Cinema Of Fear
Indian Films: Depiction of Sex and Violence and Women
Indian cinema is a typical field. The women are depicted in these films with a different perspective. The presence of threat perceptions and the fear of a violent happening at any time induce the fairer sex to adopt seclusion. Fear is mother of strange social changes. The Indian films if viewed frequently inject the feeling of fear amongst women.
The word ‘orthodoxy’ has several versions, meaning wise. It refers to observance of the beliefs of older generations, without testifying them under the lenses of justification. Older members impose whole set of their beliefs onto younger ones. Indian cinema, though using ultra modern techniques to its best advantages, has always approbated the orthodox role for women. The women characters, even after getting Masters degrees in Science, succumb to observance of the rituals like ‘Karava Chauth’, the fasting for longer life of husband. The girls, who are shown in the barest possible outfits until they are married, are denied to have ‘say’ while choosing their life partners.
The parents, the custodian of traditions, do that job for them. After getting married these women are mindlessly loaded with the weight of bangles, ornaments, and conventional clothes. Such a turnaround, while artistically displayed on screen, thins the morale of the girls who want to be the captains of their own boats. The filmmakers do all these things for pleasing the male gaze. The male eyes prefer to see the women observing the rules of pleasing their sexual and cultural tastes. The male members do not limit this voyeurism only to seeing the doctored themes in the theatres; but they demand the same observance of codes in homes and on streets, too.
While a woman views these films, she hardly identifies herself with what is going on the screen. She neither shows interest in sex on the screen, nor she agrees upon while a woman is shown as a conquered animal. After seeing a film when a woman viewer goes home, she carries with her a message communicated. She filters all the images she had seen; she tries to sort out the elements of pleasure the men viewers had praised. Coupled with the message of ‘be a conformist and remain happy forever’, she arrives on a premise that if she wants to be happy, she needs to be a follower of the old traditions. If the Indian cinema wants to show real women on the screen, if it wants to be the real mirror for the thoughts and behaviour of Indian women, it has to learn a lot from the woman’s perspective.
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About the Author
I write short stories and articles about the paintings.
Cinema of Fear Nine Inch Stylized LeatherFace Figure Review
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