Indian Film Analysis

Women in Indian cinema: representation of women and representation by women. Indian films have great impact on its lives. The unique religious diversity of Indian is very much evident in the popular films also. Only after two decades, the first film made, caste became the central issue in the in films. The first Indian film show in the year 1896 made a tremendous introduction of visual pleasure to Indian soil. The great two epics Ramayana and Mahabharata influenced Indian films profoundly in thought, imagination, and outlook. The influence of Ramayana and Mahabharata can be analysed at four levels:
1. Themes
2. Narrative
3. Ideology
4. Communication
Majority of Indian films take themes directly or indirectly from Ramayana and Mahabharata.

There are religious codes of behaviours and consensual norms present. The conduct of the women in society determines the status of men. All suffering and agents of patriarchal system, women get an ideal role in the popular Indian films. At the same time the influence of the religious ethics can also be seen in the films. Traditional Indian patriarchal views have always feared the identity of women. Thus the society demands from them a subjugation of their desires as well as their sexuality. The society has also given an ideology that the status and honour of a particular family is closely linked with the behaviour and manners of women. The most effective medium of communication that we have today, films, especially the popular films politically present this ideology through the female characters. Popular movies especially by men present two types women characters ideologically. They are the mother figure and the ideal wife. The concept of ideal wife is perpetuated through the character of ever forgiving Seetha. In Ramayana one can see that, the most voiceless Seetha is presented as an admiring figure. She loves her husband, looks after the children and obeys whatever her husband Rama tells her. Thus it has created a perfect model for the so called ideal women. The fast life of the present generation may find no time for reading

It also has religious and cultural ethos of Indian culture. Mother figure is essential and is used for ideological purposes. For this again two types of images are produced. One is of ever forgiving and caring mother, shown in the movie the Mother India, presents a lone woman who brings out her sons in hostile circumstances. She embodies the roles of mother, spiritual qualities of self-sacrifice, devotion and religiosity, with whom most of the female audiences attach themselves to and the careless step mother, who always tries to hurt her husband and her step children. She is given the role of similar to the antihero. At the end the virtuous mother emerges victorious over the malicious step mother figure. Here also we can see the making of images where, the woman who attributes herself to the norms of patriarchal society is given the title virtuous. The film Raja Harishchandra thus directly puts forward the role of daughters of India, to be obedient daughters, self-sacrificing mothers and devoted