In this chapter, I explore two media texts, Imtiaz Ali's Highway and Alankrita Shrivastava's Netflix original series Bombay Begums (2021). I contend that recent filmmakers have begun to arguably reframe the narratives of rape victim-survivors and disrupting the cultural of silence described above. They offer progressive and multi-faceted representations of these experiences, such that there is an opportunity for a dialogue within both private and public spheres. What I mean when I say that they are ‘progressive representations’ is that the rape victim-survivors are not merely reduced to helpless women in distress, nor painted as vengeful, aggressive characters. Instead, their characterisation shows that they have agency and autonomy, but at the same time struggle with the repercussions of speaking out against their perpetrators in a society that does not support them wholly.
Shrivastava, N. (2022). India – Rape and the prevalent culture of silence in Indian cinema and television. In M. S. Schotanus (Ed.), Gender violence, the law, and society (pp.131-141). Emerald Publishing. Doi: 10.1108/978-1-80117-127-420221011
Chapter in Gender Violence, the Law, and Society.
ISBN: 9781801171304; eISBN: 9781801171274
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