BIO

Hi! My name is Peter Oh and I am 2nd year philosophy major.

Representation in Female-Directed Bollywood Films

Abstract

Cinema and other cultural artifacts inhabit a special place in a cultural landscape in that they both influence
and are influenced by the societies in which they originate. For this reason, our research project has focused
on the portrayal of women in Bollywood, the leading film industry of India, where women have traditionally
been characterized according to misogynistic interpretations of a woman’s role in society. However, there
has been a recent increase in female directors employed in the industry. This change has made Bollywood an
interesting case study. In this project, we gathered information through qualitative surveys that surrounded
the role of women in Bollywood films directed by women and released to wider audiences. Researchers
compiled this data through the survey database of Qualtrics to identify certain taboo behaviors, articles of
clothing, and other indicators exhibited by female characters. Although the study is still in its early phases,
this project highlights preliminary results from more than twenty films.

Keywords: Female representation, Bollywood