BIO

Riordan was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida. Currently a Freshman at FSU, he is already pursuing a degree in Communications and Media and plans to pursue another degree in Economics. His interests include writing, philanthropy, and history, and has plans on starting his own business and pursuing a career in Journalism. Riordan would like to thank his research Mentor, Rebecca, for welcoming him to her project and helping him grow as a Research Assistant, Emily and Stephen for their amazing partnership, and family and friends for always supporting him.

Portrayal of Women in Bollywood films and What Does it Mean?

Abstract

Bollywood films are most popular in India but due to the expansion in the global market, we have seen a rise of such films in the United States especially. While our research is primarily on how female characters are being portrayed by female directors, it is important to understand why such research is relevant. Most commonly, women are portrayed as distressed damsels or submissive to their male counterparts in historical Indian cinema. Not only does this reinforce negative stereotypes, but it does not provide a positive image of women to potentially young and impressionable audiences. Despite these harmful depictions, the Bollywood industry has a mass following and continues to be a lucrative asset--proving its global impact. Suffice to say, the impact of how women are portrayed in Bollywood films is crucial to shaping how they are perceived outside of the cinema. In analyzing several films directed by female directors, our research has illuminated whether or not these depictions are maintained or changed and how that has impacted future perceptions of women.

Keywords: Bollywood, Women, Portrayal, Film