Ashok Khandavalli

New feminism is a continuation of earlier feminisms but differs slightly as it emphasizes on the idea that woman is an individual with an equal worth as man while accepting the natural sexual differences. Indian Films have always portrayed women in the stereotypical roles of passive, submissive and dependent objects of visual pleasure. British Feminist Film Theorist Laura Mulvey, in her essay titled 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema', talks about the Male Gaze and how women are presented as the object of voyeurism, which means 'to-belooked-at-ness' objects. This paper attempts to look at the changes brought in the representation of woman from the stereotypical pleasurable object to the emancipated lead actor who overcame the male gaze and became an independent and strong woman. The paper observes this change of representation in Gouri Shinde's film "English Vinglish". The film is about an Indian woman who overcomes the patriarchal obstacles and becomes successful and independent. The focus is also on the contemporary Indian female directors. Unlike most of the male directors, these female directors break away from showing the woman as passive and pleasurable objects. They represent their emancipation through independent women characters who are not dependent on men.