Patriarchy on Screen: The Construction of Sexist Culture in Indian Cinema

Bollywood has had a pervasive influence on India, leaving an indelible mark on its daily socio-political norms. Existing research proves that Bollywood's narrative is of cisgender men, made by cisgender men, primarily for cisgender men. Interestingly, this narrative also actively suppresses the cisgender men it claims to empower by constraining them to limited norms of idealistic masculinity. Consequently, three questions arise: (a) Why does the very system that oppresses certain groups find widespread acceptance among them? (b) What are the various ways this system asserts control over society and causes noticeable consequences? (c) How do we efficiently drive the Indian cinema industry away from this patriarchal setting to a more inclusive and equitable environment? By examining the intertwined threads of patriarchy, ageism, and heteronormativity, the paper aims to shed light on how these factors contribute to the perpetuation of a deeply ingrained sexist culture within the realm of Indian cinema, which undeniably then bleeds into the everyday settings of Indian society. Furthermore, this paper seeks to highlight the consequences of the gender norms portrayed in Bollywood and understand the reasoning behind their existence and continued acceptance. The paper will therefore closely examine real-life instances, character portrayals, and narrative choices that permeate a patriarchal ideology in Indian cinema.