BREAKING THE STEREO TYPES: A STUDY OF THE MOVIE ASTITVA

Abstract

Women have been depicted in an emblematic image of Sita, Radha, Savitri, and Mira repeatedly on screen since ages. In fact, women are seen to be extreme sufferers in comparison to their male-counterparts. Likely they have been treated merely as pretty dolls by the society. With the passage of time, the same prevailing image of women has been questioned in varied manner through films which gave women a new space on celluloid. The film, Astitva (2000) is directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. It portrays Aditi as a traditional Indian housewife in the beginning of this movie and later on the same represents her as an independent, rebellious and a self-respected woman. In a way, the film is an exploration of how Aditi becomes expressive and decisive with times especially when she suffers humiliation and disgrace on the part of her husband. Apart from this, she recognizes her individuality when she finds herself of being treated as “other” in her own house. Thus, the present study focuses on Aditi asserts herself for a respectable life and how she interrogates bond of marriage and a woman’s space in society. Moreover, the paper re-defines feminism with a different outlook on how Aditi emancipates herself from the subordination of the male-dominated society.

Keywords

marriage, independence, hypocrisy, subordination, feminism, humiliation.

Works Cited

Manjrekar, Mahesh. Astitva. Friends India: Jhamu Sughand Productions; Satyashawami Entertainment Ltd. 2000.

www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/representation-in-indian-film-has-been-largely-stereotypical-279490

www.timesnownews.com/mirror-nowsociety/aparna-sen-ratna-pathak-saah-representation-of-women-indiancinema/188445.

To cite this article

Sweta Kumari. (2019). Breaking the Stereo Types: A Study of the Movie Astitva. John Foundation Journal of EduSpark, 1(3), 28-33.