Negotiating Gendered Spaces and Contextualizing the Female Body: Reading Indian Films

Abstract

AbstractIndian films, both mainstream Hindi and those in regional languages, have successfully portrayed the everyday sociopolitical and cultural maps of Indian life. No doubt, contemporary filmmakers have experimented with forms and techniques and have also given enough space to address gender issues to provide empowerment. Recent films like Ki and Ka (2016) and The Great Indian Kitchen (2021) have used visual media to represent varied dimensions of gender performances, to negotiate gendered spaces, and to ask pertinent questions about women’s bodies. Using the cinematic narrative, I explore deep‐rooted marriage‐and‐family structures that are layered within the patriarchal psyche that limits women’s freedom and sexuality. Through analysis, I explore how these films subvert and negotiate “naturalized” gender dictums and allow us to reorient our thoughts on gender.