Page 87 - Masala E-magazine Vol 9 Issue 2 October - November 2017

Films that are Unapologetically Feminist:

1970 – 1989

The 1982 lm Subah was a needle in the
haystack of male-oriented lms during
this period. Actress Smita Patil enacts
the role of a woman who wishes to
assume greater responsibility as a citizen
and help shape society. However, her
husband and mother-in-law both try to
suppress her ambitions, but with the aid
of another female character, her sister-in-
law, she pursues her passion with erce
determination. She later nds out that her
husband is cheating on her. His actions
seem natural, only because of the number of times we have seen this
on-screen and have heard of what happens when wives focus too
much on their careers. However, this movie does not tread the typical
tragic path. Instead, it empowers Smita to pursue her passions again.

1990 – 1999

The 1994 biographical lm Bandit Queen,
based on India’s infamous dacoit Phoolan
Devi, may seem like a controversial choice.
Yes, it showcases the gruesome crimes and
tortures Phoolan Devi in icted upon others,
but it also glori es her vindication. Phoolan
Devi was brutally raped, physically abused
and constantly humiliated because she
belonged to the lower caste. Circumstances
led her to join a gang of bandits and
eventually start her own. This Bandit Queen
was able to take justice into her own hands and take revenge for all
the wrongdoings that were in icted upon her.

2000 – 2009

Lajja (2001) is the powerful tale of four women, played
by prominent Bollywood actors, who undergo tragic
circumstances because of restricting patriarchal norms.
The lm is an echo of what still currently happens in Indian
society. One woman deals with an abusive and cheating
husband. She leaves him and goes back to her parents’
home only to be rejected by them because of societal
embarrassment. Another woman’s wedding is cancelled
because her family is unable to pay a high dowry. But when
they do arrange it, her morality and character is questioned.
The third woman is pregnant, unmarried and accused by her
own lover of in delity. The fourth woman is raped and burned
alive because she voices out against the exploiting village
leaders. The women ght their battles with strength and
courage and rightly rise above patriarchy.

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