This presentation was presented in Class presentation in Semester 3 of M.A. (English) at Department of English, M.K. Bhavnagar University. This presentation is on Postcolonial Studies which deals with Subaltern of Brown women: Failure of Bollywood in depicting them. Brown women have been subaltern of Patriarchy and Colonizers and also the film have depicted women in their traditionally as a subaltern, idea women, wife, daughter, mother, amp and courtesan.

1. The Subaltern
brown women:
Failure of
bollywood Cinema
Prepared by: Jheel Barad
Department of English, MKBU
Paper no,:203 The Postcolonial Studies

2. I am Jheel Barad
Roll No.: 12
Enrollment no.: 4069206420210003
Sem.: 3 (M.A.)
Paper no.: 203 Paper code: 22408
Paper name: The Postcolonial Studies
Topic: The Subaltern Brown Women: Failure of Bollywood Cinema
Submitted to: Smt S.B. Gardi, Department of English, M.K.B.U
E-mail: jheelbarad@gmail.com

3. Post-colonial
feminism
Gayatri C. Spivak
Simone De Beauvoir
Bollywood cinema
conclusion
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01
02
03
04
05

4. POST COLONIAL FEMINIST CRITICISM
Response to feminism focusing solely on the experiences of women in
western cultures and former colonies.(Weedon )
Postcolonial feminism originated in the 1980s as a critique of feminist
theorists in developed countries pointing out the universalizing tendencies
of mainstream feminist ideas and argues that women living in
non-Western countries are misrepresented.(Weedon )
Term "woman" as a universal group, women are then only defined by their gender and not by social
class, race, ethnicity, or sexual preference.(NARAYAN)
3rd wave of feminism- on account of race, gender, class, and the long-lasting political, economic, and
cultural effects of Colonialism affect non-white, non-Western women in the Postcolonial
world.(Mohanty)

5. WOMEN’S CONDITION
In Simone de Beauvoir's work The Second sex (1949), talks about ‘Woman’s Situation
and Character’ In chapter 5.
- Conditions created and practised by men in society are responsible for the faults
and problems of women.
Product of her own situation.
Faults and problems are not natural nor the result of her hormones or the result of the predetermined structure of
her brain.
Situation- economic, social and historical conditions created by men; Character- women’s behaviour and their
faults
Lack of technical training like men and do not deal with practical
matters; exposure and experience which is reinforced
by women’s household activities.
Her ignorance and ineffectiveness forces her to worship masculine heroes and respect masculine laws.
(Kulkarni )

6. There is a huge world of feminine experience that is beyond the
reach of men. Women understanding of man’s world as their living don't
teach them to use logic and
technique.
Man believes in ethical rules but that is only on an abstract universal level.
Situations created by man determines woman’s character and that man’s
self- interest, duplicity and dominating tendencies are responsible for her faults and follies.
Third world countries under
“One is not born, but rather becomes a woman.”
Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex (1949).
(Kulkarni )

7. Women as subaltern
Subaltern Studies Project 1982 under Ranajit Guha
Historiography only celebrated the actions of elite.
This project explored and recorded them and gave voice to subaltern
The Subaltern is borrowed by Spivak from the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci.
Spivak’s well- known argument is that the subaltern cannot speak for him/ herself because the very
structure of colonial power prevents the speaking.(Chaudhury)
Ranajit Guha. refers to subalterns as
“devoid of consciousness, and hence
without the ability to make their own
histories’
(Venugopal et al. )

8. Her feminist stances-
1. Her demonstration of the failure of the Indian natonalist movement to free lower- class subaltern
women
2. Criticism of western feminism for neglecting class, religion. Languge and natina;ity difference and
totaliisng attempt at creating a universal feminist theory
3. Her awareness of her being a Third World woman. (Kulkarni )
Spivak points out voice of woman is effaced in the discourse of booth nationalism and colonialism: she is
spoken up for.
Patriarchy- women- men- gender (Nair)
In Patriarchal society women are assigned particular roles- as wife- mother,
daughter which are completely dependent on male; Reduce her identity to her
relation with men.
Trained since childhood to believe that motherhood and wifely roles are
goals to aspire to. It naturalises unequal relationship between genders.
(Kulkarni )

9. For the colonised women speaking is more impossible because of both colonialism and
patriarchy.
Argues the work of intellectuals is to make visible the position of the marginalised.
The subaltern needs to be spoken for
British assumed the authority and prerogative to speak for the oppressed native.
In Can the Subaltern Speak? She dealt with the issue of Sati and demonstrated that both
Hindu cultural practices serve to repress the voice and agency of women.
In ‘Can the Subaltern Speak?’, Spivak
offers the sentence ‘White men are
saving brown women from brown
men’
(Chaudhury) (Kulkarni )

10. Bollywood Cinema
1940s-60s dealt with social issues of the working class, nationalist and patriots
sentiment.
1970s social agenda to action and romance New genre- NRI film
One aspects which has remind same is depiction of woman.
“Presents a woeful picture of discriminnation and marginalised women. (Mistry )
Before NRI films role of womens were as wife, mother, vamp, courtesan.(Ramkissoon)
NRI films (interracial relationship)- women removed from the subaltern role but only through help of whitemen.
Spivak claims- ‘White men saving brown women from brown men.’
Brown women cannot speak in films.

11. Bollywood synecdoche of history and culture and also influential in society and interpretation of others.
“It is a kind of cinema, that has, since the mid 1990s, brought the NRI decisively into the center of the
picture of a more stable figure of Indian identity the anything that can be found indigenously. (Ramkissoon)
bollywood in the Indian- American Diaspora
it is medium to examine Indian culture, nationalism, modernity and identity (k
Man friendly films;
The subaltern role dictated to brown women- wife, mother, vamp, coutessan(Agarwal)
Women as hysterical subjects in need of male dominance in order to achieve balance (Chaudhury)

12. Ideal Mother- subjugated and disempowered role;
Three characteristics “sacrificing, suffering and silent” (Arkar)
Mother India (1957), Midnight’s Children (2012) , Secret Superstar(2017) ,
Helicopter EEla (2018)
They don't have right on themselves, separate from sexua identities.
Ideal Wife- Sita a from Ramayana a role model; fidelity and virginity.
“Loyal and obedience to the husband… and perfect figures and martyrs to their families” (tere)
“ their grievances, desires, ambitions, feelings and perspectives are completely missing in the
scene” (tere)
Mostly homely, content to stay happily ever after in the institution of
marriage even if educated and keep to carve an identity of one’s own
(tere)
Secret Superstar (2017), KKKG (2001), Aitraaz(2004)

13. Vamp- anti- heroine.
“The flen, unchaste women who seduces the hero.” (das)
Takes revenge for not accepting her love
Priyanka Chopra in Aitraaz (2004), Ekta Kapoor daily soaps
Courtesan/ prostitute- sympathetic because ocupation adhering
“The word can turn a woman into courtesan, but courtesan can never become a
woman’ (Booth)
Gangubai (2022), Madhuri Dixit in Devdas (2002),
Popularization of NRI films shift in this orthodox paradigm.
Bride and Prejudice (2004) , The Namesake (2006), Pooja in KKKG
Moushumi - she is happier when she is with non- Indian because it provides
her more liberation.

14. Conclusion
As postcolonial feminism is itself a critique of Western feminism, criticism of postcolonial
feminism is often understood as a push back from Western feminism in defense of its aims. One
way in which the Western feminist movement criticizes postcolonial feminism is on the grounds
that breaking down women into smaller groups to address the unique qualities and diversity of
each individual causes the entire movement of feminism to lose purpose and power. This criticism
claims that postcolonial feminism is divisive, arguing that the overall feminist movement will be
stronger if women can present a united front.(Bulbeck )
While today things are changing slowly and
steadily
Progressive movie- Thappad (2020) , Pink
(2016), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015)

15. Works Cited
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https://www.academia.edu/8758726/Changing_Roles_of_Women_in_Indian_Cinema. Accessed 5 October 2022.
Akhtar, Zoya, director. Dil Dadakne Do. Excel Entertainments, Junglee Pictures, 2015.
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16. Chadda, Gurinder, director. Bride and Prejudice. Miramax Films, 2004.
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18. THANK YOU