Stree is a feminist film; a history of Horror Comedy genre in Bollywood


Indian society and culture largely still hold patriarchal roots. Though this is changing with
time, the progress is rather measured and moderate when it comes to mainstream Indian
cinema. The most popular and recognised cinema in India and internationally, is the
‘Bollywood’ or Hindi Film Industry. The portrayal of women and female led stories in this
industry has mainly been regressive and dated, with the exceptions of a few such as Fearless Nadia – The Hunterwaali (1935). Bollywood in particular is a highly commercialised industry that thrives on stardom, glamour and fantasy. And although this is true to this day, there has been a lot of change implemented with the arrival of indie film culture in the 2010’s. These addressed themes and issues that were ‘the state of the nation’ and were different from earlier arthouse films, i.e., they were made to gain an audience.


Horror and comedy genres in Bollywood often portray women as sex symbols or objects of
derision, especially in movies where the female counterparts don’t play or have a significant role. The existence of ‘Horrex’ (a combination of horror and sex as a genre) in Bollywood, exhibits this exact notion of portraying women as sexual fantasies to be obtained, sexually objectifying them and taking away their individuality. On the other hand, mainstream comedy films often portray women in movies to be dense and crass. A key example would be female leads in the Housefull movie franchise.

  • “When you add erotica into horror, it becomes more appealing and exciting. The formula has worked on a large scale. I think just erotica or horror by itself wouldn’t have garnered that much fascination as the combination has,” – Tanuj Garg, former CEO of Balaji Motion Pictures [1]

Horror Comedy as a genre however has evolved from the standard depiction of women in this notion. Starting out with early films such as Chamatkar in 1992, Urmila Matondkar was seen playing the love interest of the male lead and largely restricted to that. There was no other background or character information other than primarily being the male lead’s love interest. But cut to 2007, Bhool Bhulaiyaa focuses on a female supernatural being and her backstory. The story was based on a character named Avni and how she suffers from a psychiatric disorder called, Multiple personality disorder;the ghost actually turns out to be the lady of the house who is believed to have been ‘possessed’, when in reality it is revealed that she had



[1]
Horrex: The new thrillers in Bollywood, Hindustan Times https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/horrex-the-new-thrillers-in-bollywood/story-u8eNkWP2ztHvjZE5TmiSqM.html (13/12/2020 17:23)


a personality disorder all along.[1] The handling of social issues concerning women and the portrayal of women in mainstream movies has been changing, particularly with the two genres that invalidate and belittle female characters.


Stree, a 2018 horror-comedy film directed by Amar Kaushik, written by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K and stars Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao with Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, and Abhishek Banerjee appear in supporting roles. The film’s plot is based on the Karnataka urban legend known as Nale Ba (English: “Come Tomorrow”). [2]“Naale Baa” has been found written on walls of small towns and villages for years now. Villagers write this on walls to deter the entry of malevolent spirit into their homes. In some variations of the myth, the spirit is believed to be a bridal ghost who roams around the town in search of her husband. She is known to take away the man of the house who is often the sole earning member of the family.[3] This is the version that the makers of the film Stree decided to go with.


Stree being a horror comedy, has both elements of horror and comedy camera shots incorporated into them. The typical being the P.O.V (point of view) shots, which are used whenever the supernatural being Stree is on screen. We also see tracking shots used here, the camera is constantly moving to indicate that a person is being followed. This builds anticipation amongst the viewers who are unaware what is coming next. On the other hand, a common comedy film trope is the still camera shot. This is where the main character makes a joke and waits for it to transpire or when a character goes off screen to then return to interact with the camera more. This common shot is used several times throughout the movie to entail humour. Accompanied by an eerie soundtrack and dark tones and lighting. The horror movie trope as well as the comedy required is set up well in this movie.


In terms of the film’s engagement with politics, this film leaves very subtle remarks on the current (at the time) political climate of the nation. One such remark is the dialogue from the character Bitu , “Andh bhakti bohot buri cheez hai. kuch bhi bano par saala bhakt na bano“ (Being a blind follower is the worst thing. Be anything in life but never be a follower’). The ruling party in India is BJP, a right-wing nationalist party. Often times BJP supporters are mocked and name called ‘Bhakt’ (Devotee) or ‘Andh-Bhakt’ (Blind follower). Another remark is in the dialogue by the character Rudra. When questioned how does Stree know every man’s name, Rudra replies, “Sabkaa Aadhar link hai uske paas!” (Well, she’s linked to everyone’s Aadhar!). This is only half funny, the other half reflects difficult-to-digest truths. The prospect of Aadhar numbers being misused at a massive scale is very real.[4] These methods used can be seen as going against the dominant conception of politics in Bollywood, since the majority of Bollywood cinema has been churning out nationalistic movies in support of the ruling party. Any overt criticism of the ruling party is extremely condemned in general society so these elusive hits at the government is unconventional but at the same time is precautious in its stance.


Furthermore, in one scene, we see the entry of a political candidate vouching to get the abducted men back. He falsely promises a sum of money to whoever manages to get the abducted men back, comically cutting out the last part that the money would be donated and not credited to the person who helped get the men back. Once again, through humour, commentary is made on the political system. The prime minister of India, famously claimed to donate Rs 15 lakhs to every citizen’s bank account. This is often seen as an election gimmick to be able to gain voters and win the election. However, this scene also shows the involvement of politics in any social issue is primarily for selfish gains. Candidates will pledge to bring about social change if only it benefits them in return by giving them power.

  • “Equally real is the phenomenon of Indian men abducting women with impunity; a Maharashtra MLA infamously offered to do precisely this for his male voters not too long ago”.[5]

Moving on to the film’s engagement with Gender and stereotypes, this film’s main protagonists are men and the women play a side role yet (unlike previous examples above) are equally important to the film. In fact, the main plot line of this movie revolves around decoding who Stree is and whether it is Shraddha Kapoor’s mysterious character or not.


Firstly, this film is named Stree which translates to Woman, when the ghost in the movie is called Stree and has been mistreated in the past, this could seem to be a commentary on the overall treatment of women in Indian society. Secondly, the film flips the narrative of ‘damsels-in-distress’ by making the men in the movie constantly fearing for their lives whereas the women are the ‘heroes’ protecting them. Dialouges such as “akele mat jao. Jhund me” (‘Don’t go out alone. Go in a group’), “Koi bhi purush ghar ke baahar surakshat nahi hai” (‘No man is safe outside the house’) and men discussing whether dressing up differently (in Sarees) will help them stay safe. These are all typically ‘advise’ given to women to stay safe in reality. Albeit subtle, upon closer inspection of these dialogues and the overall climate of the film, you can decode the feminist themes present. Lastly, a more obvious and crude criticism of the behaviour towards women in society is through the overarching narrative of Stree’s own story for vengeance. As discussed before, the folklore says that Stree, a prostitute, and her lover were ostracized and eventually killed by the oppressive, misogynistic society they lived in when they got married. She’s back to demand the love and respect she never found during her lifetime.[6] Moreover, Rudra’s dialogue, “stree pursho ki tarah zabardasti nahi karti…” (‘stree doesn’t force her victims like men do. She sweetly calls out their name three times. If you turn around, that’s consent.’), further encapsulates the prominent message of the film.


Conversely the film’s major criticism, in this push for a feminist narrative, is the inclusion of an ‘item song’ which has derogative connotations for women, which derails the whole message of the film. In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films to describe a catchy, upbeat, often sexually provocative dance sequence for a song in a movie.[7] The lyrics of these songs are staunchly misogynistic and demeaning. However, it could be argued that the theme of sexuality is presented in a way that women have ownership of their sexuality. This is seen in the ‘item song’ where Nora Fatehi dances, she is dancing voluntarily, no one is forcing her to. If anyone tries to cross a step, she makes them aware that this is simply her job. She is also seen leaving immediately as soon as the time is up, this further reiterates how she is doing this voluntarily, it’s her choice and it’s her profession, regardless of which she deserves respect. I think this was a necessary element to have, to not only show how the male characters initially are ignorant with the way they treat women from different backgrounds but also to show women owning their sexuality and making judgements on how much or how little they choose to do or show, it’s the women who are in charge.


In comparison to another indie film, titled Lipstick under my Burkha, this film is relatively bolder than Stree, in its take of women issues in society. The movie shows the secret lives of four women who are in search of their freedom. Even after facing all the odds and obstacles in their way, they still manage to find their way to claim their desires through small acts of courage. [8]The movie was initially banned in India but received praise internationally in places like Scotland. The movie was banned because it was claimed to be too ‘female oriented’. [9]What Stree offers a scene or two for, Lipstick under my Burkha has a whole film for. It is interesting to note that often women issues centralised by male leads such as in Stree and Padman (a movie dealing with issues around access to sanitary pads) seem to gain more support and have no issues in releasing in cinema halls as opposed to a and women-led film.


Overall, Stree primarily contradicts established stereotypes of Gender through its style and content. The film form stays relatively the same in aspects of traditional camera shots and filming techniques that incorporate both Horror and Comedy. The contradiction of established stereotypes of Gender is done to drive a point of introspection to the ill-treatment of women in Indian society. Stree also comments on the conventionalised notion of politics in society and how interlinked politics is in daily life.



[1]
Bhool Bhulaiyaa and (mis)representation of mental health: Will sequel resort to sensitisation, instead of stereotyping?, FirstPost https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/bhool-bhulaiyaa-and-misrepresentation-of-mental-health-will-sequel-resort-to-sensitisation-instead-of-stereotyping-7213781.html (13/12/2020 17:23)


[2]
Stree (2018 film), Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stree_(2018_film) (13/12/2020 17:26)


[3]
Nale Ba, wikipedia,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nale_Ba (13/12/2020 17:25)


[4]
Of monsters and phobias: how India’s horror genres is evolving, The Hindu, https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/a-look-at-the-new-wave-of-horror-in-india/article25332514.ece (13/12/2020 17:31)


[5]
Of monsters and phobias: how India’s horror genres is evolving, The Hindu https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/a-look-at-the-new-wave-of-horror-in-india/article25332514.ece (13/12/2020 17:36)


[6]
One of India’s first horror comedies has a radical feminist lesson, Quartz https://qz.com/quartzy/1383793/one-of-indias-first-horror-comedies-has-a-radical-feminist-lesson/ (13/12/2020 17:36)


[7]
  Item Number, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Item_number (13/12/2020 17:36)


[8]
Lipstick under my Burkha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipstick_Under_My_Burkha (13/12/2020 17:47)


[9]
Why Lipstick under my Burkha has been banned in India but embraced in Scotland, The national https://www.thenational.scot/news/15167081.why-lipstick-under-my-burkha-has-been-banned-in-india-but-embraced-in-scotland/  (13/12/2020 17:47)



More from Levey Rodrigues
Trending Posts
Boygenius’ Friendship Trap
Like Dominoes – Why Crypto Exchanges are Failing
Ari Aster's Families On The Fritz
Featured Music
NOW PLAYING
Playing Next
Explore Music