Representation of Women

Representation of Women

Latika is the main female character in the film. The Male Gaze theory can be applied to Latika as the films director is male. The Male Gaze theory means that Latika is shot by the camera in a way to appease the male audience of the film and as a character her function is to only serve the males characters in the film. For example in the train scene;



In this scene Latika is shot in a way that would appease the male audience, the part of the scene that shows this is at the 30 second mark. To appease the male audience the camera focuses on her body and facial features, the un natural backlighting behind her helps to amplify her features making them more noticeable. Latika is looking straight at the camera and smiling which breaks the 4th wall between character and audience helping create a direct address with the male audience.

Latika fits Propp's character type of "The Prize" or "The Princess" as her purpose is to be rescued by Jamal and to act like a prize for Jamal after he overcomes the obstacles and completes his journey throughout the film, this happens in the film when Jamal rescues Latika and finishes the film with the romantic kiss and the "Happily Ever After" ending. As a character Latika doesn't have a lot of depth because she isn't involved in a lot of scenes and doesn't say a lot in the scenes she is involved in. She is a passive character as she has things done to her for example; kidnapped, forced into prostitution, etc.) and she doesn't control what happens to her unless she is helped by a male character for example; when Salim helps her escape to meet Jamal.

Even when Latika is young her character is still not aloud to make decisions and they have to be made by a male character. For example in this scene:



Even when she is standing in the rain she cannot take shelter unless a male character says so, which is what happens in this scene, showing further that she relies on the male characters.

As a single representation of women, Latika shows how women in the film are reliant on men to make their decisions and that women need men to rescue them and help them, for example when Latika is kidnapped and when she needs Salim's help to escape and cannot do it on her own. Latika represents Indian culture as she represents it, the cultural belief of India is that women are subservient to men, which is shown throughout the film and the selected scenes as Latika relies on the male characters and needs their help/support.

1:17 - 1:24

In this scene Jamal  and Latika finally reunite in the adult years for the first time in Latika's house where she lives and is owned by the gangster Javed who is now aided by Salim. This scene depicts Latika as possession of men, purely to be owned with no choice of her own. She is quite obviously scared of Javed, constantly warning Jamal to leave and save himself from Javed if he were to find out who he really is. Throughout the film, Latika fits Propp's character type's description of 'the princess', her sole purpose in the film is to be saved by Jamal from the 'bad guys'. There is no real character development the way there is with Jamal or Salim, she served to as a vehicle to push the plot along and act as a prize for Jamal when he completes his journey.

In this scene, when in the presence of Javed, Latika shrinks her body into itself and makes herself physically smaller, inferring her inferiority in comparison to the strong man. She becomes a typical housewife character whereby she is forced to cook/prepare food for Javed who believes she should conform to the stereotypical roles of the woman within Indian society which is to please the man. 

However, in a way, her telling Jamal to leave so that he is not hurt by Javed or his gang challenges this perception as she shows bravery, potentially sacrificing herself for the safety of the man she loves. It is a role reversal, however it does not last long as she soon becomes the victim of male superiority again when she is taken and cut on her face by the men who work for her 'owner'.