Abstract

Gender representation in sports is one of the main concerns in the present scenario (Amaljit, 2021). In films, women are measured on the standards of societal norms subjected to male perspective leading to inequality and discrimination. Women representation in Indian sports films has faced challenges to establish their identity as sportswomen on-screen. Hindi cinema has contributed to sports genre with more women-oriented sports films than other regional films in India. However, films are made from the eye of male perspective; narrative being driven by men. Today sports movies have become a teaching and inspiration medium (Ghoshal, 2018). The present study aims to find how sportswomen are represented in Hindi Sports Films with reference to parameters of Feminist Film Theory, using Laura Mulvey’s essay on “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”. The films are observed and analyzed keeping the parameters- Narrative driven by men, male gaze, voyeurism and narcissism (scopophilia); and by understanding the elements of feminist theory. A total of 10 Hindi feature films centering women as sports players are selected between the period of 2007 and 2021. The researchers use qualitative approach for the study with content analysis using coding technique and Feminist Film Theory as a theoretical framework. The study directs to showcase the frequency of inequality between men and women portrayed in the films in addition to establishing the character arcs of leading ladies, pointing towards their identities as sportswomen

Keywords

Gender, Sports, Films, Representation, Sportswomen, Feminist Film Theory, Laura Mulvey