Women on Hindi Celluloid

The book has traced the trajectory of transformation and projection of women on the Hindi celluloid through the coordinates of three popular Hindi films- Mehboob Khan's MOTHER INDIA (1957), Mahesh Bhatt's ARTH (1982), and Madhur Bhandarkar's FASHION (2008). This trajectory also follows the evolution of India as a nation. Being a society that is multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-ethnic, India presents a mammoth task before cinema as far as the idea of giving representation to the teeming millions is concerned, particularly the representation of women. Focusing primarily on the progression of the Indian woman through the Indian cinema, the book reveals how she evolves from being deified and venerated as a goddess, being self-abnegating and caring to being a woman who questions the male superiority to finally emerging as one who asserts her independent identity and through whom we see an assertion also of the female sexuality as never before. The book discusses the idea as towhether Hindi Cinema presents an authentic portrayal of Indian women or is it just another medium for perpetuating the stereotypes associated with them.