Indian Films, Hindi Cinema Essay examples Example For Students

Indian Films, Hindi Cinema Essay examples The early films in Hindi cinema dealt with mythological stories that were based on the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, family melodramas describing domestic and social obstacles of Indian society, and costume dramas that included historical themes concerning stories about the saints and princes. The first Indian talkie film ‘Alam Ara’ was produced in 1931 by Adershir Irani. The film was based on â€Å"costume drama full of fantasy and with many melodious songs to intensify the audience’s emotions.† In other words, Irani conveyed the social issues of Indian society through harmonious which were usually spread and performed via folklore and stage performances. The film went on to be a successful as it attracted much more audience to see the film than stage play and performances. This film set the stage for other directors to follow the pattern to produce films with songs and to emphasize on themes such as mythological, melodramas, action, political and his torical subjects from there on with the addition of music. However, most of the earlier films contained narrations which required male actors to have the lead roles and females were given subordinated or domestic domain roles. Therefore, ever since women in Hindi cinema has been structured to play private sphere roles things that includes taking responsibility of their families, nurturing the children, standing for their familial and social rights, and advocating their neighbours and members of the communities which reflect the norms of Indian tradition goddess however in later films in 1970s and onward women were portrayed as sexual object. Therefore in Hindi cinema, the female actors have always been playing these neglected and marginal fixed classic and stereotypical roles such as being all sacrificing mothers, innocent sisters, faithful family retainers, and grandmas, and the courtesan. This paper examines the representation of women in Hindi cinema since â€Å"the Golden Age† and onward until 1980s. It discusses in detailed infor mation regarding stereotypical and archetypical roles, characteristics, and performances of the mothers and the courtesan. Outline1 THE PORTRAYAL OF INDIAN WOMEN IN FILMS2 THE MOTHER3 THE TAWAIF3.1 CONCLUSION THE PORTRAYAL OF INDIAN WOMEN IN FILMS The images of women in Hindi cinema have always been confined according to the norms of Indian traditions, beliefs, and customs. In 1950s a period known as the Golden Age of Indian of Hindi cinema , according to Gokulsing and Dissanayake, women played predominantly the roles of daughter (Beti) wife (patni), mother (ma) and (Tawaif) the other woman. The authors of â€Å"Cinema and Society in India† Gokulsing and Dissanayake state, that the Females were often represented to be the property of their parents while she is single. They were characterized to be loyal towards their husband and in laws as well as they were depicted as someone that has the lone responsibility to nurture the children and provide the basic needs in absence of male companion. In other words, Gokulsing et al stresses that women were always confined to the domestic domain and were described as naive, submissive, passive, and dependent that could not resist the â€Å"double burden† were placed on them. Therefore, women were represented in ways that give them no form of freedom, justice, or equality compare to men, but rather women are put in a position to look upon men as the head of family, society and nation. Gokulsing and Dissanayake state, these norms relating to the status of women in Indian society dates back to the ancient period as it is stated in one verse of Ramayana text â€Å"a wife’s god is her husband, he is her friend, her teacher and her life is less of consequences than her husband’s happiness†. Thus, such norms regarding women are expressed through range of roles in Hindi cinema that restricted women to perform only the roles of mothers, daughters, grandmas and the courtesan. THE MOTHER The mother archetypes in Hindi films compare to the father traditionally portrayed as someone that suffers the most economically, politically, and socially. The mother besides suffering the most, also described as a parent that has powerful image who will overcome obstacles, care, stand and fight for her family and country. Therefore, Indu Ramachandani stated, the mother in Hindi films, is characterized as self sacrificing, loving, forgiving, pious, and caring parent. The mother endures hardships and poverty from the hands of men that controls social orders and undermines the importance of women contribution to the society. Yet, the mother holds invisible â€Å"shakti† of the power, resilience, and determination of mythological goddess to fight back any circumstances she faces. Edward Gein EssayCONCLUSION The Hindi cinema has always represented women inferior comparative to men. However, being subordinated to men in Indian society not all women have been treated with same justice and equality. For instance, in films mothers always labelled in ways that reflects the norms and practices of Indian goddess. They are idealized to be caring, self sacrificing, and nurturing and often suffer from poverty, hardships or other dilemmas of the family or social aspect. In contrast, the courtesan who also is holds archetypes of loving, caring, affectionate, and nurturing towards adults. They are portrayed as a bad woman and are excluded being part of general population to have the same respect, values, rights, and freedom as an ideal mother of Indian society does. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Abbas, K.A and Sathe, N.P. Hindi Cinema, 359 in Ashish Rajadhuksha and Paul Willemen, Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema vol 1. 1998. Chakravarty, Sumita â€Å"Woman and the Burden of Postcoloniality: The Courtesan Film Genre,† in National Identity in Indian Popular Cinema 1947-1987, Austin: U of Texas P, 1993. Davidson, James. Making a Spectacle of Herself: The Greek Courtesan and the Art of the Present, 5 in Feldman, D. Martha and Gordon, Bonnie The Courtesan’s Arts: Cross-Cultural Perspectives. Oxford University Press Inc: New York, 2006 http://books.google.com/books?id=U-iuYBiOkRgCprintsec=frontcoverhl=nlsource=gbs_atb#v=onepageqf=false Gokulsing, K. Moti and Dissanayake, Wimal. Cinema and Society in India, 41. 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Ramachandani, Indu .Sources of Strength or stereotypes, 383 in Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema by Aalok Wadhwa, Encyclopaedia Britannica (India) Pvt. Ltd. Uma Prabhu, Popular Prakashan Pvt. Ltd. Thomson Press Limited, Noida, India, 2003. Mother India. Directed by Mehboob Khan. India. Mehboob Productions. 1957. Ram Lakhan. Directed by Subhash Ghai. India. Mukta Arts. 1989. Umrao Jaan. Directed by Muzaffar Ali. India. 1981.