Themes and Representation of Gendered Expression in Women- Centric Malayalam Cinema from 2018–2022

Abstract

Abstract

The Hema Committee report released on August 19, 2024 spotlights systemic discrimination, harassment, exploitation, and the overall working conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee was formed in response to a 2017 assault case involving a well-known Malayalam actress. The findings of the committee are being referred to as the #MeToo moment of the Malayalam film industry. Popular culture and cinema are often described as a mirror to society, reflecting and influencing existing gender roles, norms, expectations, stereotypes, and the position of women. Kerala, a state otherwise known for its high literacy rate and encouraging development indicators, recognized as a progressive society on gender parameters, is not indifferent to gender inequality. In this light, the present study examines how gender issues find expression in regional cinema, i.e., Malayalam films.

Five women-centric films from 2018–2022 were chosen to analyse prevalent themes and representations that the cinematic discourse brings to its audience as far as gender issues are concerned. Aami (2018), Prathi Poovankozhi (2019), Vaanku (2020), Sara’s (2021), and Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey (2022) were analysed employing narrative techniques, looking at ‘film as narrative’ (Speidel, 2012). These films, with female protagonists involved in crisis resolution without help from male characters, passed the Bechdel test (1985), a criterion designed to measure the lack of female agency and gender inequality in Hollywood films.

Regional cinema offers a powerful narrative to challenge existing discourse on gender in Indian society. Malayalam cinema is popularly perceived as progressive in its depiction of women. Despite criticism in the past, recent developments such as the formation of Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) in 2017 propelled more realistic, humane, and balanced portrayals of women. This study, by exploring the contemporary landscape of Malayalam films through women characters, offers a picture of themes presented, agency of women characters, voice given to women’s issues, and narratives deployed to represent them. The research reflects on whether women-centric Malayalam films challenge or reinforce traditional gender norms.

This comprehensive analysis highlights a dynamic cinematic landscape that attempts to be diverse, inclusive, and further the cause of women’s empowerment.

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