🎬 Gender and Films: Changing Frames in Indian Cinema
🎞️ The Male Gaze and the Hero’s World
Film theorist Laura Mulvey, in her essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975), described the “male gaze” — the way mainstream cinema looks at women through male desire.
For decades, Indian films followed this formula. The hero acted; the heroine was admired. The man’s story drove the film, and the woman’s beauty decorated it.
Think of Hindi classics like Sholay (1975) or Deewar (1975) — women were secondary to the hero’s journey.
In Telugu cinema too, older films such as Murari (2001) or Pokiri (2006) portrayed women as emotional anchors or romantic interests rather than decision-makers.
The screen belonged to the hero — the “mass” star who fought villains, danced with the heroine, and saved the world. But the lens rarely turned toward the woman’s perspective.
💪 From Stereotypes to Strength
Then came the change.
Films began telling stories from the woman’s point of view, challenging gender stereotypes one frame at a time.
In Hindi cinema, Kahaani (2012) and Queen (2014) redefined womanhood through strength, vulnerability, and independence.
Telugu cinema, often seen as hero-driven, also started evolving.
Movies like:
-
Kshanam (2016) — showcased a female character (Adah Sharma) with agency and emotional complexity in a suspenseful narrative.
-
Mahanati (2018) — the biopic of legendary actress Savitri, portrayed by Keerthy Suresh, beautifully explored the highs and heartbreaks of a woman navigating fame and patriarchy.
-
Oh! Baby (2019) — presented a fun yet thoughtful story about aging, identity, and a woman rediscovering her joy.
-
Bhanumathi & Ramakrishna (2020) — broke gender clichés by portraying an independent working woman with emotional honesty.
-
Masooda (2022) — featured strong female characters in a genre (horror) traditionally dominated by men.
Swag (2024) boldly explores a world where gender roles are reversed, turning matriarchy into a mirror for patriarchy. Through its satirical take on shifting gender identities and power structures, the film questions how society assigns value to men and women — showing that gender itself is fluid, contextual, and ever-changing.
These stories moved away from damsels-in-distress to women as thinkers, leaders, and survivors — redefining the emotional core of Telugu cinema.
🧠Rethinking Masculinity
Gender reform on screen isn’t just about women; it’s also about men.
Indian films have long glorified the alpha male — tough, fearless, emotionally distant. But modern narratives show that vulnerability is not weakness.
In Bollywood, Dear Zindagi (2016) gave us a gentle, emotionally aware male therapist.
Telugu cinema, too, is learning to portray layered men:
-
Jersey (2019) showed a father torn between his dreams and responsibilities, redefining heroism as love and persistence rather than aggression.
-
Middle Class Melodies (2020) and C/O Kancharapalem (2018) gave us men who were real, kind, insecure, and evolving — not “mass” heroes but relatable human beings.
-
Tholi Prema (2018) and Ante Sundaraniki (2022) portrayed sensitive male characters learning empathy and respect in relationships.
This softening of masculinity marks an important shift — showing men not as saviors, but as partners.
🌈 Beyond Gender Binaries
Cinema is also beginning to challenge traditional gender binaries.
Films like Aligarh (2015) and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021) introduced queer identities with empathy and dignity.
Telugu cinema is slowly joining this conversation too — Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha (2023) hinted at inclusion and emotional diversity, while indie and OTT productions are exploring gender-fluid storytelling in subtler ways.
As philosopher Judith Butler reminds us, “Gender is not something we are, but something we do.”
Each new story that explores gender beyond the binary adds to cinema’s evolving dialogue with reality.
🎥 Behind the Camera: Women Storytellers
It’s not just who’s on screen — it’s who’s behind it.
The rise of women filmmakers has changed how stories are told.
Directors like Zoya Akhtar, Meghna Gulzar, and Nandita Das in Hindi cinema, and B. Jaya, Nandini Reddy, and Sudha Kongara in South Indian cinema, bring new perspectives that challenge traditional power dynamics.
For example:
-
Nandini Reddy’s Oh! Baby playfully questioned how women’s value is tied to youth and beauty.
-
Sudha Kongara’s Soorarai Pottru (Tamil) — though male-centered — portrayed a marriage of equals and celebrated mutual respect.
When women write and direct, the female gaze often replaces the male gaze — the lens shifts from objectification to understanding.
💬 When Society Talks Back
India’s diversity shows up in its cinema too.
In the same year, one film might boldly challenge patriarchy, while another glorifies traditional gender roles.
For instance, The Great Indian Kitchen (Malayalam, 2021) questioned domestic servitude, while some commercial Telugu hits still frame women as ornamental or submissive.
This contrast reveals a nation in transition — modern yet traditional, questioning yet cautious.
But every feminist story, every emotionally aware male role, every queer representation pushes that boundary a little further.
🌟 The Road Ahead
The future of gender representation in Indian and Telugu cinema looks hopeful.
Streaming platforms like Netflix, Aha, and Prime Video have become game-changers, offering space for unconventional storytelling.
Shows like Modern Love Hyderabad and Pitta Kathalu experiment with women’s voices, sexuality, and urban relationships in fresh, honest ways.
As young storytellers rise from every region, they’re bringing new definitions of identity, love, and equality to the screen.
The change is no longer led by stars — it’s led by stories.
🎬 Final Frame
Gender and film are inseparable, because both are about perception — how we see and how we’re seen.
From Bollywood to Tollywood, Indian cinema is slowly shedding stereotypes, one frame at a time.
Every time a woman leads her own story, every time a man learns empathy, every time gender is seen as a spectrum — cinema moves closer to reality, and society moves closer to balance.
So, the next time you watch a film, look closely —
Who gets to speak? Who gets to dream?
That’s where the real story begins.
