ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing ArtsISSN (Online): 2582-7472
MALE DIRECTORS CONTRIBUTING TO WOMEN EMANCIPATORY CINEMA: A PENTADIC ANALYSIS OF TWO INDIAN FILMS 1 Assistant
Professor, School of Media & Communication Studies, Doon University,
Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
1. INTRODUCTION In the
recent years there has been an intrepid effort by some filmmakers to break free
from the archaic layout of portraying genders, particularly the female gender.
This paper focusses on two of such films brought out by two, rather strong,
branches of the Indian film industry, The Great Indian Kitchen by the
Malayalam film industry and Sherni (transl.
Lioness) by the Hindi film industry. The
rationale of the study, hence, stems from this need to highlight these efforts
by filmmakers where female centric narratives are put forth for raising
pertinent questions regarding any kind of anomaly in society. In India, the
quest for achieving equality of genders is not new and has remained since long.
Hence, this research paper reflects upon these female centric narratives by
male directors and uses Burke’s pentad to analyse the five rhetorical elements
of act, scene, agent, agency, and purpose. The study
works around two main objectives which include analysing female portrayal and
highlighting female perspective in films directed by male directors. This has
been done using Burke’s pentad for identifying the elements
(agent-act-agency-scene and purpose) and defining dominant ratios and metaphors
in the texts. 2. Women Centric Cinema The
“prolonged mistreatment” Rath (n.d) of women in Indian cinema has been
discussed and in the recent years there have been conscious efforts by some
filmmakers to bring out the desired change. Hence, to completely discard the
efforts of the filmmakers commenting on issues relating to gender would be a
wrongdoing. There are some filmmakers who through “patriarchy smashing” Jain (2021) narratives have tried to change the
chronicling of gender in Bollywood. An article in scoopwhoop.com discusses
thirteen feminist films which are worth watching. Some of these films are Sandeep
aur Pinky faraar (2021), Sherni
(2021), Thappad (2020), Bulbul (2020),
etc., Jain (2021). However, the present-day
commercialised version of feminism in so called feminist cinema makes it
palatable to the masses, but removes the crucial
things that make women-centric issues and storylines engaging and thought
provoking Thusoo (2020). With
films like Thappad (transl. Slap, 2020), Tumhari Sulu (transl. Your Sulu, 2017), Jalsa
(transl. Bash; Party, 2022), Aiyyaa (transl.
Oh My!, 2012), English Vinglish (2012), Bulbbul (transl. Nightingale, 2020), etc. narratives
regarding women have seen a thematic expansion; the themes included, a woman
seeking divorce after getting slapped amidst a party when this was the only
offence committed by her loving husband, a married woman’s longing to have a
career which makes her a radio-jockey for a night show, a noted journalist
accidentally becoming an offender in a hit and run case the implication of
which is directly prejudicial to her house-help, a middle class Marathi girl’s
fantasies, a mother while learning English trying to reclaim her dignity and conquer
her fears, a child-bride becoming a victim of abuse, both physical and mental,
etc. An interesting thing to note here is that out of the six films mentioned
above four films, Thappad, Aiyyaa, Tumhari Sulu and Jalsa
have been directed by male directors, Anubhav Sinha, Sachin Kundalkar and Suresh Triveni. Suresh Triveni has directed
both Tumhari Sulu and Jalsa. Therefore,
the efforts of those storytellers who are striving to change the equations of
power and offer narratives that delve into the female consciousness should not
be ignored. In addition to this, if these efforts have been brought out by men
for women emancipatory cinema, then the probe into these filmic texts becomes
more interesting. 3. theoretical frAMEWORK The
theoretical base for this research lies in the Emancipatory Media Theory
discussed by McQuail in the book Mc Quail’s Mass
Communication Theory (1987). With the democratization of filmmaking,
the upsurge of different local and regional platforms and the society’s
engagement with the social media, cinematic narratives have expanded to include
issues of social importance. The
emancipatory media theory is that branch of critical theory that espouses the
potential for small-scale, grass-roots communication in channels independent
from dominant mass media. The guiding principles of this theory are
‘participation, interaction, smallness of scale, locatedness,
cultural autonomy and variety, emancipation and self-help’ McQuail (2010). Emancipatory cinema, also called
the Third cinema, is loosely defined as cinema that exists outside of the
imperialist, capitalist, bourgeois and colonial framework of narratives,
distribution, and sales. Also, John Downing’s (2000) expression ‘rebellious
communication’ can also be used for this cinema. Such a cinema ‘operates in a
positive way in the critical tradition McQuail (2010). One of
the tasks of such cinema can be female emancipation. Contextualising this
theory to the current film scenario in India, one can see that independent
filmmakers are donning small budget films with significant issues; media
abundance courtesy social media and other local and regional platforms, like Neestream, Sunnxt, AMBECine, etc., can also be noted. 4. Methodology The research paper uses rhetorical criticism as the core
methodology. It is a qualitative research methodology that is designed for the
systematic investigation and explanation of the symbolic acts and artifacts for
the purpose of understanding the rhetorical processes Foss
(2018). The method used under
this methodology was Pentadic Criticism explained in the subsequent paragraphs.
4.1. method 4.1.1. selecting the text The
rationale behind choosing these two films for analysing the female gaze centred
around three primary points. First, both the films break age-old stereotype of
the Indian films of following the formulaic representation of females and their
issues. The Great Indian Kitchen, doesn’t fit the common layout of Indian
cinema so much so that “it was rejected by Netflix and Amazon” Pandey (2021) and was initially streaming on Neestream; for Sherni, an article
in the Times of India writes that if anyone is “expecting the roar and
rumblings of a regular Bollywood film, this one is far from it” Sengupta (2021). Second,
both films stimulated, in the media, a response, both written and spoken, that
indicated that the public had associated both movies with having an uncommon
tone that is generally absent in Indian films. The third reason was the ready
availability of these films on the OTT platforms that made it possible for the
researcher to watch them a repeated number of times for conducting the
analysis. The thoughtful inclusion of the female point of view, in the selected
films, is a rare sight in Indian cinema, which can be cited as the fourth
reason for choosing these films. Kapoor (2023) 4.1.2. Analysis technique Films
are, after all, rhetorical as well as dramatic constructs. They attempt to
influence the way we think and the way we feel; and more broadly they attempt
to persuade us of their own truth and value. Viewed from this angle, films are
arguments, and so it would seem worthwhile to consider, in relation to film,
some of the tenets of rhetoric-the formal discipline which has argument as its
subject Behrens (1979). Hence, this paper uses the Burke’s
Pentad, one of the perspectives of Rhetorical Criticism, to analyse the two
films. Pentadic
criticism is rooted in dramatism, the label Burke gives to the analysis of
human motivation through terms derived from the study of drama. As rhetors
describe their situations, they do so by using the five basic elements of a
drama—act, agent, agency, scene, and purpose Foss (2018). For identifying all the five
elements, entire lengths of the films were viewed multiple times to make notes.
The first few viewings helped in identifying the five elements, while later
viewings helped in identifying the dominant ratios between the any two elements
in the films. Hence, three operations were performed by the researcher: (1)
labelling the five terms of agent, act, scene, purpose, and agency in the
artifact; (2) applying the ratios of the terms to identify the dominant term;
and (3) identifying motive from the dominant term. 5. Analysis 5.1. TEXT 1: The Great Indian Kitchen The Great
Indian Kitchen (2021) is a story of a newlywed girl, whose name has not been
revealed in the story. The film, through minimal dialogues, reflects upon the
dilemmas of this newly wed woman. The story, by using the kitchen and its
allied activities as a metaphor, showcases her indecisiveness and gradually, as
the narrative progresses, her disgust to choose between her dignity and the
expectations of society. 5.1.1. PENTADIC ANALYSIS OF TEXT 1 ·
Agent: The researcher identified a duality regarding the agents in the film.
The first set of agents in the film are the newlywed girl, played by actor
Nimisha Sajayan, and other women who appear from time
to time to structure the narrative for exploring and highlighting patriarchy.
Though not all these women share the same perspective in the story, yet their
presence makes the audience realise of the similarity in the life of womenfolk.
These women, apart from the protagonist wife, are the mother-in-law, the house
help, Ammai (the husband’s aunt), and
newlywed girl’s mother. The internalization of patriarchy is seen in these
women’s characterization. Whether siding with Nimisha’s character or otherwise,
all women are engaged in similar kinds of work which makes a ground for the
second basic element-the act of the narrative. However,
before discussing the acts, it is pertinent to highlight the second set of
agents, in the absence of which the director would not have been able to make a
point he is intending. This set includes the men in the narrative, the husband,
the father-in-law and the annoying uncle who is
preachy and obsessive about black tea and priest along with his followers. ·
Act(s): As
mentioned above, the act(s) of the story, as carried out by the women, is the
unending and taxing work. These acts are done by the protagonist wife, and the
other women in the narrative, the mother-in-law, the cook who comes to help in
the kitchen on various occasions, Ammai (husband’s
aunt) who visits to provide help during Nimisha’s menstrual cycle and the women
in Nimisha’s father’s house. The film highlights the homogenous lives of all
the women. The only anomaly can be seen in Nimisha’s dancer friend whose
husband, while sitting on the stairs, discusses his lunch plans which he is
going to cook. The act
of the film unfolds in the repetitiveness of the close-up shots of the hands
engaged in chopping, cooking, mopping, cleaning, etc. These acts in close-up
and accompanied by the real diegetic sounds, give the required verisimilitude
to the film, making it relatable to the Indian audience. The ‘acts’
corresponding to men were exercising, eating food, reading newspaper, going out
for work and leisure, demanding comforts, etc. Also, these acts didn’t have any
sound. There was a complete silence while these acts were shot symbolically
emphasising calmness, security, slow-pace, etc. ·
Agency: The
means and instruments (the agency) used by the wife and other women to
accomplish the aforementioned act(s) include urgency
and sense of duty. Both these ideas emerge from the aforementioned concept of
the ‘internalization of gender roles’. Though, the
female protagonist in the film, comes from a liberal upbringing yet she
emulates her mother-in-law (and mother, which is implied), in assuming her role
as a homemaker. Hence, the self-proclaimed servitude, often misunderstood as
care and compassion, is the agency which determines most of the acts in the
film. The agency used by men in the narrative is an exact opposite of the
urgency seen in the women. Theirs is a slow, laid back, peaceful pace sans any
urgency and sense of duty. Their idea of duty, as highlighted in the text, is
mainly proprietorial and top-down, manifested through acts like managing and
locking the jewellery by the father-in-law before the mother-in-law’s travel to
their daughter’s house, the husband instructing the wife on what can be shared
on the social media, religious duties, like going to the pilgrimage, etc. ·
Scene: The
scene in the film, as identified by the researcher, is the girl’s rendezvous
with the inequality that comes as hushed deal after marriage. The film
throughout its course through various acts establishes the scene, highlighting
the disgust, which is metaphorically shown as repugnance for smelly hands, of
the newlywed at being at the receiving end of things. It sketches her need and
urge for self-identity; simultaneously also delineating her annoyance and
abhorrence that paves a way for an unexpected closure. ·
Purpose: The
Purpose of the narrative is to probe into the unequal power relationships that
prevail between men and women in the Indian society. It also proposes a gape
into the internalization of this typecasting by women since generations, so
much so that any radical thought is received unpleasantly by them. The
narrative’s drive to look into the gender dynamics
critically and reveal the hegemony is significant. With examples like denying
basic needs of religious emancipation, cleanliness, and sexual pleasure the
underlying hegemony is unveiled. 5.2. TEXT 2: SHERNI Sherni
(2022) is a story about, Vidya Vincent, a jaded Divisional Forest Officer (DFO)
in the Indian Forest Service, who has spent 9 years in the service awaiting a
promotion. Vidya is tasked with the capturing of a man-eater tigress. In her
quest to save the tigress and her cubs from being hunted by the hunters who are
working in close coordination with the head of the forest range, she faces
challenges of all kinds. The tigress is hunted down by the hunters, yet Vidya
manages to save the cubs. Through her struggles, the narrative highlights the
problems faced by women in their workplaces, even when they are in higher
administrative positions involving exercise of delegated legislations and
discretions. 5.2.1. PENTADIC ANALYSIS OF TEXT 2 ·
Agent: A
close look at the text reveals that the main agent in the film is the forest
officer, Vidya Vincent, who doesn’t seem to find her work ethics and life
concepts making any sense in her place of work. The director has cleverly and
purposively decided on a female ‘agent’ as it gives a point-of-view that is
generally missing in the films, ‘the female gaze’, on things, systems, and
people. The “female gaze” is a term used in recent years to describe art that
subverts the ubiquitous male perspective Smith (2020). Though,
Vidya, makes the main agent in the film yet there is another agent, Hassan
Noorani, played by noted actor Vijay Raaz, whose presence solidifies the
narrative in the favour of inclusivity of all forms of life in (re) thinking
development. These agents, Vidya and Raaz, are the key players who question the
veiled hegemony in the system with respect to supremacy of the
human race, which pushes animals to the periphery and makes them the
receivers of human whims and vagaries. When
looking at the duality of agents in the narrative, the researcher observed that
the characters opposing Vidya’s disposition, majorly the men, the hunter, the
ex-MLA, the sitting MLA, the boss and Mr. Nangia have
to be accounted for when analysing this text. Vidya and her
boss (and some subordinates), are disposed in opposing ideologies
vis-à-vis the feminist dialogue which is manifested in the boss, Mr. Bansal,
bending before powerful men in the film and snubbing off any suggestions given
by her. Another ideological dichotomy is visible between Vidya and the hunter,
Ranjan Rajhans aka Pintu Bhaiya. His complete disregard for the female forest
officer is apparent in his demeanour manifested in his dire need to take things
in control and offering solutions which a female forest officer would not be
able to provide. Hence, the two-fold characterisation, and as a result the two
kinds of agents in the film are cleverly designed by the auteur to make the
desired point. ·
Act: The
subtlety of Vidya’s character makes the most important act of the film. Despite
all odds, the audience never finds her overwhelmed. Her ‘acts’ of conducting
her duties well, which manifest in her giving a show-cause notice to the
defaulting contractor, helping Mr. Noorani organise an event for educating the
villagers of the interdependence on nature, relentlessly trying to locate the
tigress with her cubs and finally doing everything to save the cubs from the
insensitivity of the system. Her protestive acts, a way of silent dissent,
include hiding the oil bottle which her boss is desperately trying to find,
denying the hunter any help, deciding to not bear children, etc. Inspecting
the other set of agents, the men in the narrative, except Mr. Noorani, the acts
done by them correspond to insensitivity, being control freaks, bending before
power structures, opportunism, etc. ·
Agency: The
instruments and means used by Vidya to carry out the act in the film is her
resilience. Whether it is being subject to the skewed power structures at the
workplace and being pushed to the periphery by her seniors by the virtue of
being a female; or at home, agreeing to her mother-in-law’s request to wear
some jewellery before going for a dinner get-together, she maintains a calm and
balanced demeanour. Nonetheless, she spots all the inequality and registers her
protest when required; at work by being honest to her work and at home by
confiding in her husband. Resilience, patience and
light-heartedness, are the elements of agency used by Mr. Noorani, the
zoologist. He, like Vidya, despite all odds remains committed to change the
narrative regarding man-animal conflict by conducting awareness drives to
instil sensitivity amongst the villagers dealing with animal conflict on a
day-to-day basis. ·
Scene: The
scene in the film, as noted by the researcher, is every woman’s quest to
sustain herself in a male-dominated world. This has been demonstrated in the
film through Vidya’s character, employed in a work place
predominated by men. The scene, denotatively, discusses a man-eater tigress’s
containment and its challenges; yet connotatively it touches aspects of human
reality seeing-through power structures latent in society that ultimately lead
to gender inequality and insensitivity, male domination, market forces that
exploit nature, political motivations fostering these power set-ups for
self-profit, etc. The film’s scene touches so many aspects that actually are intertwined when being looked from the vantage
point of an audience. The scene also showcases the media’s intervention only to
sensationalise the entire issue for attracting eyeballs and playing the TRP
game. ·
Purpose: The
Purpose of the story is to highlight the female portrayal and female
perspective in the status quo, where women, even when they are holding
significant positions in the system, are at the receiving ends of the whims and
caprices of the patriarchal structure. 5.3. Ratios in both texts: idealism and realisM The
dominant pentadic elements in Text 1 and 2 symbolize realism and idealism
respectively. Realism, in Text 1, is highlighted by the use
of Act-Act ratio. This ratio seems to predominate the narrative. The
‘act’ in the film, as explained earlier, corresponds to two agents, the men,
and women, highlighting the dichotomy of gender roles. The film looks like a
collage of close-up shorts of hands (of women) uninterruptedly engaged in
household chores primarily, chopping, washing, brooming, cleaning, cooking, tempering
food, etc. Also, the act emphasises on the detailing in cooking, establishing
metaphors of unhindered work with monotony and hegemony. The monotony here, is
two-fold, one is the humdrum of urgency in contrast to the routine of self-care
symbolising exploitation and liberty respectively. Realism makes the narrative
credible for the Indian audiences and provides a deep and uncommon gaze at the
routine affairs of homemaker women; tasks that do not get the requisite
consideration. In Text
2, the virtue of Idealism is put forth using the Agent-Act Ratio, where we see
both primary agents, Vidya and Noorani, working tirelessly towards the
fulfilment of their duty. Additionally, this ratio also investigates the
“connection between character and behaviour” King et al. (2021) and hence the acts done by these
agents become significant. The subtle but firm acts performed by the agent(s)
underscore the virtue idealism through honesty, dutifulness, sensitivity for
every creature and responsibility towards environment. These qualities are
placed diametrically opposite to the characteristics of the other agents, and
make the main fabric of the film, for the audience rely on these agents
throughout the narrative in hope for a moral conclusion. The film’s commentary
on ecofeminism is significant and uses the agents to highlight the anomalies
present in society. 5.4. SYMBOLISM in the texts Both
films, ingeniously, make use of connotations to accentuate the female portrayal
and female point of view. In Text 1, the houses of both families, the husband’s and wife’s, furnish a symbolic dichotomy. The
houses of both families are diametrically different; the husband’s house looks
more like the Kerala (the Indian state, where the film is set) household, both
structurally (and ideologically). The traditional architectural style of the
houses in Kerala is called Nalukuttu where nalu means four and kettu means
blocks; it refers to a rectangular structure where four blocks are linked by an
open courtyard H.S. (n.d.). On the other hand, the wife’s house
has a modern architecture with a lawn, porch, and a contemporary front
elevation. Second symbolism is offered in the yellow car, which initially is
placed as dowry representing patriarchy while in the last scene its placement
symbolises liberation when Nimisha’s character uses it for commuting to her
workplace. The third symbolic element are the stairs; in one instance when the
newlywed girl gets a call from her friend, the stairs become an image here to
give a vantage to the audience where one setting shows ascendency while the
other shows the protagonist’s descendance. The fourth imagery is seen when the
newly wed makes her way out of the house; she passes by a group of people who
are protesting for “preservation of religious customs” in context of the
Sabrimala1 Controversy, the camera then pans to a nearby wall with
the picture of Che Guevara, submitting that in a democracy voice(s) of dissent
of all kinds exist together. Text 2, Sherni, has a slower pace, yet there is psychological
urgency felt by the audience as everyone in the movie, the forest friends,
Vidya, Mr. Noorani, ex-MLA, sitting MLA, villagers, etc., are all trying to
find the tigress. This pace is the primary symbol which connotates the lull
before the storm. Another symbol can be spotted in the museum where Vidya is
in-charge, there are a lot of stuffed animals and there is a tranquillity; this
calm is different from the silence of the forest, as it denotes stagnation. The
close-up of 70 years old stuffed tiger inside the glass cubicle cross-cutting
to Vidya’s close-up, metaphorically shows two victims of patriarchy. This
visual also connotates the trapped tigresses that Vidya is, highlighting the
tokenistic women empowerment; it connotes that patriarchy appreciates tigresses
(read women) that are dead and toothless, hence showing acquiescence to its set
up and being a showpiece for wider spectatorship. The close-up of a
touch-me-not plant, closing itself, in the film, is another symbol suggesting
over-exploitation and voicelessness of the browbeaten. 6. Discussion The two
films studied for this research paper focus on gender centric discussion, to be
precise. These films are a response to the growing concerns in the academic
corridors for a just and accurate representation of the gender dynamics in the
Indian society. Subtlety
and minimalism are the two significant choices made by both auteurs belonging
to two different linguistic and regional groups; thus emphasising, that to be
heard it is not always important to make a loud noise. Both films, using each
component of the pentad make visible the hegemonic structures present in
society that we sometimes tend to ignore. The
posters of both films are also minimalistic and simple with no punch lines. The posters of the Great Indian Kitchen, are unassuming and
show the newly-weds in different settings, as a happy and content couple. The
kitchen forms the background in one poster. The posters of Sherni
are also unpretentious and show Vidya Balan amidst the jungle, with the
wilderness being the main backdrop in all the pictures. The posters of both
films do not give any peep into the complex narratives that these are. Both
films provide a counter-hegemonic culmination, which gives a sense of
empowerment to the spectator. However, in text 2 i.e., Sherni,
Vidya calls out the hypocrisy of the senior, which is quite empowering, yet
as a result of this valour, ends up serving in a
museum; gets confined to a workplace that requires less public dealing. The
decision of both auteurs to use females as the main protagonists in their
films, has upheld the entire conversation by providing the female point of view
and thus making an anti-essentialist narrative. Thus, both films stand out from
the array of films that stereotypically represent genders. Another significant
observation was that in both films the protagonists are opinionated and
agentic, and do not require male support and agency to voice and realise their
issues. 7. Conclusion The happenstance of feminine point of view, in cinematic narratives in India, should be acknowledged, more so when these have been offered by male auteurs. The instances, though limited, where the male directors have given a considerable thought to female portrayal and female perspective, give hope and optimism. Such empathetic narratives would pave a way for a just and fair world, for empathy is a pre-requisite for equality. The films discussed in the paper are two such gems of Indian cinema that provide a profound look into issues faced by women at home and in workplace. Note Sabrimala is a temple in the state of Kerala, India, dedicated to God Aiyyappa. The temple practices ban on women aged between 10 years -50 years entering the premises. Women above 50 years can enter the temple.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS None. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS None. REFERENCES Behrens, L. (1979). The Argument in Film: Applying Rhetorical Theory to Film Criticism. Journal of University Film Association, 31(3), 3-11. Accessed 2023, August 5. Foss, S. K. (2018). Pendatic Criticism.” In Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice, by Sonja K Foss, 368-410. Illinois, USA: Waveland Press, Inc. H.S. (n.d.). Accessed 2023, July 24. Jain, A. (2021). 24 June. Accessed 2023, September 3. Kapoor, E. (2023). Indian Film Industry Lost 24 Million Moviegoers to the Pandemic: Ormax. 14 February. Accessed 2023, July 24. King, R., McGeough, E., & Andrew. (2021). Dramatism and Kenneth Burke’s Pentadic Criticism.” In Rhetorical Criticism: Perspectives in Action, by Jim A Kupers, 155-175. London: Rowman & Littlefield. McQuail, D. (2010). “Normative Theory of Media & Society.” In McQuail's Mass Communication Theory, by Denis McQuail, 138-160. London: Sage. Accessed 2023, July 24. Pandey, G. (2021). 11 February. Accessed 2023, August 5. Rath, S. (n.d). Accessed 2023, August 5. Sengupta, S. (2021). Sherni Review. 18 June. Accessed 2023, August 5. Smith, G. (2020). 22 February. Accessed 2023, September 10. Thusoo, S. (2020). Feminist Cinema. 30 October. Accessed 2023, September 10.
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