Sexuality in Mainstream Hindi Cinema

grammatical gender in Mainstream Hindoo CinemaHimakshi RattiIntroduction image theatres as medium of Mass Communication Film communicating may be considered as a social process whereby a transmitted signal is sure primarily through visual receptors (and, often, sound receptors) and is then do by as a message from which contented or meaning is inferred. Film, as a symbolic form, is a process of communication that employs read, the medium, with its technology of optics, emulsions, and cameras, to clear a piece of celluloid with a variable-density silver nitrate surface. It is man who creates characterization communication. This explanation suggests that a piece of convey, in and of itself, is meaningless-that meaning exists only in a special social and cognitive family between a filmmaker and a viewer. This relationship occurs when a viewer chooses to treat a film not as mere signals triggering perceptual awargonness and biological responses, but as message units that subs cribe to been put together intention everyy and from which meaning may be inferred.Cinema is perhaps the mainstream of totally invention forms, some popular and just about accessible, especially in India, a country which produces most number of films in a year comp bed to either other country (barring Hollywood, perhaps), and a country where we have a fully grown base of cinema-going public. Cinema, to a greater extent than any other artistic creation, has the power to act stack. Therefore, it is very important to understand how the country, its people and its aspirations atomic number 18 equal in the cinema produced in the country.Cinema as a medium of masses communication can be seen at different levels, serving different purposes. It can be an art form, an entertainment, a social document or a social critique. Cinema can be all of these and at the same time be a means to any(prenominal)thing else a mirror unto our lives, showing us exactly how we function as society . Mainstream Vs Alternative Cinema Mainstream films can best be defined as commercial films that be make by major entertainment studios or companies that are owned by international media conglomerates. Beca accustom of better financing, these films can afford more(prenominal) expensive actors, wide releases or limited releases, and are sold at popular retail stores. This has become k forthwithn as the studio system. Films made by major studios or companies that are not owned by a media conglomerate but are distributed by a company owned by a media conglomerate are also considered to be mainstream and are often referred to as mainstream independent films. As a mainstream medium (cinema needs m oney to be produced. Therefore, it must appeal to the mainstream audience, who will pay at the box office) cinema must, first and foremost, appeal to the mainstream audience. The definition of mainstream varies from society to society, from culture to culture. Broadly, it means representing t he prevalent attitudes, values, and practices of a society or group, for standard, mainstream morality. A cultural construct, when apply to art, mainstream may mean well-nighthing that is available to the general public, or something that has ties to corporate or commercial entities. finishuality in Hindi mainstream films refers to the presentation in motion pictures of familiarity or eroticism and sex acts, including cacoethes scenes. tickling scenes have been presented in films since the silent era of cinematography. Many actors and actresses have exposed at least split of their bodies or dressed and behaved in substances considered sexually provocative by contemporary standards at some point in their careers. Some films containing sex scenes have been criticized by religious groups or banned by Govt. or both. Sexuality in cinema has been presented in many genres of film while in some genres sex activity is rarely depicted.Sex in films can be distinguished to a pornograph ic film and also from nudeness in film, nudeness can be presented in a sexualized context, for example nudity in naturalism would normally be regarded as non-sexual. In India, the entertainment industry is an important segment of modern India and is expressive of Indian society in general. Historically Indian films have lacked the frank ikon of sex until recently, even kissing scenes were considered taboo. On the other hand rape scenes or showing sexual assault were depicted overtly. Currently some Indian states show soft core sexual scenes and nudity in films, while other areas dont. Mainstream films are quiesce largely catered for the masses of India, however abroad films containing sexuality are watched by Indians because of the same process of glamorization of film entertainment that occurred in Hollywood, Indian cinema, mainly Hindi-speaking Bollywood industry is also beginning to add sexual overtones.A Brief History of Bollywood Sex and RomanceBollywood classics cannot be beaten for their overt romantic tension, where intimate touching was replaced with the poetic, polite innuendo of sulphurous rain and wet clothing. Indians are so reserved about(predicate) what happens between consenting bads, considering India is the second most populous country in the world. In some centerings, however, Hindi film makers have become more relaxed in their attitudes, as younger, Western-influenced generations come of age and make waves in an industry built on tradition. antecedently unseen taboos like pre-marital sex, onscreen nudity and even wife-swapping have curiously been passed by the Central Board of Film Certification, the strict watchdog equivalent of the MPAA that has served as a censor since the early 50s. Gathered below is a look at the landmark moments and trends that have raised eyebrows through Bollywood history.Bollywood in the 70s and 80s was becoming westernized. Back then the appearance of a plain white brassiere represented the forbidden na ture of onscreen toplessness. An actress wearing just her over-the-shoulder boulder holder who minuteed out the lights, for instance, would be implying that she would short be showing her breasts to her lover. If anyone realized the power of much(prenominal) clothed titillation, it was Raj Kapoor, whose films began to push the envelope slow in his directorial career. His unparalleled 1973 teen romance Bobby made an overnight pin-up sensation of Dimple Kapadia when she appeared in a bikini, and 1978s Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram (which faced an uphill battle with the censor board, and was criticized by some as being exploitative) adage Zeenat Aman in a barely-there sari that defied physics by staying on. His final film, 1985s Ram Teri Ganga Mali ca employ further strife when 16-year-old star Mandakini appeared bathing in a waterfall, wearing only a sheer white. straight off, bikini babes are far more prevalent in Bollywood culture, and 2000s Hera Pheri even depicted male sunbathers in bikinis, fictitious as girls from a distance by the films protagonist.Up until the 50s, if Bollywood stars wanted to express love or even lust onscreen, clasping each others hands and staring longingly was about as risqu as it got. Hugging and light face caressing became the next leap over the next three decades, but it wasnt until the 90s that kissing was really acknowledged, let alone done. A woman susceptibility lean in for lip service, but would shyly run away before the deal was sealed, or else the actual act would be covered by a veil in the moment before. musical composition this, to a fault, is changing today (superstar actor Aamir Khan evenhas a kissing clause put in his co-stars contracts if they wont kiss him, they cant act opposite him), puckering up can still be contentious. Padmini Kolhapure made headlines when she merely gave Prince Charles a peck on the cheek, and after Aishwarya Rai got intimate with Hrithik Roshan in 2006s Dhoom 2, obscenity cases were fil ed.Item numbers, or highly sexualized, upbeat Bollywood songs with suggestive lyrics and choreography, began popping up in the late 80s and especially in the 90s. Designed to arouse, interest in the commercial films they appear in, item numbers are stand-alone showstoppers with no relevance to their movies plots, featuring either cameo appearances from famous stars or more typically, item girls. Here, objectification should not to be confused with the sexy dancers in increasingly revealing clothing have become a lilliputian less stigmatized today, as some have used the showcase as a springboard into spark advance roles. Among the validated thespians, then, comes the notion of skin show, what India ambiguously calls any notion of actresses and even actors now, who are willing to twinkle more than what the conservative standards dictate. Dare-bare performers like Bipasha Basu in Jism and the controversially outspoken Mallika Sherawat in Murder have achieved renown for their scanti ly clad boundary-pushing alone.Alternative LifestylesBollywood plots have certainly progressed, less centered on arranged marriages and more on young urbanites dating and clubbing. But these are still baby steps compared to what has been accustomed to in Western society. India still remains closeted in changing sexual preferences. In 2003 Kal No Naa Ho treated homosexuality with slapstick, and the recent Dostana concerns two fakers in the same vein, but small strides have been made to arrest sincerity and open-mindedness to the cinema. In 2005 My Brother Nikhil subtly brought sensation to the AIDS crisis, but it never could have existed without the enormously controversial 1996 release of Deepa Mehtas Fire, the first Bollywood film to depict homosexuality. When the latter film opened, there were gaga protests and widespread vandalism movie theaters showing the film were violently stormed, with windows smashed and posters burned. While its clayey to believe such intolerance ove r so little could exist in the modern era. This too needs to be taken into consideration that Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (which made waves for its dealings in adultery and divorce) and interracial Doubles (about wife-swapping) were only made in 2006.REVIEW OF LITERATURESEXUALITY IN HINDI FILMSKaiser Family backside found that Bollywood films such as The Dirty Picture, Murder 2 are ahead of all in portraying sexual content on screen. The biggest worry is that the Bollywood is considered as the mainstream Indian cinema and one of the best in the world. And when these films despite of having bold content and vulgar story make massive heart and soul of box office collection cause more and more audience to turn towards cinema hall. Todays film critics are also somehow responsible for this as they acclaim such impertinently way of making Indian films representing bold topics. They appreciate the filmmakers work a lot and boost their trust for again getting involved into such kind of proje cts, which the filmmakers think that they are versatile in intervention those sensibly. Even the name of the film The Dirty Picture sounds very strange and suggests that the film is on adult subject. It is really disastrous when such films are broadcasted on television after 2-3 months from its release so that the film gets noticeable to everyone in different classes of the society. Rise of Item songs in movies performed by leading actresses is another example of public display of sexuality.AUDIENCE PERCEPTION ON SEXUAL CONTENT IN INDIAN picA journal of the Association for Psychological Science found that, sensation seeking did not all told explain these effects the researchers also speculate that adolescents learn specific behaviours from the sexual messages in movies. Many adolescents turn to movies to acquire sexual scripts that offer examples of how to behave when confronted with complicated emotional situations.Mainstream hindi cinema is most astray distributed cinema in In dia. Representation of sex in mainstream hindi films has veered between the sarcasm, comic and the criminal. Mainstream cinema now has adopted representation of sexuality in more realistic manner and is successful in raising, expressing and suggesting possible solutions to any problems in an effective manner.Sex in stories should be infused in such a way that the society starts accepting it. The authencity and genuinity of sex in real life should be accepted the same way in the films too. The society has grown in so many ways. Indians have embraced the western culture with open arms, but a hesitation still persists among the Indian audience such western trends i.e. sexuality in mainstream cinema. The reality quotient establishes an emotional connect with the audience. Movies containing sexual content create a negative impact on the viewers and on mass media. Still in Indian society, such obscene visuals have many ill effects on people.REASONS FOR INTRODUCTION OF SEXUALITY IN HINDI FILMSOHara said, These movies appear to fundamentally influence their personality through changes in sensation-seeking, which has far-reaching implications for all of their risk-taking behaviours, Movies get publicity out of pornographic content by showing it on screen. The media executives simply use their power to increase their ratings, popularity and to promote their movies. Portrayal of sexuality is used by film makers as a tool in order to appeal or eviscerate maximum audience. Sexual content in films invite controversies which fetch a lot of free publicity for the film. Modern day film makers want the society to be open, frank and practical in their approach. The issues such as rapes, sexual assaults, etc. need to be addressed through mass media and create awareness amongst people. In order to give solutions and address such problems, the society needs to be comfortable with openly discussing and viewing such content.INFLUENCE OF SEXUALITY IN MAINSTREAM CINEMARajmeet Ghai po ints out that, Movies are harming our society .Gone the clock when parents and elders were ready to watch the movie with their children With the more western perspective, it is becoming seamlessly difficult for our culture to accept Hindi movies. Keeping aside the action and drama, the vulgarity depicted knows no bounds. India has always been known for its culture. However its rare to find movies based on any culture. Thanks to the media and the hype created of the celebrities personal lives, youngsters get influenced in the wrong way.The movies that depict extreme violence, murder cause mental harm to children. Teenagers become easy way of life victim of the skimpy dresses worn. nearly of the movies show extreme drama which may hurt sentiments of people. The comedy movies, most of the times over do the humor by making a mockery of reality. Even though a majority of the movies are extremely entertaining, focus should be on culture, religion, etc. without hurting the sentiments of any community. Against Hindi movies can possibly be the best medium of entertainment. If made well, they can be intimately used to educate the society on several issues. India being one of the largest movie producing country and cod its wide acceptance, Hindi movies can be easily used to portray Indias art and culture. Most of the countrys population watches Hindi movies hence it generates revenues rather than harming the society. They can be an excellent beginning of refreshment for stress.The movies should not always be taken dependablely. It is not necessary that each Hindi movie needs to pass some message to society. Violence has existed for years now. Hence blaming the Hindi movies for depicting and encourage violence is not fair. As a matter of fact, the movies depict that good always wins over evil. methodologyThis chapter describes the methodology adopted for the mull of Sexuality in mainstream Hindi Films.In the present day scenario movies and sexuality are inter-rel ated concepts. Movies with sexual content are generally rated higher than those with no sexual content. The current study will make an effort to examine the sexual content shown in hindi films and its effects on its audience and their behavior.The two methods used areCONTENT ANALYSISIn this research, both a numeric and soft content analysis has been done to determine the frequence of sexuality being portrayed in mainstream hindi films in the year 2013. All the hit films of 2013 have been calculated quantitatively determining the frequency and nature of instances of showing sexuality in a film. Here, unit of Analysis is any sexual gestures made in the movie.Frequency of portrayal of sex has been measured. This includes the sexual content in only mainstream hit Bollywood films.The qualitative content analysis is to do with the kind of sexual portrayal i.e. is it either to address a serious issue or is it just to titillate the audience n make money.SURVEYThis study explores the use of sexual content in mainstream movies as a communicative strategy among the audience of these movies by employing the cross-sectional survey.Sample- A non-probability sample of 100 people from the city was selected for the purpose of collecting information.Tool of Data Collection- The means used for data-collection in survey is a questionnaire. The questionnaire comprises of 12 questions and is designed in order to analyze the responders demographics, their views on present day scenario of films carrying sexual content, their perception of the prevalence of the existing trends.