Event Title
The Magnanimous Father in South Asian Films: Subverting or Supporting Patriarchal Norms?
Location
Diamond 242
Start Date
30-4-2015 9:00 AM
End Date
30-4-2015 10:25 AM
Project Type
Presentation
Description
I will examine the evolution of father-daughter relationships (including father-in-law, given the centrality of in-laws to the lives of women) in South Asian films, both Bollywood and more regional films. Through the examinations of these relationships, I will analyze how the treatment and role of women has changed within film and how this both informs and is shaped by larger societal contexts. Father-daughter relationships in films tend to both subvert and support the patriarchy through the fathers treatment, whether beneficent or cruel, of his daughter. This evolution in Bollywood and regional South Asian films indicates both chance and continuity in society with regards to the role and space women occupy in society, just as Shakespeares plays denoted his view of women through such relationships. I will show how three films Devi, Dharmputra, and Bend it Like Beckham portrayal of father-daughter relationships subtly subvert gender norms while also perpetuating patriarchal ideas regarding the position and power of women. I will also analyze how the relationships evolve from one to the next and how they fit in with the context of the time in which they were produced. This will also highlight how film can be both a mirror and an sculptor for society.
Faculty Sponsor
Nikky Singh
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Religious Studies Dept.
CLAS Field of Study
Humanities
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
1707
The Magnanimous Father in South Asian Films: Subverting or Supporting Patriarchal Norms?
Diamond 242
I will examine the evolution of father-daughter relationships (including father-in-law, given the centrality of in-laws to the lives of women) in South Asian films, both Bollywood and more regional films. Through the examinations of these relationships, I will analyze how the treatment and role of women has changed within film and how this both informs and is shaped by larger societal contexts. Father-daughter relationships in films tend to both subvert and support the patriarchy through the fathers treatment, whether beneficent or cruel, of his daughter. This evolution in Bollywood and regional South Asian films indicates both chance and continuity in society with regards to the role and space women occupy in society, just as Shakespeares plays denoted his view of women through such relationships. I will show how three films Devi, Dharmputra, and Bend it Like Beckham portrayal of father-daughter relationships subtly subvert gender norms while also perpetuating patriarchal ideas regarding the position and power of women. I will also analyze how the relationships evolve from one to the next and how they fit in with the context of the time in which they were produced. This will also highlight how film can be both a mirror and an sculptor for society.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2015/program/372