Shreya Sankar
690060595
Year 1
Research Abstract
01.11.21
An Exploration of Female Desire and Sexuality in Popular Hindi Cinema: Politics of
Representation in Indian Nationalist Discourse (1960-1980)
Abstract:
Female representations in Indian popular cinema have marked the changing modernities through
their various sexual configurations. The conversation around female sexuality and desire has been
depicted in a way that provides no agency to the woman. The ideal Indian femininity showcased
in films through their submissive nature is either an indication of resistance to the Western
modernity, or its evolution from it. My research will focus on how nationalism was redefined in
postcolonial India and its dependence on the feminine tropes in popular Hindi cinema. The early
‘60s to late ‘70s marks a defining point in the evolution of India’s postcolonial politics, cultural
nationalism, and modernity. These factors collectively impacted the construction of ideal
femininity which was then reworked in popular narratives. Even though there is no uniform
progression that can be seen directly in popular Hindi Cinema, the changes that came about during
this time period initiated a rather different projection of women on screen. This research will
attempt to locate the changing modalities in femininities and methods through which female
characters exhibited sexual behaviour, and study their implications on the politics of representation
in the postcolonial context.
Keywords:
femininity
Hindi Cinema, cultural nationalism, female sexuality, postcolonial, modernity,