Reading between the seams: Into the (Bolly)Woods, an analysis of Bollywood heroines through the decades

Growing up watching Bollywood films with family, and introducing it to friends, I’ve always been in awe of the spectacle and glory of my culture celebrated on screen, but I noticed how over the years, the Bollywood heroine has evolved, and actresses have changed throughout their career. In this edition of my column, I wanted to research and analyse how the heroine mould has been filled and broken over the years, and why.

In Bollywood films of the 1960s to the 1980s (and early 1990s), the curvy actress was the heroine we would see portray the desirable female character

Female actors had to conform to the social norms when characterised on screen, and faced a double standard as they, in the earliest days of up-and-coming Indian cinema, had a concentrated timeline for their career. The majority male industry saw women in their “prime years” starring in films from their teens until their thirties, whilst men could continue their careers into their fifties and older. The heroine had to simply be charming and have chemistry with the lead: that was all she needed to be a good romantic interest.

In Bollywood films of the 1960s to the 1980s (and early 1990s), the curvy actress was the heroine we would see portray the desirable female character. Many actresses to this day have been asked by the press or are compelled to discuss their figure in contemporary India. The tolerance of the voluptuous leading lady was cut off in the 1990s, as actresses like Kajol, Karishma Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty made it difficult to stick with the “old” beauty standard. As a result, Miss Worlds became fan-favourite heroines, idolised, and the new aspirational standard for beauty.

Pale and fair skin was seen as the pinnacle of social status, as a result of British commercialism promoting the idea of refinement as well as racial superiority

Women’s roles onscreen were depicted as pure and devout (to both religion and their husband or father) so much so that their love could only be compared to that of the Gods. The roles on offer were the Mother, Wife or Vamp. The “Vamp” was a more sexualised role which satisfied a fantasy, but also adhered to the male gaze. The role imitated the Western woman, the leading man would find comfort in her, then continue on his own journey or plot, which either involved or left the woman behind. The post-colonial era left a Eurocentric view of beauty: fair complexion, and sensuality dominated. Pale and fair skin was seen as the pinnacle of social status, as a result of British commercialism promoting the idea of refinement as well as racial superiority. Consequently, the prejudice of colourism prevailed, primarily faced by women in the industry.

The 1990s also saw a liberalisation which bled into the film and entertainment industry. This made way for more VFX and editing techniques whereby filmmakers were able to showcase more mature content in cinema. The most prevalent way films maximised these advances was through the “item song”. Item songs were songs or dance sequences with suggestive movements and playful lyrics. They were still somewhat related to the film’s plot, but also launched a lot of rising starlets. The feature not only increased the marketability of the film, showcasing catchy songs which would prove to be hits, but also satisfied the male gaze still. In the seventies, they featured characters of cabaret-type-dancers, Helen Ann Richardson Khan began her successful career as a background dancer before rising to the luxurious leading lady. She walked so the likes of Sridevi could rise in the 1980s, and Madhuri Dixit with her beautifully intricate dancing, as well as acting prowess would take over as one of the leading ladies of the 1990s.

Item songs then began to be source for controversy when films would transfer to TV premieres, the film board (in 2013) marked item songs as adult content due to their often-sexualised nature, thus given the “A” certification. Hook choreography would focus on the waist, chest and back while also being highly expressive in the eyes and face. Imitations of the dances were seen as vulgar.

Ranaut marks there is an erasure of dark-skinned representation in Bollywood

As actresses would predominantly be fair-skinned and slender, body-shame and low-self-esteem in woman was high as a result of media consumption. This ethos still impacts current beauty norms as the social, cultural and colonial influence shifted the “aesthetic” of what it was to be beautiful and desirable. The majority of women feeling like they dissatisfy the beauty standard wasn’t helped by the ads and marketing surrounding creams like ‘Fair and Lovely’ (which recently rebranded to ‘Glow and Lovely’), which promoted fairness as a beautifying strategy.

Recently, actor-politician Kangana Ranaut challenged actresses like Kajol, Deepika Padukone and Bipisha Basu (to name a few across the industry) claiming their began their careers with darker, dusky skin tones, but as they grew they have become fairer. Ranaut marks there is an erasure of dark-skinned representation in Bollywood. Actress Dia Mirza, who early in her career did a fairness cream advert, stated how she never wanted to endorse products that perpetuate and promote this ideology. Meanwhile, actors such as Shah Rukh Khan, Hritikh Roshan and John Abraham have endorsed these products, but are not the first to admit that they’ve been a part of these campaigns. Nandita Das also believed that whilst being on set, she was surrounded by a majority of fair-skinned people, making dark-skinned people, herself included, feel inadequate.

All of these films and series all celebrate the different skin-tones of India and honour the culture, as well as increase representation onscreen

As I said before, this standard goes mainly for women as, on the flip side, actors like Vicky Kaushal, Ajay Devgn and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have redefined male beauty conventions in Bollywood.

Ironically, in Hollywood and Western film, and TV, representation of Indian women onscreen is much more diverse. Whilst there isn’t as much as there should be, it is on the rise. Series such as Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever, Season 2 of Bridgerton (with the Sharma family seen as opposed to the book’s Sheffield family), One Day starring Ambika Mod as Emma Morley, Cece Parekh in New Girl, and Frida Pinto’s character in Mr Malcom’s List to name a handful. All of these films and series all celebrate the different skin-tones of India and honour the culture, as well as increase representation onscreen. This is significantly more progressive than Bollywood, despite progress being made in other corners of the booming Indian film industry.