NEW DELHI: The popular Hindi cinema has failed to project the correct image of Indian women and is laying stress upon stereotyped ideal of womanhood rooted in mythology, says a study on the sociological impact of cinema.
Hindi films exhibit women as models of sacrifice, submission and self-denial, reflecting a predominantly middle-class male viewpoint, says the study con- ducted by Dr. Savita Bhakhry for Jawaharlal Nehru University JNU) here.
It said the more “active” and “positive” traits like rationality, Pragmatism, achievement drive and positive aggression always get associated with men in the films.
On the basis of a survey of the movies released during the past one year, Dr. Bhakhry, who has been awarded a doctoral degree by JNU for the study, has concluded that cinema is slowly and steadily affecting women’s status and role in the society, making it secondary to men and Legitimizing it only in their capacity as mother, sister and wife.
A few off-beat films which have tried to break the male hegemony on screen have failed in their endeavor to project women objectively, making it advisable for the Present genre of film-makers to identify women’s role in the context of changing social values, she said.
The study says Hindi films, of Tate, have been adversely affecting Women’s positive image in the society, and’ propagating men’s “macho image’ by projecting their sexual superiority and dominant status.
This attitude of films was giving strength to the theory of male chauvinism deeply ingrained in Indian people’s psyche, Dr. Bhakhry said.
She said the current cinema was also playing a negative role in generating social and sexual violence and crime in the society, besides providing an escape to the people from reality into a dream- world instead of facing up to the problems of life.
Popular Hindi films are not paying any attention to playing an educative role or teaching positive values of human life, the study Says and has concluded that the performance of cinema is an index of the tension-ridden state of Indian society.
Innumerable social changes in the patterns of the caste system, class system, family life, industrial relations and political structure, which have reached a highly turbulent state, arc all reflected in the stories depicted in the current cinema, the study says.
People of all age groups, inter viewed by Dr. Bhakhry, showed preference for social themes in the popular cinema. After the social theme, love stones are the second choice of the people, the study has found, It says an films arc also preferred by a significant number of film viewers.
I say while spending leisure time outside the home, a visit to a cinema hall occupies the fifth place, after visiting friends, going to hotels and restaurants, visiting relatives and doing other activities.
This goes to show that visit cinema halls less often and instead prefer to watch a film on the video within their drawing rooms, it says.
However, the fact that people continue to watch films shows that cinemas popularity is not waning in spite of the presence of other forms of leisure activities and entertainment.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 19, 1994
