Introduction
In the past, the "man gaze" has plagued film all around the world. You might be wondering what the masculine gaze is. Indeed, it's quite easy. The term "male gaze" describes how men look at things on screens. From being a masculine gaze, this has changed into what is presented to a man on screen. The act of portraying women and the world from a masculine perspective that reduces them to mere sexual objects is known as the "male gaze," and it occurs in both the visual arts and literature. Since men are nearly always the target audience, the way in which women are portrayed in movies makes female viewers regard the content as secondary to themselves.
Yet, hey! Don't you think that since these theories were proposed, the world has advanced significantly? Nonetheless, it is profitable to portray women as sexual objects. It enables producers to make money. It benefits business. Thus, damn equality and women's empowerment! Women are still frequently depicted in movies as things used to fulfil a man's unquenchable needs.
This trend was criticised by the feminist film theory. According to the argument, traditional film portrayed women in stereotypical ways. It promotes the idea of women playing the lead roles. It demands that the movie business be dismantled and then reconstructed fairly. Have moviemakers everywhere learned their lessons? in a large way.
Have Indian filmmakers learned anything from the travesty that is Bollywood? Actually, no.
What went wrong with bollywood?
Indian movies consistently include gorgeous women, and up to 35% of these female characters are nudified in some way, according to a UN-sponsored global study of female characters in popular films around the world.
According to the study, sexualization of female characters is far more common in Indian films, and these films perform poorly when it comes to showing women as engineers and scientists as well as in speaking roles. India tops the list for the percentage of its films that feature gorgeous women, at 25.2%. In contrast, female producers, writers, and directors in Bollywood continue to be a green oasis in a barren wasteland.
It’s all about portrayal
How have women historically been depicted in Indian films? Helpless victims of molestation, eve-teasing and assault, right? That is until the famed ‘hero’ swoops in and saves his princess, of course. By far, women have been shown being saved by male lead characters, or them becoming the reason why a male protagonist embarks on a ruthless revenge campaign against the evil-doers.
When the Indian film industry did not show women getting molested or avenged, it made ample use of their abilities to shake a leg on a commoditising song, or what in India is referred to as the ‘item dance’. The ‘item’, of course, is the woman – dancing to the tunes of a director without any autonomy or liberty to say ‘no’.
Conclusion
The twentieth century saw a change in times. Nonetheless, "item dances" from the twenty-first century like "MunniBadnaam," "ChikniChameli," "Sheila Ki Jawaani," and "Fevicol Se," among others, continue to haunt us. Even awards have been given out for these tunes. Of course, Indian film awards are useless—the majority of them have even been purchased. But the basic problem of women being portrayed as sexual objects has only just been acknowledged! Interestingly, Bollywood currently asserts that it supports feminism and women's empowerment.
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