womanhood Archives

Will Manikarnika Change Bollywood’s History of Dull-as-Dishwater Queens?

From Raja Harishchandra to Padmaavat, Bollywood has a history of depicting its queens as either pious and uncomplaining, or rude and proud, waiting for the hero to tame their ego. Now that Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi is due to release, can we hope to see more than a royal caricature?

Pragyan Mohanty June 8, 2016

Pop Culture

How Greta Gerwig’s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March

For the bevy of Amy fans, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women is a fantastic vindication of what we’ve known all along about our pet March sister. Amy’s brand of independent feminism takes on a fresh relevance in an era where the world can no longer afford to brush it aside.

Kahini Iyer May 19, 2016

Gender

Hey Mister, How Long is Your… Spine?

It is nice to meet a man who plays the guitar, or reads Kafka, or travels the world. But that’s every other guy today. What is special, is to see a man who can get a male friend to back off, when he is making a woman uncomfortable. It’s nice to see a man with a spine.

Sugandha May 17, 2016

Bollywood

Bulbul Can Sing Reminds Us of the Price Girls Pay to Experience Adolescence

When boys come of age, they enjoy the freedom that permits them to make mistakes. But patriarchy doesn’t afford the same luxury to young girls. Rima Das’s Bulbul Can Sing argues that when girls come of age there is some trauma attached to it.

Poulomi Das April 20, 2016

Bollywood

Ms Hawa Hawai: Shehzaadi of the Meek, the Freak, the Queer

Sridevi’s cavalier reappropriation of filmy womanhood ensured the rise of the “other”, the outliers and the freaks that languish in prisons of self-expression. No wonder she was India’s queer icon.

The Faunlet March 20, 2016