Depiction of Feminism in
Bollywood's Silver Screen: A Study
Dr. Rajesh Ekka
ABSTRACT
This study examines how feminism is represented in
four contemporary Hindi screen texts: Mardaani (2014), Dangal
(2016), Tumhari Sulu (2017), and Taali (2023). Bollywood and related
Hindi-language screen media have substantial cultural influence
because they both reflect and shape public attitudes toward gender.
Using a qualitative comparative case-study design, the analysis
combines textual, content, and film analysis. The texts were
purposively selected because they centre women's or transgender
experience across distinct genres and social settings, including
policing, sport, domestic life and paid work, and rights-based
activism. The study draws on Mulvey’s concept of the male gaze,
Butler’s theory of gender performativity, and Crenshaw’s
intersectional approach. The findings show that all four texts
expand female or transgender visibility and agency, yet their
feminist meanings remain negotiated rather than complete. Mardaani
locates empowerment within state authority and violence; Dangal
challenges gendered sporting norms while retaining paternal control;
Tumhari Sulu affirms women’s economic and personal aspirations but
continues to place domestic responsibility on the woman; and Taali
broadens feminist discourse through transgender identity and
activism while relying on an exceptional biographical figure. Taken
together, the texts reveal a gradual movement from symbolic
empowerment toward more inclusive representation, although
patriarchal institutions continue to shape the terms on which agency
becomes visible.
Keywords: Bollywood, feminist film theory, gender performativity,
intersectionality, representation.
