Understanding Gender Disparity in Indian Films through Data Visualisation
The Long History of Women's Underrepresentation in Indian Cinema: An Introduction
Indian cinema has graced us with a splendid list of remarkable films that have captivated audiences, for over a century. Yet, amidst this cinematic journey, it’s essential to pause and reflect on the portrayal of women over time.
Gender disparities in Bollywood are deeply rooted and perpetuated by a combination of historical norms, societal expectations, and systemic biases. Women still face significant pay gaps compared to their male counterparts, even when both roles are comparable. There is a widespread scarcity of female lead characters who, for the majority of the time, have been sidelined in the male-dominated industry. The situation isn’t better behind the camera either. With only a handful number of female writers, directors, and producers, a lack of diverse perspectives within the cinema industry is imminent. Ageism also affects female actors, with fewer substantial roles being offered to older women, making it a considerable homogeneous mixture of aged males. Hyper-sexualization, objectification, and typecasting are several other stereotypes amongst a few that are distinctly visible in most films that reinforce traditional gender norms, setting harmful standards that leave a deep and lasting impact on the viewers, and at the same time, normalizing dangerous patriarchal values.
As a part of my graduation course, I worked on a self-driven 4-month-long design graduation project that aimed to delve deep into the complex issue of gender disparity within Indian cinema involving a comprehensive exploration and analysis of the issue through various design principles and methodologies to shed light on the systemic challenges that hinder women’s progress in the Indian film industry.
Throughout this journey, I approached the subject with a firm belief in the power of art and media to bring about transformative social change. My aim through this project is to ignite conversations and inspire change so that women in Indian cinema can flourish unhindered by stereotypes, prejudices, or limitations. Together, exploring the art of storytelling through a lens of equality, and endeavor to transform the narrative of Indian cinema, making it a reflection of our diverse society, rich with the varied perspectives and experiences of both men and women alike.
Vastness and Major Milestones of Indian Cinema: Research
For the purpose of this project, I began my research by comprehensively exploring the landscape of Indian cinema. This was done by diving deep into distinct styles and genres such as art, commercial, and parallel cinema, along with regional and unconventional films. The initial observations revealed noticeable trends and patterns, hence giving me a direction to proceed with my focus. But even then, there was a significant need for more research. Subsequently, I started looking into the historical evolution and timeline of Indian cinema, critically analyzing important milestones and their implications. These included analyzing the transformation in the cinematic portrayal of protests and revolts, along with societal events and their influences over time. I looked at renowned filmmakers like Mira Nair, Aparna Sen, Meghna Gulzar, Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak, and other independent filmmakers and their works. This introduced me to Satyajit Ray’s concept of the “male gaze” and what it means in the world of cinema.
While reading and researching existing materials, the portrayal of female companionships and friendships in cinema was one area that I felt connected to the most, and at the same time, lacking in our cinema. This paved the initial direction for my project. After following a more female-oriented direction, I came across a stirring and extremely well-researched report done by Ping-Pong Studio in 2022 titled, “OWOMANIA”, which addressed women in Indian cinema.
Women's under-representation is a prominent topic well-known to all of us. Yet there is a substantial lack of study done regarding the underlying factors of the issue. Addressing the prevailing research gap necessitates recognizing the absence of comprehensive studies to back it up and understand the root cause of it. One of the major issues that I faced was looking at films in an objective manner. What are some particular aspects I want to highlight and talk about? What are the factors that I want to consider? What is the aim and what do I want to convey? After brainstorming for a few days, I retraced my steps back to my research and recollected, which is when I stumbled upon the term Bechdel Test.
A Saving Grace: The Bechdel Test
The Bechdel Test was introduced by Alison Bechdel and is an interesting approach to see if a film has enough female representation. Although the Bechdel Test has a few limitations, it is a good way of measuring the amount of female representation a film has, if at all.
To pass the Bechdel test a film must feature at least two women, these women must talk to each other, and their conversation must concern something other than a man.
The Bechdel Test laid the foundation and gave me a starting point for further research on characteristics and aspects that I felt were important and needed to be talked about. It also acted as the stepping stone for looking into other tests and tropes that talk about both the lack and need of women in this male-dominated industry. I studied, analyzed, and experimented with different tests and tropes and finally shortlisted nine of them that were the most relevant to this project. Different tests talk about different aspects for example, whether women are shown to have wants and needs of their own (Pierce Test), or if they are just shallow irreplaceable characters (Sexy Lamp Test), or the stereotyping of women (Villarreal Test).
Another problem I needed to address was selecting films I wanted to focus on. Indian cinema covers a wide array of films. I needed to figure out what specifically I wanted to focus on with this research. For a brief period, I considered talking about regional cinema because it has been largely ignored and needs to be talked about. But, given my limited knowledge, I realized I wouldn’t have been able to do justice to it. I wanted to reach a vast range of audiences and it only made sense to talk about films mostly have heard of or seen. I aimed to conduct comprehensive research that covers a wide range of topics while still maintaining its relevance and familiarity within mainstream cinema. As a result, for a diverse sample size, I decided to pick films that were either Bollywood blockbusters or critically acclaimed films in order to understand how much effort the most appreciated and successful box office hits movies put in when it comes to the female counterpart.
Articulating where the problem lies and the Area of Focus
Through diligent research, my exploration extended beyond the mere quantitative representation, diving into the qualitative aspects that detail women’s portrayal. This included not only screen time but also other intricacies like character depth, role significance, and individual agency.
Moving forward with the research paid dividends by yielding a variety of insights, revealing underlying factors perpetuating gender disparities in films. Going through numerous hours of film time unearthed several root causes with patriarchal norms casting a long shadow over all of them. The sheer lack of female writers and directors plays a decisive part in this polarity. After paying attention to film eras and the issues films take on to address, we realize that mainstream Bollywood productions, unfortunately, often exhibit minimal investment in the development of female characters. However, the cinematic “Golden Age” spanning the 1940–60s, marked by iconic works such as ‘Mother India,’ showcased remarkable consistency, with female characters standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their male counterparts. Another noteworthy observation emerged from films centered on climate change, which remarkably featured powerful and strong female participation.
A significant trend of potential reluctance to support films with strong female characters is visibly noticeable. These intertwined threads clearly establish the gender disparities persistent even in cinematic narratives as recent as 2022. I have handpicked a range of tests for analysis, in an effort to explain all these points.
Introduction to Data Visualization and Data Collection
Although a substantial amount of research exists on how cinema has changed when it comes to women’s representation, I wanted my work to be more solid and empirical and back up to whatever it is I wanted to convey. As a result, working with data made sense, which is why I began exploring various data-driven design projects. This exposed me to various projects by Georgia Lupi, Amy Cesal, and others, thus fostering my understanding of data visualization and its role in shaping narratives.
Taking into consideration the tests and other factors that aligned with my project’s focus, the rationale for data visualization surfaced as paramount. Due to my hopes for the project to engage a wide-ranging audience and ignite conversations, the compelling visual presentation of data held transformative potential. This approach aimed to draw attention to often-overlooked subtle distinctions in films, with the data-focused project helping people to understand different aspects of my approach.
What I am trying to achieve here is for people to be more aware, for people to notice these little things in movies that go unnoticed, something as simple as the Bechdel test, which so many films fail. I want people to keep an eye out for all of this to ultimately lead to a transformative shift that empowers women within the cinematic domain.
While shortlisting the area of focus, approximately 60 films, spanning six decades, around ten from each decade were meticulously chosen to provide a comprehensive contextual framework that would set some ground context on how things have changed over the years. Consequently, I examined and collected data on elements that we already know about but never really paid much attention to, for instance, women as writers, directors, and protagonists
However, my primary focus circles around the more recent films, films that came out post-2000. Although I was able to access some data online and other secondary sources, the method used for data collection was mainly primary where I sat down to watch films after making a list of parameters I wanted to focus, on based on the tests. The collected data was then noted down as a list, organized into a table, the link to which is provided below.
Visualization of data
Once I had gathered the data, I began the process of analyzing it to look for insights within the data. At the same time, I was evaluating how to effectively present this information visually, with my focus being clear, concise, and visually appealing representations that would allow viewers to easily understand the data. I decided to embed the data within visuals and create compelling information-rich visuals. The goal was to establish a strong connection between the visuals and the content, ensuring that viewers could easily understand the data and the context.
Next, I started sketching out different elements that could be transformed into visuals, all while integrating the data seamlessly. I focused on the core concept of each test and used that as a foundation for creating visuals. For instance, the Bechdel test, which assesses female dialogues in movies, the Landau test, which examines how women are positioned solely for the purpose of revenge narratives, and the Furiosa test, which talks about online film boycotts, served as blueprints for other visuals.
Book design and layout
This project aimed to create a data-rich narrative that not only communicates crucial insights but also engages a broad audience. After establishing a brief idea of the visuals and outlining the book’s structure including the flow, sections, and arranging the content in a logical order, I created a detailed table of contents and index for reference. I also needed to work on other visual aspects of the book including typography, colors, imagery, and overall layout focusing on my target group. With a solid idea of the majority of the content that I needed to include in the book, I sketched out various potential approaches for presenting the book. I attempted different approaches for layouts, making sure that they incorporated storytelling elements to engage the readers, helping them connect with the issue at hand.
I started by working on color combinations and a variety of suitable fonts. Design decisions concerning typography and visual elements significantly contributed to the book’s aesthetic appeal and readability. My choice of fonts, font sizes, and styles adhered to a consistent and legible format. The fonts that were finalized all have a very distinct character to them with well-defined geometric touch and character roughness and are a combination of both geometric and humanistic characteristics that go well with the book.
Recognizing the importance of achieving a harmonious balance between the text and graphical elements, each illustration was thoughtfully curated to align with the content and enhance comprehension.
Through data-driven illustrations, I attempted to communicate complex patterns and insights in an accessible manner. The interplay between data and design was a critical aspect of ensuring a cohesive and engaging narrative.
The book was subjected to rigorous proofreading and quality checks to eliminate errors in both content and design, ensuring a polished final product. Consistency in layout, typography, and graphics was upheld to provide a seamless reading experience.
Conclusion
Through an in-depth explanation of the underrepresentation of women in Indian cinema, this project explains the persistent gender disparities that prevail, despite the industry’s evolution. This complex issue is influenced by multiple factors including deep-rooted social norms, historical basis, and industry practices.
This project highlights how media plays a crucial role in shaping perspectives and enforcing gender stereotypes and hence, the responsibility of media creators to promote more balanced portrayals. I emphasize the potential of data to influence change by advocating for better representation where women are represented in an authentic and real manner and not how men see them.
We acknowledge and notice evidence of scarcity of female-centric narratives and understand the importance of filmmakers and storytelling that portrays women authentically contributing to a more inclusive and honest cinema.
This project is aimed at making the audience more conscious of gender representation, for them to critically analyze media content and influence change, to foster a more discerning, and informed viewership. It concludes with a strong call to action and shedding light on the importance and urgency of bringing about a change and for Indian cinema to do better.
This was an extensively detailed design process for my book, that contains everything I have talked about, with a lot of love. Click here to take a look at the book.
