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Portrayal of woman in Indian cinema

Mummy what does an item mean? What does a call girl mean? These are the frequent questions the children ask after watching movies. Is this how we portray a woman!? A land where woman is worshipped in the form goddesses, is this the way we make their onscreen presence felt? Bollywood movies have always been inspiring our country and youth. We all know that this is a 'man'-made world and women are not given all the due respect and are ill treated. Not only the man dominates woman but sometimes woman also obey thinking that they are supposed to do so. In such situations woman centric films and the portrayal of woman in their character not only gives the confidence to the woman but also shows the world that women are no less than men!
                                 If  such are the scenes shown in films where the girl is dancing and 10 eyes are ogling her, what impression does it leave on the generation.  After seeing such scenes they will undoubtedly assume woman as a mere way of entertaining the man. Thus the portrayal of woman in cinemas becomes of utmost importance. It is from this that the youth can be taught to respect the woman and look at them as their equal partners. If in the movie itself the woman is abused and tortured, then what is to be expected from the youth. Proper justice and explanation has to be given to the character of the woman. By such a portrayal the women are indirectly told about their rights, their value and their status in the society. So if these concepts are not captured properly in the film, the film fails to spread its message. The message which can indirectly improve the society.
                              Mostly in films the woman is portrayed as characters which revolve around the lives of men. Thus it gives the audience a false impression. They misconceive the rights of woman, their power, their dreams and their ability. Very few movies have portrayed these details brilliantly and thus giving the woman a glimpse of their ability, importance of their existence and the joy of being woman and enjoying womanhood.
                             The first portrayal of the strength of woman was beautifully directed by Mehboob Khan in 1957 in the movie – Mother India. It showcased India after independence and that the woman is capable of running the house and raising children all alone and thus this movie gave a hope to all the woman who could relate to that character. It changed the outlook of men and women.
If a man threatens the woman to leave her if she doesn’t complies to his terms, it has no effect on her because she now has the idea about her inner self and her horizon has expanded. But if the similar threat given by a woman to man will shake the ground beneath him.
                              Many movies have been directed in such a way that it breaks all the myths against woman. Astitva (2000) is a bold movie showcasing the male chauvinist society where a woman is given punishments and the males are let go off for the same mistake. Such movies awaken the masses and makes them realize their gender discrimination. Movies like Bandit Queen (1994), Chandani Bar (2001) has portrayed the courage of woman intricately. Such movies give the idea to woman who relate themselves to the onscreen characters and improve their way of living by being independent and facing all the odds and taking the revenge where necessary and fighting for justice. Movies like these are responsible for giving a new hope, new vision, new reason for widowed, divorced, rape victimized, tortured women to make a new beginning.
                           By relating their lives with the onscreen character the audience gets a new energy.’’ If she can,every women can.’’ Thus,it helps in minimizing the crimes to a certain extent.Movies like English Vinglish (2012) shows about the story of a common housewife and how she becomes a joke in front of her family.A story of every second home in India,but after viewing the film,the family realized the importance in women than her knowing about the knowledge. By such movies the women realizes that they have got a chance to live their dreams and come out as a winner.
                                     Apart from enlightening the women about their lives, portrayal of women not only changes the thinking of society but also influences the way of living. The outfits the women wears in the film, helps the women to identify their beauty and creates new friends in the fashion world. Ranging from Dimple Kapadia’s polka-dot knotted top to Sridevi’s and Rekha’s chiffon sarees all have been a hit. The youth of today’s generation tries to idealize the filmstars, thus their portrayal of characters, how they carry themselves, their public appearance become of utmost importance.
Indian women have all the strength. All they need is little confidence.


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