According to Laura Mulvey's 1975 male gaze
theory, visual media, such as films, are created from a patriarchal viewpoint
in which heterosexual men are primarily interested in women as objects of
desire. This idea has influenced feminist cinema criticism and is still used to
examine how women are portrayed in movies today and how viewers are supposed to
see them.
The masculine gaze manifests itself in modern
cinema in a variety of ways. For instance, editing, lighting, and camera work
frequently objectify women. Their bodies might be emphasized in the framing,
and their looks might take precedence over their narrative agency or character
growth. It's also common to depict women as weak or helpless and male
characters as more assertive and in charge.
The
way that women are frequently employed as decorations or props in movies is
another example of the male gaze. They could be there in situations just to
make the male characters feel good about themselves or to give them sex. They
might also be employed to symbolize negative stereotypes of women, such the
idea that they are manipulative, emotional, or illogical.
Gender
inequality and the objectification of women have been criticized as being
perpetuated by the male gaze. It's crucial to remember, though, that there are
variations to the idea of the masculine gaze. The male gaze can be expressed in
a variety of ways.
Male gaze in the Bengali
Movie- Surongo, a contemporary film
Surongo
Movie Story in Brief
When Masud, an
electrician, sees Moyna one day while repairing a street light, he falls in
love. Later, they cross paths at Moyna's house when fixing the refrigerator,
and they fall in love. Masud and Moyna tie the knot. Masud finds employment in
Malaysia in order to provide for his new family. While Masud is away, Moyna
receives gifts from his friend Jahir and begins an adulterous affair.
Subsequently,
Moyna and Jahir flee from Masud. But she finds out that Jahir is already
married after they elope. When Masud returns to Bangladesh, the chairman of his
union council has taken his house back since he couldn't pay back the loan he
took out for his wedding. He eventually locates Moyna and Jahir after searching
for them. He worked in mining and ice breaking to supplement his income, but
his earnings from these activities were insufficient.
Masud thus spends
nine months excavating a tunnel beneath a bank in order to steal money. He
tells his ex-wife during a video conversation that he has stolen ৳340
million from the bank after excavating the tunnel. After the police make an
announcement about a \500,000 prize for information about the thief, Moyna
turns him over to them. Masud digs a tunnel out of jail after being imprisoned
and burns Moyna as retaliation.
Elements
of Male Gaze in the Surongo Movie
· The camera often lingers on the main character Moyna’s body, her gestures, her intentional loneliness, and even the climate from the point of view of Male Gaze. Moyna is framed in the script in ways that emphasize her as an element of sensual joy for the main male character Masud and his friend Jahir. The director spent almost an hour focusing on these trio love complexities. Even the unnecessary adult scenes are made only to attract audience, and they actually don’t have any connection with the main theme of the movie. There was also a ‘item song’ used in the movie, which was performed by another female actor. She was used as a tool of sexual appeal to the audience; her presence in the song was not related to the main story. But that was also relatable to the male gaze theory. Because women are only important when there is sexual appeal needed in the movie. The following features important to understand gaze elements in the movie:
- Moyna was portrayed as passive or helpless. We saw in the film Surongo that Moyna was fully dependent on her male partner for money, gifts, and livelihood. It seems that without them, Moyna is totally helpless; she even doesn’t have any other place to go or do anything except keep in touch with Masud and Jahir and be their lovebird.
- Women are used as props or decorations in this film. There were very few women in the movie. Most of the main actions are done by men in the movie. This can also be seen in blockbuster films like "The Avengers", "Mission Impossible", “John Wick”, “James Bond,” or the Hindi movie "Jawan,” where women are often outnumbered by men and are not given much agency in the story.
- Another aspect of Male Gaze is to symbolize negative stereotypes of women, which are found throughout the movie. We saw that the character Moyna was manipulative, emotional, or illogical, and she was also greedy. It is shown that only Moyna’s greed led Masud to commit big crimes like bank robbery and even killing Moyna at the end of the movie. The whole movie centers around Moyna’s greed. The film captured the traditional belief of Bengali males that women are greedy. Also, there is a common dialogue that men lean toward taking bribes only to satisfy their wives’ illogical needs.
As per I observed, it is seen that everyone praised the movie, but nobody
criticized the negative presentation of the female role in the movie. Only
formal written criticism came from the Bengali film critic Shuvodip Biswas
in The Financial Express (Article: Surongo: A Tunnel Towards Greed and
Destruction, July 8, 2023, 06:37 PM). He praised the story, but he
criticizes that the film's portrayal
of women in a negative way and the use of violence may send the wrong message
to society.
Understanding the male gaze is crucial for evaluating the portrayal of women by media and recognizing how it reinforces gender inequality. By critically addressing and challenging this perspective, we can pave the way for more balanced, inclusive, and practical representations of women in media, fostering a more equitable landscape for them.
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