Portrayal of Women Protagonist in select Indian Marathi Cinema

Abstract

Indian film Industryalso known as Bollywood produces cinema in around twenty Indian regional languages including Hindi. Indian film Industry is the major source of revenue. Indian government gets forty-five per cent revenue from Hindi movies where as fifty five per cent from regional cinemas. Marathi film Industry is the most influential industry in Maharashtra state. The Marathi film Industry emerged with Dadasaheb Phalke’s silent film Raja Harishchandra. Marathi regional cinema has enriched with various shades of women. Marathi cinema appears with a new dimension of brilliant and strong revolutionary images of Indian women.   Marathi women oriented cinemas brought new concepts of womanhood and sisterhood to enjoy bond love and belongingness among women. Marathi film industry is very powerful source to reach Marathi as well as non- Marathi audience with its simplicity. Marathi cinema depicts the regional diverse local colours of religion, tradition, culture, beliefs, rituals, attire, food, custom, lifestyle, various Marathi dialects like Konkani, Vidarbha, Khandeshi, Dakshin Maharashtra, Marathwada Marathi with variety of accents etc.  The present research paper is an attempt to study the representation of Indian women in Regional Marathi cinema especially from submissive stereotype to non-conventional protagonist. The paper is a study various shades of women protagonist  in select Marathi films like- Jait Re Jait, Umbartha, Astitva, Mukta, Mee Sindhutai Sapkal ,  Sairat, etc.