors in 1952 (Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, 2010). Cinema rules were reedited in 1983 and the censor board was re-named to the Central board of Film Certification (Indian Ministr...
Women’s roles in movies have changed dramatically throughout the years. As a result of the changing societal norms, women have experienced more transition in their roles than any other class. During the period of classical Hollywood cinema, both society and the film industry preached that women should be dependent on men and remain in home in order to guarantee stability in the community and the family. Women did not have predominated roles in movies such as being the heroin. The 1940’s film Gilda wasn’t an exception. In Gilda, the female character mainly had two different stereotypes. The female character was first stereotyped as a sex object and the second stereotyped as a scorned woman who has to be punished.
an also kept very private. Since feminists and adult film has come together over the past couple of years , many adults films has not been the same. Feminist bring a middle ground of the fantasy world and some social problems together. They bring about ways that stop inequality , from the color of your skins to your sexual orientation. Society see adult films as woman being degraded , but feminist see it as woman being empowered and coming in tune with one self. So in this paper we will discuss how many people see adult films as a social problem and others question why should it be a social problem.
Madison, D. Soyini. "Pretty Woman Through the Triple Lens of Black Feminist Spectatorship." From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture. Indianapolis: Indiana UP, 1995. 224-35. Print.
Over the years, Bollywood has emerged as its own distinct identity in the global Film industry. Bollywood is the global leader in production of movies with a staggering 27,000 featured films and thousands of short films. ( Pillania 1) However, Hollywood is still the leader in revenues generated. Due to the growth of the Indian market and globalization, Bollywood has made its way to the international markets. Globalization is often misrepresented as the growing influence of the western culture in the world and so we tend to state that Hollywood is influencing Bollywood to a great extent. An argument can be made to justify the validity of that statement. However, this paper aims at presenting the influence of Bollywood on Hollywood in terms of music, dance and visual representation. This papers deals with a specific part of globalization, providing evidence that it
Naisargi Dave’s paper on Queer Politics in Cotemporary India focuses on the importance that activism and agency has on the power and influence that the LGBTQ community has in India. Overall, the paper attempted to illustrate