science

Sexism in Bollywood

Sexism in Bollywood is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sexism in Bollywood rather than just read about it. In short: Sexism in Bollywood refers to gender discrimination and stereotyping in the Hindi film industry, also known as Bollywood. This includes the portrayal of women in films and their roles in film making.

Key takeaways

Sexism in Bollywood belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sexism in Bollywood to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sexism in Bollywood from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sexism in Bollywood refers to gender discrimination and stereotyping in the Hindi film industry, also known as Bollywood. This includes the portrayal of women in films and their roles in film making.

Representation

Early era (1920s–1960s) Female roles for films during these times were often limited towards roles such as mothers, romantic interests, or the wife of the male lead. Rather than being an active character, their purpose was only for looks. The ones who did defy gender norms were depicted as mistresses, vamps, club-dancers, and had habits like smoking, drinking, or expressed their sexuality and sexual interest which were also highlighted by their clothing to distinguish "good" and “not-so-good” women. Early Bollywood films in the 1920s were often also influenced by European films and Hollywood. Director Himanshu Rai used Eurasian women as substitutes as they had lighter skin to show an ideal look for Indian women. Actresses also promoted skin lightening products, further increasing colourism within female communities. The 1950s enforced the beliefs that women were submissive, sacrificial, and morally upright in addition to being portrayed as duly servants towards their family or partner. A study showed male-coded pronouns were used more than female-coded pronouns during this period.

1970s–1980s Portrayal of women in this period leaned more towards idealistic rather than realistical approach. Films such as Mother India, Sujata, Jai Santoshi Maa and Seeta Aur Geeta presented such tropes. Portrayals of damsel in distress tropes, item numbers and sexualization of women still occurred, with it being the main themes to garner more attention towards the films. The male gaze was also a prominently used in the films, often depicting paler-skinned women in revealing shots.

1990s-present Changes were made to women's role during the 1990s, as they were represented as individual figures while still being an accessory for men. Films including Munni and Chikni Chameli still portrayed women as sexual object. Films like Saajan Chale Sasural, Biwi No.1, and Gharwali Baharwali justified a man's sexual desires being a fault of their partner. Stalking was also normalized in Hindi films, with examples including Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Badrinath ki Dulhania, Raanjhanaa, Tere Naam, Saawariya, and Tanu Weds Manu Returns even romantizing the act. Rape also became a frequently used plot device. Heroes would be given the motivation when a women of close regards to them was threaten by rape and ultimately made the female characters become a one-dimensional figure to strengthen the narrative of the stories. The early 2000s marked a change in women's role in Bollywood. Directors including Zoya Akhtar and Farah Khan helped in changing perspectives on women in Hindi cinema, with the latter producing Om Shanti Om which became the highest grossing Hindi film of 2007. Producers like Mira Nair, Meghna Gulzar, and Gauri Shinde also focused on adding more women to lead roles. Films like Lipstick Under My Burkha, Anarkali Of Arah, A Death In The Gunj, Gangubai Kathiawadi, Thappad, and Piku also defied gender norms with women being shown more strong and independent.

Gender disparities

Pay gap

Numerous Bollywood actresses have spoken out about the significant pay disparity in the industry, as male actor get paid more than female actors by a big margin. Lara Dutta and Sonam Kapoor said that actresses are often paid only one-tenth of what male actors earn. Kriti Sanon also noted the significant pay gap, in which some male actors earn ten times more than their female co-stars. Others which have voiced their concerns on the pay disparity also include Madhuri Dixit, Bhumi Pednekar, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Saif Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu.

See also Rape in India Sexual harassment of women in India

References

Further reading Choudhury F, Sharma S. Examining audience perceptions of sexist item songs: A contemporary analysis of Bollywood. MethodsX. 2025 Feb 12;14:103214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2025.103214. PMID 40061568; PMCID: PMC11889341. Sheth, Sudev, Geoffrey Jones, and Morgan Spencer. "Bollywood, Skin Color and Sexism: The Role of the Film Industry in Emboldening and Contesting Stereotypes in India after Independence." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-077, January 2021. Kunal Khadilkar, Ashiqur R. KhudaBukhsh, Tom M. Mitchell, Gender bias, social bias, and representation in Bollywood and Hollywood, Patterns, Volume 3, Issue 2, 2022, 100409, ISSN 2666-3899, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patter.2021.100409. Siddiqi, N. (2020). A thematic analysis of sexist Bollywood songs. Multidisciplinary Journal of Gender Studies, 9(2), 111–136. https://doi.org/10.17583/generos.2020.4628

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sexism in Bollywood

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sexism in Bollywood claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sexism in Bollywood before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sexism in Bollywood ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sexism in Bollywood

In research: Sexism in Bollywood appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sexism in Bollywood in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sexism in Bollywood is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 20th-century controversies, 21st-century controversies, Controversies about films in India, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sexism in Bollywood outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sexism in Bollywood in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sexism in Bollywood means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sexism in Bollywood out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sexism in Bollywood in simple terms?

Sexism in Bollywood refers to gender discrimination and stereotyping in the Hindi film industry, also known as Bollywood. This includes the portrayal of women in films and their roles in film making.

Why does Sexism in Bollywood matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sexism in Bollywood?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sexism in Bollywood.