Expression of Womanhood through Indian Cinemas: A Comparative Study of Agency, Gaze, and Subjectivity in Contemporary Indian Films

Abstract

In the Indian film industry, gender has traditionally played a crucial role in shaping, producing, and controlling identity formation. Traditionally, in Indian films, female characters have been depicted in limiting roles such as mothers, wives, and self-scarifiers. However, in recent times, womanhood, female autonomy, and self-assertion have emerged in a strong manner in contemporary Indian films such as Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam cinema.