International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

From Celluloid to society: Gender Traps in Malayalam Cinema

Cinema is a reflection of society. It portrays the roles of men and women based on stereotypes and societal expectations. If cinema reflects society, does society also imitate cinema? Gender is a social construct. And cinema functions as a medium to mirror it. Women are often portrayed as caregivers, homemakers, or objects of desire. Men were depicted as stoic and authoritative figures. The gender construct primarily discusses masculinity and femininity. As Laura Mulvey says, the concept of the male gaze dominated the media. “The man is always the subject self- ‘I’, while the woman is always the object- ‘other’”-Beauvoir Rightly.