Indian Women Character Analysis

RAVEENA GWAL
M.A. ENGLISH (F) - SEM III
Dept. Of English.
Prof. SHORMISTHA PANJA.

BEING AN INDIAN WOMAN.
Indian cinema has come a long way since its first movie ‘Raja Harishchandra’ in 1913, when Dadasaheb Phalke1 had to settle for a man to play the women character, as in those time portrayal of cinema was something of disreputable and lowly profession. Though the attitude towards the profession has changed dramatically, in terms of technicality, production but what has remain almost constant in all the transience of glam and glitz is the portrayal of women characters. Iconic veteran actor Sharmila Tagore puts it, “in the portrayal of women I feel the changes are merely cosmetics.” Today, film industry is the massive source of entertainment

Nargis Dutt played the role of most iconic female protagonist of Indian cinema in Mother India, Madhubala in Mughal-e-Azam- these characters only restricted the women characters in the cast of glorified mother or the large-hearted courtesan/lover who will sacrifice their choices and happiness to maintain the ‘idealized’ standards lay down by the male chauvinist society. While in the inter-class love story of Maine Pyaar Kiya, Rajshri’s over-the-top-‘sanskari’ heroin Suman contrasted in every way with the fashionable-dark-lipstick clad love rival for the hero, her Indian ‘idealized’ sanskar makes her better marriage partner, who will definitely consider her husband made on the ‘image of God himself4 and is no less than God to her. While in movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai- in which one of the female protagonist Tina, who wears short western clothes, proves her Indian-ness by singing a religious hymn. While other character Anjali from a tomboy girl with no inhibitions and interests like the girls of her age, metamorphoses toward more Indian ideal woman and their bodily practice i.e.; walking, dressing and manners comes under the hegemonic norms of gender, is suitable for the love of hero. The mainstream Indian movies at the very core are male-centered with female characters with sole aim to be the romantic interest

Many filmmakers like Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair, Meghana Gulzar, Nandana Sen, Aparna Sen, Rithuparno Ghosh, Anurag Kashyap, and Amol Gupte are major contributors of Parallel cinema in contemporary time. Movies such as Arth, Mirch Masala, MrityuDand, Astitva, Monsoon Wedding, Namesake, Earth, Fire, Water, Filhaal, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Kahani, That Girl in Yellow boots and many more not only garnered critical acclaim but also an audience which are now sensitive to the issues concerning our social and cultural politics. This paper focuses on two film’s i.e. Fire and Choker Bali and their protagonists who stood up against the norms of social and cultural prohibitions and oppression to attain their own freedom of choice and