Between Ritual and Refusal: Reimagining Gendered Scripts in South Asian Film

This analysis looks at how the films Mrs. (India) and Utshob (Bangladesh) portray gender as something built and policed within the home. Instead of treating femininity as an inherent trait, both movies show it as a series of repetitive chores and physical habits. I use Judith Butler's ideas on performativity to show how these everyday gestures create a sense of identity, while drawing on Foucault and Bordo to look at the strict discipline found in household routines. Kimberlé Crenshaw's work on intersectionality helps explain how class and family ties change the way these women can push back. Meanwhile, Sara Ahmed's affect theory provides a lens for seeing silence and hesitation as actual political choices. By looking closely at the camera work and pacing, I argue that these films find agency in small, quiet moments. Rather than loud rebellion, Mrs. and Utshob turn the kitchen and the living room into spaces where women can finally redefine themselves.