Women in Cinema: Representation and Reality

We are living in an era where media creates benchmarks that influence major changes in society. With ease and readiness, media is consumed by all sections of the masses in India. Cinematic representations are an important apparatus that can lead to the empowerment of women within the patriarchal order. Women are breaking into the male-dominant field of media and making their mark as more than just mere objects, now showcasing roles as strong female characters on the screen in productions often produced and directed by women. In this chapter, we evaluate how far we have come as a society in understanding and supporting women’s exodus from traditional gender roles to establish their own identity through cinematic representations of dynamic women from all walks of life, as well as the degree to which it is being embraced by the Indian Bollywood Industry and audience. What follows includes an assessment of major movies of recent years to show how narratives have changed in cinema. For example, Thappad, Pink, and Margarita with a Straw have women as the main subject, whereas earlier films like Tezab and Lawaris featured women as purely eye candy. Furthermore, cinema is discussed as the pillar of strongest influence in societal transformation, including some future predictions.