Gender, Caste And Cinema: Temper Of The Month, Might 2023

Gender and caste independently in addition to on the intersection have been poorly represented, misrepresented, and ill-conceived from the start of movie historical past, giving out a flawed notion and message about the identical peoples and audiences cinema is supposed for – other than throwing “artwork for artwork’s sake” goal in your face. In a nutshell, cinema as a medium has at all times had an higher hand and isn’t harmless. 

Gender behind the movies — in pertinent positions like cinematographers, directors, editors And so forth —has at all times been given much less priority and house. Apart from cisgender heterosexual males in highly effective positions behind the digital camera, the remainder of the varied genders are disparaged and never represented in any respect. There’s a large gender disparity behind the digital camera. 

Even at this time, in movies, cisgender heterosexual feminine characters stay on the sidelines, particularly in Hindi cinema. The feminine characters are given much less to no company of their very own; they’re restricted to meagre and small roles and/or characters who help or additional the journey of the male protagonist, or typically to make the plot and the manufacturing zesty and progressive are given a “robust“, “boss girl” tokenistic roles.

Feminine characters are additionally illustrated in overused and extremely stereotyped tropes in cinema. It gained’t be an exaggeration to say that cinema is a world of cis-heterosexual males and the patriarchal techniques of energy and subjugation are consistently reinstated right here.  

Whereas sure movies have delivered a correct illustration of feminine characters, gender disparity, stereotypes and discriminatory practices stay on the helm. 

Equally, queer and LGBTQ individuals have been misrepresented and used as a butt of the joke in cinema for years and never a lot has modified over the many years. Movies like Kal Ho Na Ho, Companion, And so forth, as an example, have portrayed a poor image of the group. But, movies like Hearth, Paris Is Burning, Bomgay, and Aligarh have a particular place in our hearts. 

A study by the Heart for the Examine of Ladies in Tv and Movie at San Diego State College, “discovered male characters far outnumber feminine characters and girls on the display screen nonetheless adhere to outdated stereotypes.“

The identical report additionally mentions, “Eighty-five per cent of movies featured extra male than feminine characters, however solely 7% of movies had extra feminine than male characters.”

One other study performed on Bollywood movies mentions, “several commercially profitable Bollywood films are riddled with sexist and misogynist dialogues.” 

“The 2007 hit Jab We Met (When We Met) included a line that likened a lone lady to a treasure chest. Needed, made in 2009, referred to ladies chasing cash. “You chase women, however the women chase cash. For those who chase cash, women will chase you.“

The study was in comparison with Bollywood’s counterpart Hollywood and it noticed, “Some gender biases noticed in Bollywood are very a lot current in its Western counterpart; a optimistic pattern is noticed in decreased biases with the progress of time; and an identical pattern is noticed in non secular and geographic illustration, with a substantial scope for improved variety and inclusion.“

Equally, in terms of caste, Bollywood is teeming with misrepresentation and/or no illustration, to serve the hierarchical casteist business with no actors, or administrators from marginalised castes and communities, to take up the roles and painting the characters from the very marginalised castes and communities in a sound method. 

Dalit and different caste minorities’ illustration may need change into nuanced and just a little efficient over the previous some years however to have a Dalit protagonist in movies remains to be miles away. 

In Hollywood and different European cinema, colourism is the choice to caste. White cis-het-male will get all of the glory whereas black, Asian or brown folks nonetheless get the final bites. 

Illustration and portrayal of gender and caste in cinema have been problematic with some developments through the years however correct and legit illustration and portrayal are nonetheless a distant dream. 

To deal with this problematic and hegemonic discourse, misrepresentation and/or no illustration of gender and caste on the display screen and behind the display screen, Feminism In India invitations submissions on Gender, Caste And Cinema in the month of Might 2023. We hope to contribute to the dialog and create a non-partisan, plural discourse about gender, and caste biases and misrepresentation in cinema from Hindi, Bollywood and Hollywood to regional and overseas cinema. 

Among the pointers that you could be discover useful in placing collectively your ideas:

• Gender and Indian Cinema and/or Hollywood
• Gender and Regional Cinema
• Gender and Caste in Cinema 
• Gender disparity behind the digital camera 
• Want for Feminist and Queer Perspective in Cinema 
• Gender and Violence in Cinema 
• Caste in Hindi and/or regional cinema
• Racism in Hollywood or European Cinema
• Black, Asian, and Brown folks’s illustration in cinema 
• LGBTQIA+ illustration in Bollywood
• Movie Critiques and Evaluation of Indian Movies from a Gender and caste perspective

This listing isn’t exhaustive and chances are you’ll be at liberty to write down on subjects throughout the theme that we might have missed out right here. 

Please seek advice from our submission tips earlier than you ship us your entries. You could e mail your submissions to [email protected]

We sit up for your drafts and hope you take pleasure in writing them!

Featured Illustration: Ritika Banerjee for Feminism In India