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Indian Media and Women Images of Women: The Case of Bollywood Film The film Mother India (1957), directed by Mehboob Khan, stars Nargis, one of the most famous actors in India, in the title role. Her role embraces complex, sometimes contradictory images and identities of Indian women. You will also see an excerpt from the film, Pyaasa, directed by Guru Dutt, in which he sings about the degradation of women in prostitution despite the new, independent India. You will have the entire films here, and also excerpts that focus on the images and representations of women in these films. The words to the famous Pyassa song which Dutt sings are also here for you to read. On Mother India, you will have information on Nargis, the film's star. In films everywhere the star and the character he or she plays in the film are often meshed for viewers. Nargis's willingness to appear in unglamorous ways is important, as is her departure from film when she married. Nargis's character, her well-known affairs with director Raj Kapoor, her later marriage, and her political statements were all part of Bollywood expectations and contradictions for actresses and actors alike.

Female Deities

Durga, also known as Devi, Shakti, and numerous other names, is a principal and popular form of Hindu goddess. She is the warrior goddess, whose mythology centers around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity, and good. She is the fierce form of the protective mother goddess, willing to unleash anger against wrong, violence for liberation, and destruction to empower creation. Durga is depicted as a fearless woman riding a lion or tiger, with many arms, each carrying a weapon, often defeating the mythical buffalo demon. She appears in Indian texts as the wife of the god Shiva, as another form of Parvati, or mother goddess. She is equated with the concept of ultimate reality called Brahman and has a significant following all over India and Nepal. Durga is revered after spring and autumn harvests. The historian Ramaprasad Chanda stated in 1916 that Durga evolved over time in the Indian subcontinent. A primitive form of Durga, according to Chanda, was the result of "syncretism of a mountain-goddess worshiped by the dwellers of the Himalaya and the Vindhyas," a deity of the Abhiras conceptualized as a war-goddess. Durga then transformed into Kālī as the personification of the all-destroying time, while aspects of her emerged as the primordial energy integrated into the samsara (cycle of rebirths), an idea built on the foundation of the Vedic religion, mythology, and philosophy. Evidence indicates that Durga is an ancient goddess. The sixth-century CE inscriptions in early script already mention the legend of her victory over Mahishasura (buffalo-hybrid demon). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga

Santoshi Ma is a goddess who emerged from a film. The film opens in Dev Lok or "the world of the gods," a Hindu heaven located above the clouds, where we witness the "birth" of Santoshi Ma as the daughter of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of good beginnings, and his two wives Riddhi and Siddhi ("prosperity" and "success"). See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jai_Santoshi_Maa. The essay here nicely summarizes the film, its representation of women, and the film's appeal to women audiences.

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. She is the wife of Vishnu, the "preserver, protector" whenever the world is threatened with evil, chaos, and destructive forces. He is one of three major gods, along with Brahma and Shiva. Lakshmi is endowed with six auspicious and divine qualities and was born from the churning of the primordial ocean. She chose Vishnu as her eternal consort. When Vishnu descended to Earth as the avatars Rama, hero of the Ramayana epic, and Krishna, Lakshmi descended as Rama's consort Sita and as Krishna's consorts Rukmini and Radha. In Indian ancient scriptures, all women are declared embodiments of Lakshmi. The marriage between Lakshmi and Vishnu is the paradigm for the bride and groom in Hindu weddings. Lakshmi is depicted in Indian art as a prosperity-showering, golden-colored woman with an owl, signifying the importance of economic activity in life. She stands or sits on a lotus pedestal and holds a lotus in her hand, symbol of fortune, self-knowledge, and spiritual liberation. In images, she has four hands, which represent four goals important to Hinduism: law, passion/pleasure, meaningful purpose, and liberation. Archaeological discoveries and ancient coins suggest Lakshmi was worshipped by the first millennium BCE.

Radha, whose Sanskrit name means “prosperity, success,” is one of the Gopis, the women who herd cows. Radha was beloved of Krishna, who spends his time playing his flute among the Gopis. Radha is also considered the avatar of Lakshmi (goddess of wealth), just as Krishna is an avatar of Vishnu (one of the three main gods). Lakshmi is the consort of Vishnu. Radha is considered a metaphor for soul, her longing for Krishna is a symbol of longing for the divine. Radha is the name of the main character in Mother India, who is like the goddess in many ways.

Kālī is a Hindu goddess, a destroyer of evil forces, worshipped at times as the Divine Mother, Mother of the Universe. She is seen as a divine protector and the one who bestows liberation. Kālī is portrayed standing or dancing on her consort, the Hindu god Shiva, who lies calm and prostrate beneath her. Shiva, one of the three major gods (the Trimurti), is a destroyer and transformer, who creates, protects, and transforms the universe. Kālī is portrayed mostly in two forms: the popular four-armed form and the ten-armed form. In both, she is black or blue in popular Indian art. Her eyes are described as red with intoxication and in absolute rage, her hair is shown disheveled, small fangs sometimes protrude out of her mouth, and her tongue is lolling. She is often shown naked or just wearing a skirt made of human arms and a garland of skulls, accompanied by serpents and a jackal, while standing on Shiva, usually right foot forward to symbolize the popular right-handed path, as opposed to the transgressive left-handed path. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali

Here are images of Kālī with her consort Shiva devotedly lying beneath her feet so she can fight evil forces.

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5. Images of Women: The Case of Bollywood Film The film Mother India (1957), directed by Mehboob Khan, stars Nargis, one of the most famous actors in India, in the title role. Her role embraces complex, sometimes contradictory images and identities of Indian women. You will also see an excerpt from the film, Pyaasa, directed by Guru Dutt, in which he sings about the degradation of women in prostitution despite the new, independent India. You will have the entire films here, and also excerpts that focus on the images and representations of women in these films. The words to the famous Pyassa song which Dutt sings are also here for you to read. On Mother India, you will have information on Nargis, the film's star. In films everywhere the star and the character he or she plays in the film are often meshed for viewers. Nargis's willingness to appear in unglamorous ways is important, as is her departure from film when she married. Nargis's character, her well-known affairs with director Raj Kapoor, her later marriage, and her political statements were all part of Bollywood expectations and contradictions for actresses and actors alike.

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