Gender Stereotypes in Bollywood: The Ongoing Battle

• ali22fareed
• Oct 6, 2024
• 2 min read

As a person who enjoys Bollywood movies now and then, I’ve noticed a recurring issue: how gender stereotyping is done, and it is done so subtly that we do not even notice it. Though some movies are improving, many of them still introduce a stereotypical and sexist image of a man or a woman.

There is one stereotype which is hard to overlook, which is the stereotype of women as submissive or powerless. In Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Kajol’s Simran is waiting for her father’s approval to marry Raj. Even though the female protagonist is assertive, she has no control over what happens to her in the future. Even today, there is a concept in Bollywood where women are expected to sit at home and wait for a man to come and take her away. Another recent example is Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), in which the feminine character Taani requires her husband to give her ‘feel something.’

Men in an aggressive role

On the other hand, men are often portrayed as ‘toxic’ and ‘aggressive’ like in Kabir Singh; toxicity and possessiveness are framed as signs of love. He also controls Preeti, his partner, and even slaps her once; however, this is endorsed because the man is ‘passionate’. Such a show of toxic culture being glorified can have

Women as objects of desire

‘Eye candy’ is another stereotype lingering in the shadows hit Bollywood cinema. In the case of Housefull (2010) or Dabangg (2010), for example, female roles exist mainly to look gorgeous and fulfil the storyline of the male hero. Their own stories rarely come on the main stage, and seldom have we seen them. Instead, they are immensely objectified, leading to the perception that their worth is linked to their attractiveness.

Thankfully, Bollywood is evolving towards a direction that goes against these stereotypes. We can watch movies like Queen (2013) and Tumhari Sulu (2017). The female leads in these movies appear to be accurate, independent and, most importantly, flawed, which helps viewers relate to the character slightly more. The movie Sullu is an interesting example because the main character starts living a life out of a Radio Jockey career, opposing the housewife stereotype.

As much as we are enthusiastic about the media coming out from Bollywood, we cannot ignore the perpetuated gender stereotype in these movies. While we can see progress, there is still a long way to go because these stereotypes exist. The best part is that the audience can control the shift according to the demands we create. So positive measures can be taken through awareness and change in demand.