Who are the women we see in our media?

Centuries have passed, but the status of women has been the same. We witness the suppression of women day in and day out throughout the world. The role of a woman has been intertwined with the history of her country. Like wise in India, the Indian woman is full of diversity and contradiction. The psyche of the society is reflected through the medium of expressions; literature, art, mass media and so on.
The depiction of men and women in these expressions differs to great extent depending on the psyche of the society.
Since the ages the history echoes only the great deeds of men; the voices of women were rarely heard. For centuries together the creation of knowledge has been with largely in the hands of men. So, it is men who have defined everything for women-religion, science, development, psychology- it is men who have told who the good woman are, what their duties are. Media, the face of expression, contributes in making this knowledge and definition, the order of living.
The image of an Indian woman has ranged from a Devi to devdasi, from a deity to a temptress, from the supreme to the downtrodden and as innumerable manifestations of virtue and vice in our films, television, newspapers and magazines.
Women in big wide screen look too small and narrow
Next to religion, cinema enjoys a reigning influence on the lives of Indian masses, creating a make-believe world of its own.
Cinema through the entertainment content, is giving us films, where women are definitely a subject-matter, but only depicted as an ideal mother, a loyal wife, an obedient daughter, a good sister- taking advantage of our traditional values.
This image of an Indian woman has remained the same all through the years in Indian films, though the image of a man has changed drastically.
The woman in early cinema, in 1930-1940s, had fixed attributes; specific frameworks only, within which she can love, protest, think, and decide. Certain essential qualities like purity, patience, self-sacrifice, loyalty was given by the camera. The women‘s interest, happiness, activities confined to home and family. The image was of a passive character with beautiful face. The titles of the films themselves show the woman’s association with family and husband-Pati parameshwar, Charno ki dasi, Sati pariksha, Dulhan, Suhagan, Suhag sindhoor, Main suhagin hoon and many more. One can not argue on this, because the society then was such were women in general confined themselves to home and family. There were some notable exceptions –lady teacher of Dhiren Ganguly focused on the persona of a workingwoman. Marriage market, telephone girl, typist girl were some of the other films, which raised issues relating women.
Very surprisingly, the stunt queen –fear less Nadia emerged in this period depicting the courageous, revengeful, fearless woman in almost all of her films, setting the trend in 1934, in Hunterwali and followed on in films like Frontier mail, Diamond queen, Lady robin hood, Jungle princess, Fighting queen. This period also saw the classic like Dunia na mane, which is considered as the first film to raise a voice against atrocities on women.
The women of 1950-1960s did respond to the changing trends of the society. Mother India marked a milestone in Indian film industry. Films like Anarkali, Jhansi ki rani, Devdas, Sujata, Aurat, Devi, Charulatha, Subarna rekha (Bengali), Kanchana seeta (Malayalam), Miss Leelavathi (Kannada) are worth mentioning.
The concern of mainstream filmmakers was socio- economical problems and naturally in the post-independence period, women were sidelined, categorically defining their roles as pativrita stree and a vamp. The pativrita stree was always an innocent, obedient, generous, loyal woman whereas a vamp was always modern, smart, outgoing, intelligent, and independent. Thus, giving the image- good being loyal and bad being independent.
By the 1970s the Parallel cinema gave a different outlook to the image of women in Indian films. The woman of new India emerged with qualities like independent in thinking and revolutionary in actions, breaking the set attitudes of feminine sexuality, gender oppression and identifying her own strengths and weaknesses. Ankur, Manthan, Mandi, Arth, Andhi, Mousam, Kinara, Khushboo, Ijazat, Ghar, Tapasya, 27 down, Umrao jaan, Pakeeza, Choti si baat, and many other films related women with more assertive, courageous, challenging and at the same time sensitive too.
Films of Raj Kapoor opened up a great number of women related issues like widow marriage, prostitution, and liberating woman from the stereotyped roles. Satyam shivam sundarm, Mera nam joker, Ram teri ganga maili, Prem rog and others dealt with such issues. These films showcased the injustice on women by the society and the hero gave the justice at the end of the film. This reassured the hero image and glorified hero’s sacrifice and boosted men’s ego by being very vocal about the support given to victimized women.
The late 1970 –1980s drew the attention of the viewers with angry young man look of the heroes and the girl- next – door image of heroines. The ladies were glamorous dolls donning good clothes, heavy makeup, synthetic smiles, and sex appeal along with loyalty and obedient temparament. These glamour dolls appeared in action only in the dance and song sequences of the film, at the climax scenes, for the group-photo at the end and disappeared in the rest of the film’s course. The mainstream cinema saw the woman as a mere companion of the hero with no characterization created of her own. Some women on screen appeared in different varieties of works- singer in Abhiman, knife sharpener in Jhanjeer, bank executive in Trishul, tanga driver in Sholay, doctor in Safar, ultimately these characters surrendered to the home fronts at the end of the films.
The 1990s focused on the emerging trends of new woman .She was confident, expressive reflecting the change in Indian society and family structure. Many of the films featured women as educated and westernised in their ways but redefined them into the homemaker-good wife image. Films like Damini, Raja hindustani, Khamosh, Dil to pagal hai, Biwi no.1, Sirf tum, Dushman, Sangharsh, Yes boss, Dilwale dulhaniya lejayenge, Hum dil de chuke sanam, Wajood had strong female characters, unfortunately failed to make any difference. These characters focused on the decision-making capacity of women, which is personal and related to the personal choices they made. This kind of depiction reaffirmed the sensitivity and loyalty of the womenfolk to the family. Once again, the hero becomes the hero. Some of the films like Khoon bhari mang, Phool bane angarey and Khalnayika also showed women in extreme situations, taking law into their hands. The common women, the rural women were missing in our films. Even if there were a workingwoman in the film, their priority would change when they meet the hero, finally tying the knot or sacrificing life.
Having a tag of feminism, many films brought out the issues of feminine sexuality and its expression. The issues relating to extra –marital relationships, sexual abuse, woman’s ability to voice out the truth highlighted in many of the films like Bandit queen, Benam badshah, Mrityu dand, Fire, Prahar, Lekin, Naseem, Mammo, Zakm, Rudaali, Machis, Premgranth, Sardari begum, Gajagamini, Lajja, Astitva, Astha, Dil kya karey –creating a niche for new woman in Indian films.
Post-2000, we still make movies with women trying to come to terms with a love triangle, family and personal conflicts, extra – marital affairs. On the other hand we see women with the shadows of pativrita stree haunting on, wearing the cap of modernity and novelty, donning jewelleries, gold, fashionable outfits and sindhoor. It was necessary for the new generation filmmakers to cater their films to the global market. The masala mix was ready -a perfect representation of Indian woman. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Breaking the conventional role-plays, the millennium offered Chandni bar, Jism, Paap, Joggers park, Godmother, Bhawandhar, Samay, Mitr-my friend, Filhal, Mr.and mrs iyer, Daman, Anahat, Fiza, Tehzeeb, Maqbool, Monsoon wedding, Pinjar, Devdas, Bend it like beckham, Takshak, Main madhuri dixit banna chahti hoon, Hazar chourasi ki maa, Chameli, Kya kehna, Amdani athani kharcha rupaiya, Koi mere dil se pooche,and very recently shabd ,raincoat, matrubhoomi, paheli and parineeta - giving us the many more shades and hues of Indian women.
While many of these women-centric films turned out to be flops, they have been successful to a large extent in changing the inferior screen-image heroines had acquired - that of the ever-sacrificing, helpless female who has no aspirations, and who finds fulfilment only in serving her man and his children.
We have yet to find a genre of sensible filmmakers who rely on sensitive and strong female characters and make their films a hit.
Directors like Bimal Roy, Satyajit ray, Guru Datt, Raj kapoor, Gulzar, Basu chatarjee, Rituparno ghosh, Adoor gopalkrishnan, Ritwik ghatak Aravindan, Mahesh bhat, Anant balani, Girish kasaravalli, Amol palekar have been sensitive to women’s issues. But many a filmmakers say that it is the audience that continues to demand such stereotyping. Obviously, the audience here is largely male.
As active professionals in films, women have been actresses, directors technicians, writers, producers. They have had hard times to fight back the system.
Aparna sen, Prema karanth, Mira nayar, Deepa mehta, Suhasini, Revaty, Tanuja Chandra, Pooja bhat, Meghana gulzar, Kavita lankesh and many others have been portraying strong women characters on screen.
A few actresses have been keen on their image as new Indian woman, but they also find it hard to reject the meekly roles offered to them otherwise.
From the big screen to small screen
Television, once used to be the idiot box, now is a necessary gadget in every household. The world has come into our drawing rooms and now into our bedrooms.
Doordarshan was the sole television channel in India till the advent of satellite channels in the early 1990’s. This public broadcasting channel has been to some extent responsible to reach out to the women of village areas and the worker classes. The newsreels, news bulletins, talk shows, serials in Doordarshan have been portraying strong women characters.
Badki, Majli and choti lighting their own little fires of empowerment in Hum log, lajjo and veeranwali, the steel marigolds of Buniyaad, a gutsy, middle-class housewife called Rajni all a strong representation of real life women. Kashmaksh, Kashish, Shehsprashna, Nirmala, Ghutan, Mrignayani, Kuch khoya kuch paya and many other serials had sensible women characters. And it wasn’t long ago when one of the hottest shows on Indian television was a serial called Udaan.

The entry of satellite television into Indian region, has definitely contributed to a great change in outlook and presentation. Satellite channels like Star plus, Zee, Sony started giving out something they called ‘new’ and a different era of television started in India .The women in small screen were no different from the big screen .We saw women more of the higher socio-economic class and middle class and the rural women missing on the screens. The workingwomen appeared on TV but the main concern and the problems dealt were again of the personal and of the family.
The household management, cooking, interior designing, health and children fashion and makeup were the main ingredients of women’s programmes. The afternoon slots became the prime time for many a channels .The trend of mega serials started with the serials like Shanty, Swabhiman and Amanat.
Women’s worlds are made and unmade every day on different channels. Women are offered standardised stereotypes. Television channels take the female viewer for granted.
The saga of Bharatiya nari - Ekta kapoor’s serials / K- serials defined new age women with all the possible qualities on earth. These characters were definitely women-centric but horrifyingly insane in behavioural patterns and projecting them as normal.
It’s high time that we seriously examined why K- serials are such resounding draws. Not just in the Hindi belt but even in the south where the same themes have worked as successfully. Maybe because what we see as regressive is only the familiar backdrop against which the heroines fight their own little battles and win. And maybe this is what Indian women, identify with as the only victories that they can afford. Any other has too high a price, casting them out into a world so hard and cruel and unforgiving that they aren’t yet ready to face it.
On the contrary serials like Saans, Hasratein, Arzoo, Sparsh, Kadam, Palchin, Mukammal, Astitva ek prem kahani, kashish, jassi jaisi koi nahin, kabhi kabhi,sarkar, portray true to life characters.
In parallel to programmes and serials, the news based shows, talk shows present a centre-stage for women to discuss the issues and communicate. Hello zindagi, Ankho dekhi, Kuch dil se, Swayam has been a platform to women and their issues.
The new age funda is news. News is not only news, but is a fashion, it is glamour, it is money, and it is name and fame.
Common people whether man or woman never makes news. Very simply they do not hold an element of sensation. Common women being generally the neglected part of the society hold no interest for the general public until and unless something spicy turns up. The negative elements like abuse, dowry deaths, rape, and murder scandals make sensational news. Development news does not appear in our TV. Many of the NGO s working at the grass root levels stabilising the womanpower do not make news unless there is a protest form the worker class or the NGO s.
It is news when it is peculiar or involves some celebrity .The tandoori case drew the nationwide attention, the modus operandi of the murder being very unique. A Nisha sharma made news but not girls who have refused to get married because of dowry demands. Big celebrities make news. People from glamour world, sports and culture, political field become news regardless of negative and positive elements.
When we see women’s stories it is always through a man’s point of view .By choosing to inform the public about the events in a particular way as they want, the TV channels force the opinions on the viewers packaging the whole incident according to them. Because we do not have many women professionals in TV who are in the decision – making levels.
The number of women coming to the field of has increased, but the change is only for the worse. They either get attracted by the glamour of the screen or almost become like trophies to be displayed - "my daughter-in-law is a journalist"
It is very difficult to be the instruments of change, say many women professionals. Women journalists across the country are in a disturbing status reveal the recent report by the National group of women in media. Women at work do succumb to harassments and it is no different for a woman professional at media.
Women professionals face troubles, rebellion from male collegues.some go without a promotion for years together. Many of the male staff do not accept women as their bosses. Very easily women are labelled as dominating characters. They become victims of cheap gossips. And their characters will always be in suspicion.
According to many, women can either have successful, satisfying careers with either broken relationships or guilt-ridden motherhood or dysfunctional families. But most of the time they opt for satisfying family lives and compromise on their careers.
This can be a myth but it is a reality too. As Mrinal pande, a senior journalist comments: women’s productive years are also women’s reproductive years. Women are always under the pressure to prove themselves in the career and also to be a good wife, good daughter –in –law and a good mother. This is the real situation; the woman of today is in.
One Bharkha dutt, one Nalini singh, one Mrinal pandey, one Smriti irani- there is a long way for women in TV to go.
film makers, film producers and policymakers in television channels in general and women who are in this field are responsible to bring about a change in the attitudes of audience by breaking the stereotyped roles of both men and women.
There has to be a deliberate breaking of the conditioned role-plays in the society - the man is aggressive, tough and the woman is always soft and docile. These conditioned hold us back from being true on the screens.
When we have free mindsets with sensible ideas to communicate, we can hope for a better image of Indian women in our society.
Men’s mindsets needs to change in this country and women’s efforts to break the stereotypes, before we imagine a real change in the status of women, thereby allowing a decent and true picture of women and man in our media.

-HEMASHREE