Portrayal of Women in New Normal with Respect to ‘Bombay Begums’, a Six Episode Web series on Netflix

Abstract

Audio-visual medium has a powerful influence in shaping cultural perceptions and attitudes towards gender. The gross underrepresentation of women in the film industry is evident. Over the years, due to the increase in the spread of internet facilities and cellular devices, the urban Indian society has become more enabled with modern gadgets of communication like smartphones. With the Covid-19 imposed lockdown across the globe, the OTT medium has become more vibrant and its usage has increased manifold. Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Hotstar and otherd are widely being used today. They are relatively free from censorship. These features make OTT (Over-the-top) ideal for narrating female oriented stories. True stories are told with female leads that break away from the standard structure where male leads do all the action and female counterparts are left to play secondary roles. Television and films largely represent women in a traditional mould, while the internet has been challenging that mould. Films and Television are much older and well researched areas, while internet based content is relatively new. This paper aims to study the portrayal of women in the new normal with reference to the webseries Bombay Begums, a six episode Indian web series.