The realities of 'reel' life: Representation and portrayals of gender, sexuality, and sexually transgressive behaviour in the Hindi film industry in the 21st Century. (2nd September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mehta, Mira
• Is Part Of: South Asian popular culture. Volume 17:Number 3(2019)
• Page Start: 305
• Page End: 317
• Publication Date: 2019-09-02
• Subjects: Bollywood -- male gaze -- gender -- masculinity -- femininity -- 21st Century -- cultural criminology; Popular culture -- South Asia -- Periodicals; 306.095405
• DOI: 10.1080/14746689.2019.1673542
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1474-6689

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper aims to extend the scope of cultural criminological research through an investigation of gender representation in 21 st Century Bollywood films focusing on portrayals of Sexually Transgressive Behaviour (STB). A sample of nine films released between 2000 and 2016 was analysed against a set criterion that includes: off-screen gender demographics, three tests to analyse the scope of the female character, incidents of Sexually Transgressive Behaviour (STB) and the male gaze. The results demonstrate that Bollywood continues to be a male-dominated industry and that female narratives are largely neglected. The majority of films analysed (six films) demonstrate a blatant objectification of women and seven of these demonstrated clear manifestations of STB. Only two of the nine films pass the Bechdel-Wallace test (a test which indicates the number of female characters, their interactions, and nature thereof), only three films show an independent female character arc and five films have replaceable female characters. This paper concludes that Bollywood films show the potential of being criminogenic (tending to produce crime) and the overall results are indicative that there is ample scope for further academic studies of Bollywood through a cultural criminological lens.