Debate on Women's Reservation in Politics and Contemporary Indian Cinema: a Feminist Overview

Abstract

Gender discrimination is an important cause that relegates the position of women in Indian Pol- itics. It is a ground for denying rights and is not an argument posited in opposition to the notion of universal rights of women. In India except for the ballot machine, women's participation as contest- ants, elected representatives, members of the Government, and so on was negligible. The nature of the problem is varied such as lack of time due to domestic responsibilities, socio-cultural norms lim- iting mobility, and patriarchal control discouraging women from coming into conflict with men. Pa- triarchy always indicates the ramparts between public and private for women. The inner-outer dis- tinction specified that the world is external, the domain of material, and the home represents the inner spiritual self. The world is typically treacherous terrain a pursuit of material interests where practical consideration reigns supreme. It is also eventually the domain of the male. In the home, its essence remains unaffected by the profane activities of the material world. And the woman is its representa- tion (though indirectly it is controlled by men). It has been observed that the identification of social roles by gender corresponds with the separation of the social space into ‘Ghar and Bahir. There are so many factors that in turn merely reiterate the real problems women have faced. Film and sociology are interlinked. Four interrelated themes, i.e., i) identity, ii) interaction, iii) inequality and iv) institutions, help sociologists to analyze society in detail. Sociologists can use films as social texts to explore these core themes. Here in the context of post-nineties Indian Cinema or series, I would like to explain how did Indian filmmakers visualize the political subjugation of women through their cinematic gaze. Did they focus on the long battle of women to achieve political empow- erment? Research questions have carried following objectives :-1) No interaction with the Woman Pradhan or other officials with relevant officers. 2) Inactive or proxy members 3) internationalization of socially defined gender roles and an inherent acceptance of patriarchy, caste, and class barriers. 4) Non-articulation and inability to identify obstacles. 5) Patriarchal values have combined with political intimidation from opposing parties and vested groups and the system itself has hampered the func- tioning of Elected Women Representatives. Films like Samsodhan (1996) God Mother (1999), Bandit Queen (1994), Satta (2002), Deoal’ (2004), Gulaab Gang (documentary) (2012), Thalaivii (2021), Panchayat (2021) will be discussed from a particular sense of representation, where the term ‘representation’ will be used from two dis- courses i) Representation as ‘Speaking of’ as in terms of politics and ii) ‘Representation’ as in the art or the philosophy of filmmaking. Literature, articles, autobiographies, interviews, memoirs, docu- mentaries etc will be used as secondary sources.