Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice it’s natural Size – Virginia Woolf.
The topic that I’ve chosen for my essay is Women’s in South Indian or specifically Malayalam Cinema. The first question the arises in my mind while watching any Malayalam movie is why does the nationally and internationally acclaimed Malayalam Cinema fail to represent women’s experiences.
Indian cinema has always been under the line of fire for its potrayal of women as objects of desire. Be it Mandakini, Parveen Babi or the current crop of actresses. From 'Sheila Ki Jawaani ' to 'Munni ki Badnaami ', its usually women who are utilised as objects of desire and sexual objects. The situation is no different in Indian culture where birth of a girl child is frowned upon with disdain in some parts of India and shockingly even among elite and educated Indians.
Indian cinema is the biggest culprit as the reach and impact by Commercial films is the most and it is shameful that such an industry still resorts to item songs and objectification of women without analyzing the negating impact on society.
In this attempt to engage with the broad problematic of a feminist film criticism in Malayalam cinema we must deconstruct gender as a constitutive element in film production. Cinematic traditions all across the world have given cause for concern among feminists and film critics owing to the dexterity with which