DEMONIZING MOTHERHOOD: MIRRORING THE MONSTROUS FEMININE IN THE BOLLYWOOD HORROR MOVIE CHHORII (2021)

Motherhood is a profound and multifaceted experience transcending biological, emotional, and societal dimensions, traditionally idealised for love and compassion, and is venerated as the supreme soul of caregivers. For society to thrive, families play a key role, and mothers are one of the most important players in this process. This paper, on the contrary, investigates the abject terror a mother may undergo because of patriarchal structures. As the horror genre reflects societal anxieties and fears the archetype of motherhood is used by horror writers to unearth the fears associated with it as well as challenge the perceptions society has of motherhood. The prime purpose of this study is to deconstruct the archetypal image of a mother with the subversion of traditional motherhood that is culturally imposed on a woman. This research article is devoted to analysing the Bollywood horror film Chhorii (2021) through the lens of Barbara Creed’s theory of ‘Mostrous-Feminine’ that challenges Motherhood through a subversion of traditional conceptions of the role. With the help of the film, the researchers aim to manifest the disruption of socio-cultural expectations imposed on a mother and thereby explore her transgression of gender roles associated with motherhood by being monstrous in the narrative.