1

The Effect of Toxic Masculinity in Indian Films on Society

Theme: Role of women in Cinema and Literature: Changes over time

Debarati Ganguly

Department of Economics

Basanti Devi College, Kolkata

Manish Dutta

Department of Political Science

Presidency University, Kolkata

 Abstract

Cinemas can’t function in isolation. Either they are the reflection of the society or they tend to

change the accepted social order by displaying the truth. The Indian Film industry is a multi-

million-dollar industry and produces the highest number of films each year in the world. There

have been some very good films which upheld the need to purge the Indian society of patriarchy

but the greatest number of the mainstream cinemas instilled the idea of the male toxic hegemony

which has led to the escalation of crime against women. In this paper I’ve chosen Indian cinemas

and primarily mainstream Bollywood because they have a great impact over our society. If one is

born in India then Bollywood has crept in his/her life at least once. The objective of this paper is

to examine the effect of Bollywood films on society from a feminist perspective.

Keywords: Patriarchy, Objectification of women, commodification of women, traditions,

Indian cinema, Bollywood.

 The Effect of Toxic Masculinity in Indian Films on Society

It is well known that Indian Cinema is famous for its sexist portrayal of women in films which in

turn lefts a deep scar on our society. In this paper I’ll primarily look into how the portrayal of

women in Indian Films has changed over time and how films have left their part on the society.

Indian films are largely depended on traditions and beliefs. Stereotypes also shape the films and

also how women are portrayed in them. A research by Geena Davis Institute on Women in Media

supported by UN Women and The Rockefeller Foundation found that Indian cinemas top the list

on objectifying women on screen.1 One of the most favorite part of any Indian audience in the 60s

and 70s and even today was the subjugation of girls on the screen. The ideal girl for them is the

traditional or ‘sanskari’ girl who can be the ideal bride of any boy who came to India after finishing

his studies abroad. 2

Mehboob Khan’s film Aurat was remade into a colour film named Mother India in 1956. The

immediate post-independence moment led to the escalation of the iconisation of the mother and

nation in popular culture.(Datta, 2000) Sangeeta Datta also argues that consumerism is said to

objectify masculine ideals. Even parodies simply paint the system of male domination. Mainstream

cinema in India is heavily filled with a patriarchal way of female’s sexuality and masculinity is

defined by the physical body and its aggression. Lalitha Gopalan in her essay titled Avenging

Women in Indian Cinema3 argues that the visual representation of women in Indian cinema depicts

sado-masochism and scopophilic pleasure for the viewer.

1
Source - https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/depicting-women-in-bollywood-
222702-2014-10-11
2
Ibid 1
3
As cited in (Datta, 2000) Page 75
Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960) or the Cloud-Capped Star by Ritwik Ghatak traces the exploitation of

women through the life story of Nita the main protagonist of the story who is trying to take care

of his family. The theme of exploitation in this film is significant. “Those who suffer for others,

suffer forever”. Nita is exploited by her family, but she does not fight back and throughout the

movie no matter how bad it gets for her she continues to allow others to exploit her. The film

critiques the position of women in patriarchal society and how there is no escaping from this as its

origins are in the family.4

Mughal -e Azam released in 1960 is known for its poetic dialogues, iconic soundtrack and original

choreography. It tells the love story of Prince Salim and Anarkali who is a court dancer. Vaidehi

Joshi in her article “The women of Mughal-e-Azam” speaks of how women are portrayed in this

golden film. She mentions that Anarkali the court dancer is used as a pawn by King Akbar and

Prince Salim as Akbar manipulates her to control his son’s life while Prince Salim emotionally

blackmails her in order to prove his autonomy to his father. Salim also bullies Anarkali and slaps

her. Here Anarkali stands up for herself and declares her love for him publicly by the song “Pyar

Kiya Toh Darna Kya”. She stands up for herself regardless of the consequences.5 In the film,

Anarkali only shows compassion even to those who have wronged her and this is where I find her

reflecting the stereotypical role of women in India. A woman should always be compassionate and

her compassionate behavior will rescue her and help her to fight and defeat her adversaries. 6 The

film also portrays how it is always expected that woman should be able to perform both the roles

of a mother and a wife at the same time. Empress Jodhabai is a devoted mother and also made a

4
Source - http://sites.middlebury.edu/cloudcappedstar/feminist-analysis/
5
Source - http://theaerogram.com/the-women-of-mughal-e-azam/
6
In the film Mughal-e-Azam Akbar at the end finally apologises to Anarkali for his behaviour.
lot of sacrifices for her son. She also fought to fulfil her duty of being the Empress of the Mughals.

When Jodhabai tries to defend her son when he wanted to marry Anarkali, Akbar doesn’t listen to

his wife.7 This also reflects a typical Indian family where the eldest family member who is a male

happens to say the final verdict in all matters. The film also portrays how Bahar8 happens to be an

evil woman who is responsible for the unhappiness of Prince Salim and Anarkali. 9 Her character

reveals that the only way to power for a woman is to be a part of a man.

Jane Chelliah in her article named “The Humiliating model Motherhood in Aradhana” 10 talks

about how the film Aradhana (1969) is totally anti-feminist. She argues that the Indian model of

a sacrificial mother gets portrayed in this film and that is why Indian mothers are always seen in a

way that if they don’t sacrifice themselves because of the need of their son then they are not

successful mothers. She also argues that Sharmila Tagore’s character was punished by having her

boyfriend and father of her child die on her and then having to give up her child. Thus, it was

established that sex must be done after marriage otherwise one would be punished. This

stereotypical thought thus leads to the rejection of those women by the society who has been

impregnated by rape. This also justifies the behavior of Indian men who may sleep with a woman

but will marry a woman who haven’t had sex before.

Satyajit Ray in his film Mahanagar (1963) which is based on a novel named Abataranika by

Narendranath Mitra narrates a story of a woman named Arati who breaks her “tradition” of a

“ghoroa” (homely) wife and takes up a job thus breaking the shackles of patriarchy that only

7
Source –Ibid 5
8
Bahar was a woman who was the attendant of Empress Jodhabai in the film Mughal-e-Azam.
9
Source –Ibid 5
10
Source - https://feminisminindia.com/2017/10/12/aradhana-film-review/
expected her to look after her husband and never leave the house without permission. Megha

Marik11 observes that Ray in his film portrays that there is a distinction between the good homely

traditional Indian wife and the immoral westernized Edith. The dichotomy forced upon Indian

upper-class women by the Indian National Movement is brilliantly portrayed in Satyajit Ray’s

iconic film Ghare Baire (1984). The origin of the dichotomy that is between the “home” and the

“world” or the “spiritual” and the “material” reinforced that the material world is for the male and

the spiritual world is for the females and requires conservation thus women take the responsibility

of care givers. The nationalist movement thus led to the origin of the clear distinction of gender.

Ray depicts the complexity of the dichotomy between the home and the world through Bimala’s

responses to the changes taking place in her life. Though educated and obedient, Bimala is not

allowed to cross the passage connecting the andarmahal (inner courtyard of the house) to the outer

or drawing room. Even in her conversations with Nikhil, she is not willing to cross the boundaries,

although he insists. Eventually, she crosses the passage accompanied by her husband, but the move

is criticized heavily by society. When she meets Sandip, she is swept away by his passion. But

in the end, she fails to break the shackles of traditional patriarchy.12

The image of women as Sita has been repeatedly evoked in many films after independence.

Through the ideas of loyalty and obedience to the husband, Hindi cinema successfully

institutionalized patriarchal values. Films like Dahej (1950), Gauri (1968), Devi (1970), Biwi ho

to Aisi (1988); Pati Parmeshwar (1988) depicted women as passive, submissive wives as perfect

figuresand martyrs for their own families.The narratives of Hindi cinema have undoubtedly been

male dominated and male centric. Themes have been explored from the male audience’s point of

11
Source - https://feminisminindia.com/2017/05/18/mahanagar-satyajit-ray-review/
12
Source - https://feminisminindia.com/2017/05/09/ghare-baire-analysis/
view. The heroine is always secondary to the hero. Her role is charted out in context of any male

character which is central to the script. It may be the hero, the villain, the father, the boss, an elderly

male figure etc. She is devoid of any independent existence and her journey throughout the film is

explored in relation to the male character. This kind of straight-jacketing limits the women’s role

to providing glamour, relief, respite and entertainment (Tere, 2012) In the film Agneepath,

Priyanka Chopra’s character is used as a relief for the audience between the tedious male centric

scenes of the film.13

Another film is Biwi No. 1 (1999) by David Dhawan which shows that the wife sacrifices her

career in order to be “ghar ka bahu” that is to experience the love of her in laws and husband while

staying at the home. While her husband commits adultery but, in the end, he returns to her thus

justifying the title that the wife being “ghar ka bahu” can make her husband return with her love.

Indian mainstream cinemas like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) which won the Filmfare award for

best film developed a skewed idea into the minds of young girls how Indian feminity and beauty

should be. 14 The film loudly portrays that men always like feminine graceful girls as opposed to

fun loving girls. Even girls copied this idea and boys copied the portrayal of masculinity of Rahul

in the film. 15

13
Tere observes”She is there only as a romantic partner to Hrithik Roshan who is busy in
avenging his father’s brutal murder.”
14
Source - https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/90smoviesin2018-kuch-kuch-hota-hai-taught-
me-a-very-skewed-idea-of-beauty-1910573.html
15
Ibid 14
Bollywood has a list of conservative fathers like Anupam Kher in Kya Kehna (2000) disowns her

pregnant and unmarried daughter. Ronit Roy in Udaan (2010) assaults his own son with a leather

belt to discipline them.16

One of the things which any critic of Indian cinema would point is that women past her forties

cannot do romance on screen while men well above fifties are entitled for romance."When heroines

hit the troublesome thirties, they are kicked upstairs," observes Meenakshi Sheede, another critic.

"Poor Rakhee, who played Amitabh Bachchan’s lover in Kabhi Kabhi, Kasme Vadde, Barsaat Ki

Ek Raat and Trishul, suddenly became his mother in Shakti!" 17 The same goes for Waheeda

Rahman — she was Bachchan’s wife in Kabhi Kabhi, but became his mother in Mahaan. "When

heroine like Kajol, Juhi Chawla or Madhuri Dixit gets married, they are no longer considered

potential heroines. 18 On the other hand Dilip Kumar was allowed to grey with dignity in Shakti

and Saudagar, as also of Naseeruddin Shah in Sir and Sarfarosh. Bachchan too has acted his age

in Sooryavansham, Mohabbatein and Ek Rishta.19

In the movie Main Prem ki Diwani Hoon (2003) the character of Sanjana’s mother is portrayed as

very ambitious women who’s only goal in life is to marry off her daughter. There is also rampant

sexism and stalking of Sanjana by Hrithik Roshan. In the film Vivah (2006) the importance of

‘sanskar’ is taken to an all new level. Here Krishnakanth played by Aloknath is obsessed with his

daughter’s marriage even when his daughter got third degree burns. Thus, the character of Indian

16
Source - https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/women-s-day-how-feminism-changed-
the-father-figures-in-indian-cinema/story-HIZUWHipqurzg34zcQ0UCL.html
17
Source - https://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20011104/spectrum/main4.htm#top
18
Ibid 18.
19
Ibid 18.
society is definitely portrayed here where for a woman and her parents the most important part of

life is the marriage.

Most Bollywood horror films sport women protagonists, and the female lead has quite often been

shown as the character who is ‘possessed’– the entire film then revolving around how to ‘normalize’

her by getting rid of whichever supernatural entity she has fallen prey to. Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)

can be cited as a prime example of this, where the entire narrative revolves around the mysterious

behaviour of the character Avni (played by Vidya Balan). What should have had been a more

balanced and thoughtful depiction of a woman dealing with mental illnesses turned into a tale of

possession placed within a comic narrative. Films like Bhoot (2003) also seem to be problematic

if seen from the same perspective. Shalini Nair writes “In Bollywood, you really cannot win with

female representation – they’re either damned or damning.”20

The idea of romance in Bollywood spins around the continued insistence on attention by men, as

women’s consent is deemed immaterial. In fact, exhortation to an extent of harassment is

considered to be a part of romance and display of affection on the part of men. The worst part

about these scenes is that the woman is shown to enjoy the ritual and reciprocate her feelings once

the man has finished his machismo display. (Tariq, 2017)

Bollywood has not only justified sexism but promoted sexual harassment, molestation,

objectification of women, slut-shaming and voyeurism (Tariq, 2017) The movies themselves are

to be blamed for their refusal to recognize that women’s consent is as essential as the desire of

men and that women need not necessarily fit neatly in the binaries of a vamp or a virgin. Hiding

behind the euphemism of romance, Indian films has been a major culprit in promoting violence

20
Source - https://feminisminindia.com/2018/12/11/bollywood-horror-films-women-protagonists/
against women like stalking, abduction and even rape. Another common theme in the films is

“Stalking”. It also spreads the belief that a woman is too shy to say she wants a man, and when a

woman says “no” she actually means “yes” and it is the man’s job to actively take her evasive and

timid attitude to mean “yes.” (Mathew) Indian films still recognize male relatives of a rape survivor

as the victim and not the woman who has endured the ordeal. (Tariq, 2017) Moreover, in Indian

culture, rape is attached to the concept of honor. The woman who has been raped is often shown

to be saying, meri izzat lut gai (my honor is violated). The physical violation to her body is

sidelined as something completely inconsequential. (Mathew) The word rape and the act of rape

is considered something normal and to be laughed upon in certain films. In Shootout at Wadala, a

male character named Munir says, Main kuch bhi karne ke liya tayar hoon. Rape bhi, agar item

achhi hai toh (I’m willing to do anything — even rape — if the girl is good enough). In the movie R.

Rajkumar, a scene intended to be funny shows a corrupt policeman raping a woman in custody.

The film also shows a scene where the hero is hiding in the room of the female protagonist. As she

undresses herself the hero watches her and she discovers him after she has undressed. Later they

end up falling in love. Thus, this film legitimizes this action. In 3 Idiots, the male lead, in order to

make fun of another student, changes the word chamatkar (miracle) to the word balatkar (rape).

During the speech, all students are seen laughing when the student said balatkar instead

of chamatkar because of its dubious meaning. (Tariq, 2017) Women in Indian cinema are still

portrayed in a way that appeal to the male gaze. The song and dance sequences enable women to

be categorized through various forms of dress and through stereotypical images. These factors in

turn help to compartmentalize women and fetishize them leaving little room for the real woman to

be represented on screen. Almost every Bollywood movie that hopes to make over a 100 million

Indian Rupees is characterized by one hypersexualized off-plot song and dance routine called an
"item number." The dance is performed by a scantily clad actress in a room full of men, and the

lyrics often paint the woman as an unattainable tease. The sole purpose of the song is to titillate

the audience and to entertain them and they generally are not related to the storyline of the movie.

The women performing "item numbers" are colloquially referred to as "item girls." The term, and

the songs in question, objectify women, likening them to a commodity. (Mathew) The songs like

Chikni Chameli, Tees Mar Khan, Shila Ki Jawani, Dilbar and Fevicol se all fall into these

categories.

Scenes in which men threaten to use physical force on women have normalized violence against

women. When women end up marrying or dating these men who threatened them in the first place,

it reinforces these positive ideas of violence. There have been several real-life incidents of men

molesting women and beating them in public. In one case, a 21-year-old girl was molested in broad

daylight after a man hit her bike with his motorcycle. In a country that prides itself in a country

that prides itself in gaining its independence by exercising non-violent forms of protest, it’s ironic

that society so readily accepts violence in film.

The idea of patriarchy is very much present among both the sexes. In a recent survey conducted

by me outside a prominent girl’s college in Kolkata revealed that most of the girls didn’t find

anything wrong with the portrayal of women in mainstream cinema. 21 Indian women are treated

as objects, and are expected to remain meek and docile and many families entrenched in deep

rooted patriarchal norms reinforce the notion. Even if the idea of romance is rampant in films even

today in many households if the daughter is involved in a romantic affair then she loses “her mobile

21
Interview conducted on 2/03/2019
and mobility” 22 Honor killings and rapes have become a common news nowadays and the

mainstream cinemas take an active role in shaping the ideals of the new and old generations alike.

Thus, cinemas must take an active role in purging the society of this social menace known as

patriarchy.

22
I quote Prof. Krishna Menon who spoke on 28th January, 2019 (held at AJC Bose Auditorium,
Presidency University, Kolkata) in Nirmal Kanti Majumdar Endowment Lecture on Feminisms in South
Asia. Prof. Krishna Menon is Professor of Gender Studies, School of Human Studies, Ambedkar
University Delhi.

References

Chatterjee, P. (2012). INDIAN CINEMA: Then and Now. India International Centre Quarterly,

45-53.

Datta, S. (2000). Globalisation and Representation of Women in Indian Cinema. Social Scientist,

28, 71-82. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/3518191

Mathew, D. (n.d.). India’s Rape Culture: An Analysis of Women’s Portrayal in Bollywood

Films.

Tariq, B. (2017, May 20). Does Bollywood Promote Crimes Against Women? Retrieved from

Fair Observer: https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/bollywood-

cinema-sexism-women-india-culture-news-61000/

Tere, N. S. (2012). Gender Reflections in Mainstream Hindi Cinema. Global Media Journal -

Indian Edition/ISSN 2249-5835, 1-9.