Women rights in this era of empowerment have assumed exclusivity. The power and freedom to exercise these rights is women empowerment. Women rights and empowerment are not independent of each other. The goal of the National Policy for the empowerment of women is to bring about the advancement, development and empowerment of women. Media has played a substantial role in creating awareness in the society. The impact of audio- visual aspect of media on society is beyond any conjecture. Given the proliferation of the visual media in modern life, it is important to locate the space occupied by gender (women) within it, more so the realm of cinema. Films by their wider audience reach not only reflect but reaffirm, also interrogate social and gender images and stereotypes. ‘Mother India’ is one classic example of empowerment of women through movies. Some movies depicted women as the torch bearers of values in the society. Hindi movies have depicted all problems faced by women in reality in all walks of life and have depicted various aspects of the lives of empowered women. This paper deals with the role played by movies in empowering women in the Indian society.

1. Emp werment
of Women
through Hindi
Movies

2. Empowerment of Women through Hindi Movies
• Dr. Vandana Pathak,
Asso. Prof. & Head, Dept. of English,
L.A.D. & Smt.R.P. College for Women, Nagpur.
and
• Dr. Geeta Hiranwar
Asso. Prof. and Head, Dept. of Sociology,
L.A.D. & Smt.R.P. College for Women, Nagpur.

4. Iconic Mother India

5. Path Breaking Mirch Masala

6. Astitva

7. salaam | namaste

8. Kya Kehna !

9. DOR

10. Lajja

12. Dil Bole Hadappa

13. TEJASWINI Damini

14. Impact of Movies
These Movies have
• Changed the social position
of a woman from
necessarily that of a
HOUSEWIFE/ OBJECT
Men now have competition
• And enabled them to realize
their full potential by
opening new doors

15. The Other Side !
Both roles are managed!
• Women, now-a-days,
manage both, the
household as well as their
work-places
• They are no longer ‘other’
in the society.
• Thus, they are even better!

16. What are the main contributors to
these causes of change ? ? ?
N P E W, 2001
• Mainly has three goals
a) Creating an environment through
positive economic and social
policies for full development of
women to enable them to realize
their full potential,
b) Equal access to health care,
quality education at all levels,
career and vocational guidance
etc,
c) Elimination of discrimination and
all forms of violence against
women and girl child.
Newer Welfare n Development
Oriented Laws
• Addition of Sec. 498-A
• Prohibition on Dowry
• Making Bride Burning an
offence
• Protection from Domestic
Violence
• Social Campagins, etc

17. Movies depict Reality ?
Movies are the Mirror of the society
• Movies depict the changes
that have been taking place in
the society over the years
• Tejaswini (Kiran Bedi)
• Nache Mayuri (Physically
Challenged)
• Aahista-Aahista (Devdasi
System)
• Aandhi (based on life of a very
famous political leader)
• Damini (reality of rape victims
and witnesses)

18. Impact
Appeal
• Large Audience
• Message conveyed more
effectively than a written
message
• Reaches women at the
grassroots of the society too
Shakti
• Shakti –an Indian
alternative to
empowerment
• Empowerment is gaining
power from outside
• Shakti stands for intrinsic
strength or power
• Eg: Movie Mirch Masala-
Sisterhood & Unity

19. Putting all movies together in a bucket. . .
. . .we get a woman who seems to
have found a niche for herself . . .
EMPOWERED WOMAN