The recent years have been way happier for women in Indian cinema, especially they do not need the entry of a grand star or the urge to pair up with an older superstar to draw audiences to theatres has long vanished, which can be the result of real-time movies made like saand ki aankh, Mom, Kahaani, Queen, Rashmi Rocket and many bigger hits.

These movies are available on popular OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sony Liv, Disney Hotstar to attract larger audiences, especially housewives. If you are watching movies over the IPTV, then the Indian IPTV service providers might also provide these movies as a part of their Video on Demand feature. VOD, or Video on Demand, is a feature wherein you get to watch movies of your choice upon making specific requests in that regard.

History

The history of Hindi Cinema is mostly clouded with films where the hero is saving the damsel in distress. However, there have also been films enacted by Rekha Ganeshan (Umrao jaan), Smita Patil (Arth, Bhumika, Gaman etc), Lekin (Dimple Kapadia) who have showcased a great amount of talent and proved their mettle in the long run without the support of their male counterparts. 

The golden era of Hindi movies (The 50s-60s)

The beginning of the ‘Golden Era’ of cinema is considered to be a more utopian picture of society. It was those times when the country was finding its feet as a democratic society and this aura of hope and fresh beginnings expressed itself in Hindi movies as well. The image of Indian society in movies was more aspirational rather than realistic. So most movies of this era were made with a patriarchal prism. Mother India (1957), one of the era’s highlighted films, reflects the essence of female characters’ identity during this era—the idea of women being honoured as the nation’s pillar of strength—a concept exemplified by the classic movie poster depicting Nargis pulling a hefty wooden plough.

Another take on Hindi cinema was seen in the movie The Guide where the Bollywood actress was seen as the one left alone by a cheating and unsupportive husband making her fend for herself and realize her dreams and achieve the power to choose. However, this cinema depicted empowered women but it was largely aberrated. 

The reconciled era of empowered women in Hindi movie

The patriarchal lens of this film industry came to an end and more movies were made when the patriarchal society wanted to see a more practical phase of women like a dutiful wife or a doted mother. This motherly was more like a silent figure that usually tolerated taunts and abuse in obedient quiet and ultimately manner being redeemed through male intervention. And among the period’s most powerful films were Jai Santoshi Maa (1975) and Hema Malini’s Seeta Aur Geeta (1976). (1972). In both films, the ‘nice’ female character is depicted as a frightened, repressed lady who endures mental, and frequently physical suffering at the hands of her family members. Their composure in the face of such anguish was lauded as a virtue that all women must possess at all means.

The beginning of the damsel in distress era

Here film was used to describe women who are sexually assaulted 1st and then the hero comes to the scene to save the same woman, who is ought to be her sister/wife. The Bollywood actress is portrayed as a 1D character and her very existence is by the mercy of another guy. These kinds of films were the era where the damsel in distress format began. However, there have been films like Sadma (1983), Chandni (1989) which did well at the box office, were female-oriented too, and did not follow the plotline of the 80s-90s era.

There were other films in this era like Mohra, where the female lead was played by Raveena Tandon (a newspaper journalist), depicted as a career woman who relied on the support of her husband and skilfully investigated murder crimes. In spite of her efforts in the movie, she was tagged as the damsel in distress where many of her scenes did not feel liberated and seemed scripted. 

The women in Bollywood is the newly empowered women

The millennial generation was slowly rejecting the female forms that were portrayed depicting unconventional women. Challenging roles were written that portrayed the female characters in a better canvas where all of her colours and characters were explored. One of the biggest milestones in this order was Aitraaz where Sonia (Priyanka Chopra) ended her pregnancy because of her ambitions and she wanted to achieve a lot more. Post marriage she wanted to get back her ex (Akshay Kumar), and she goes way out of her line to get her love back, who is shown to be married now. In this film, Priyanka was able to steal the screen from the Khiladi hero and form an onscreen presence.

There is an inclusion of unexploited scope in mainstream cinema, such as female sexuality in Margarita, With A Straw, and Lipstick Under My Burkha.

One look at the several action blockbusters released in recent years would dispel any impression that Bollywood has resolved the issue of gender disparity. Interchangeable female leads in minor roles appear to be a recurring trend in the bulk of blockbuster films released every year.

However, there is an upside too. Female-led films such as Piku (2015), Neerja (2016), Queen (2014), and Kahaani are now more popular with audiences. Additionally, increased diversity in writing has resulted in female audiences responding positively to seeing a version of themselves on screen for the very first time.

Women portrayed as “Visual Reliefs”

There have been “N” number of films where female leads have only been laying parts for improving the glam content of the film like Grand Masti, Golmaal, Heyy baby, Wanted, Bodyguard, and many more. Here women are used more like a prop with no real value but also to beautify the posters and banners of Bollywood movies. And the David Dhawan films also had no role for the female leads, they were just for poster props.

Promising female-oriented Bollywood movies

  1. Saand ki Aankh: Chandro and Prakashi, both in their sixties and living in a patriarchal culture, discover their shooting abilities by chance. They compete in a variety of competitions under the supervision of an instructor.
  2. Kahaani: Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant woman from London, arrives in Kolkata to search for her missing husband. When all avenues lead to nothing, she realizes that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
  3. Queen: Rani is inconsolable following her fiance’s abrupt departure shortly before the wedding. Undaunted, she decides to travel alone on their honeymoon, forcing her to step outside her comfort zone and rediscover herself in a whole new way.
  4. Raazi: Sehmat Khan, a RAW agent working undercover, is married into a Pakistani family by her father in order for her to obtain important information on her adversary.
  5. Neerja: In 1986, Neerja, a flight attendant, boarded Pan Am flight 73. When terrorists capture the airline, Neerja gives her life to prevent the hijackers from killing the passengers.
  6. Mary Kom: When Mary Kom meets a renowned instructor in a boxing club, she shares her dreams of becoming a fighter with him and pushes him to instruct her. Despite her father’s vehement opposition, she pursues her desire.
  7. English Vinglish: Shashi, a housewife and caterer, is regularly mocked by her family for her inability to communicate in English. Her effort to master the language enables her to rediscover herself and reassert her significance as a mother and wife.
  1. Mom: Devki, a biology teacher, seeks assistance from DK, a private detective, and pledges to exact retribution after the court acquits her stepdaughter’s rapists.
  2. Rashmi Rocket: Rashmi, a small-town girl, overcomes cultural barriers to achieve national prominence as an athlete. Her career, however, comes to a grinding halt when she is required to take a gender test.
  3. The DirtyPicture: Reshma abandons her village in pursuit of a career as a film star in Chennai. As she quickly becomes a superstar and is dubbed ‘Silk,’ her success and popularity begin to change her.

Pursuit of happiness

The history of Hindi cinema tells you a different story. And there is also a different story where people could watch movies from the comfort of their homes. So, it’s not only the entertainment industry that has come a long way but also the streaming media like Indian IPTV where a person can stream “N” number of movies without visiting the theatre.

With thousands of subscribers all across the USA, predominantly from India and other parts of the Indian subcontinent, Guru IPTV has been a reliable and trusted IPTV service provider for many years now. We offer more than 700 Indian IPTV channels in all major regional languages of the country at so attractive a package that is cheaper than satellite TV. Do check out our subscription plans and the deals, particularly the refer a friend scheme, for saving money on watching Indian channels.