HANGING ON FIRE! DEBATES ON WOMEN'SRESERVATION IN INDIAN POLITICS: ACINEMATIC CONTEMPLATION

Abstract

Gender discrimination is one of the essential causes to relegate the position of women in the political arena of India. It is a ground for denying rights and is not an argument posited in opposition to the notion of universal rights of women. In the political sphere, there is no equality for women either. Throughout India, except for voters, women’s participation as contestants, elected representatives, members of the Government, and so on was negligible. Regional and sectional patterns in political participation manifest themselves with familiar correlations. The nature of problems is varied, such as lack of time due to domestic responsibilities, sociocultural norms limiting mobility, and patriarchal control discouraging women from coming into conflict with men. Patriarchy is indicated as ramparts between public and private for women. The inner-outer distinction specified that the world is external, the domain of material, and the home represents the inner spiritual self. The world is typically a treacherous terrain of pursuing material interests where practical consideration reigns supreme. It is also eventually the domain of the male. In 2015, the Report on the Status of Women in India perceived that the representation of women in state assemblies and Parliament remains dismal. It is said that women have an insignificant presence in decision-making positions in political parties. It recommended reserving at least 50% of seats for women in local bodies, state legislative assemblies, Parliament, parliamentary levels, and all government decision-making bodies. The National Policy for the Empowerment of Women (2001) stated that reservation will be considered in higher legislative bodies. However, women reservation policies promoted the participation of women in the Indian political sphere, although gender discrimination was nakedly visible in every sphere of Indian legislative systems. So many factors merely reiterate women's fundamental problems: 1) No interaction with the Panchayat and other relevant officers. 2) Inactive or proxy members 3) internationalization of socially defined gender roles and an inherent acceptance of patriarchy, caste, and class barriers. 4) Non-articulation and inability to identify obstacles. Patriarchal values have combined with political intimidation from opposing parties and vested groups, and the system itself has hampered the functioning of Elected Women Representatives. Film and sociology are interlinked. Between realist films, four interrelated themes, i.e., identity, interaction, inequality, and institutions, help sociologists analyze society in detail. Sociologists can use films as social texts to explore these core themes. So, in this paper, I would like to explain that in the context of post-nineties Indian cinema, did they focus the debates on Women Reservation in terms of Indian politics? And the political subjugation of women through cinematic gaze? Here I would like to approach the post nineties films from a particular sense of representation. Here the term ‘representation’ will be used from two discourses i) Representation as ‘Speaking of’ as in politics and ‘Representation’ as in art or philosophy. Films will be discussed from the socio-historical and gender perspectives.