THE GENDER QUESTION AND FEMINIST DEBATE IN CONTEMPORARY HINDI CINEMA

Bell Hooks (2000) has rightly pointed out in her book, ‘Feminism is for EVERYBODY: Passionate Politics’ that sexism is not only perpetuated by men, but also women. Thus, it becomes problematic when women become the torch bearers of patriarchy and succeed in reinforcing the gendered stereotypical notions while socialising the young.The assimilation of gender roles and expectations reinforce the gender binaries and act as stumbling blocks in the creation of a gender neutral society. The purpose of my paper is to examine the portrayal of women characters in womencentric cinema, who reinforce and perpetuate such stereotypical beliefs and attitudes. I have attempted to cull out a broad interpretative framework, under which I have analysed four broad construals, which have a significant impact on the relational roles and identity development of girls and women. These construals have been culled through the content, narrative and character analysis of three contemporary movies-Thappad (2020), Shakuntala Devi (2020) and Tribhanga (2021). While these movies deal with issues related to women’s agency, space, assertion of independent will, sexuality and empowerment, they also propel us to delve into the socialisation norms, practices, relational roles and identities, all of which go into the construction of womanhood, making of these characters and their psyche. My paper attempts to emphasize that the idea of gender justice is possible through the establishment of strong bond of sisterhood, renunciation of sexist mode of thinking which keeps the women constantly at war with each other and breaking free from the hegemonic narratives of masculinity and femininity