This comes from a question from adh on Monday Morning Questions about how 2000s films seem way less progressive (especially with female characters) than older films.
I’m gonna give my votes and reasons first! Oh, and my “decades” here are mushy, pop culture trends don’t follow a tidy date pattern. So I mean in a GENERAL SENSE the tone of the era, even if the era lasted longer or shorter than the actual decade time period.
Late 40s-50s: Second least progressive! Yes, it was all very socialist and stuff, but in a way that pandered to familiar social norms. The woman sacrificed all to follow the man, lots of Hindu mythological references, etc. etc. Andaaz, for example.
1960s: Most progressive! Yes, it’s mostly light weight rom-coms and thrillers, but those rom-coms and thrillers almost 100% had independent young people building their own lives outside of the family structure, an embrace of internationalism and openness, and a very cheerful casual attitude towards sex and gender dynamics. An Evening in Paris, my favorite example.
1970s: Second most progressive! It was a little more “working man” focused, less time spent showing powerful independent women and a globalized world and cultures outside of India. But it was extremely anti-class, anti-family, anti-communalism, anti all those old values. Zanjeer, for example.
1980s: Third most progressive! The end of the decade got a bit sappy and traditional, but most of it was a mixture of the sort of free and independent love stories of the 60s with the anti-establishment action films of the 70s. Chandni!
1990s: Third LEAST progressive. The whole romance boom of the 90s started out as a way to bring back agency and independence to the heroines who had been overlooked in the action films of the 80s. There were some great female-lead films like Deewana, Dushman, almost anything Madhuri or Sridevi. But then by the mid-decade all the romances had slipped into the same pattern of affirming traditional family roles, social roles, everything. Hum Saath Saath Hain.
2000s: Fourth MOST progressive!!! Maybe in response to all that tradition in the 90s, the romances continued but with a bit of a sting. You start to get clever films that question tropes and call them out at the same time they ultimately affirm them. Like Band Baaja Baarat, which still ends with one love-true love-pure love as the message but takes some interesting detours along the way.
2010s: LEAST progressive. Every message always has to be tied up with a neat bow of Family Values, meaning middle class uppercaste Hindu patriarchal values. No matter what the supposed “progressive” message of the film is, from IVF to same sex relationships, it can only be allowed within the family structure. Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan
So my list would be, from least to most progressive:
2010s
1940s-50s
1990s
2000s
1980s
1970s
1960s
Okay, what are your picks? And recommendations??? And anti-recommendations for the LEAST progressive options???
dontcallitbollywood 
It’s hard because my knowledge is so selective. Genuinely I think most progressive would be late 2000s- early 2010s. But I also think the 90s have a big progressive aspect, with all of those Govinda comedies that mock parental authority and promote cross-caste romance, and a lot of arthouse cinema. Yet the 90s also have stuff like Raja Hindustani, which manages to be less progressive than the movie it’s remaking from the 60s.
I think the 70s have to get it for me, because you also had all the parallel cinema stuff. Also, when the censorship was insane a while back they’d censor those the most on TV which I think says a lot.
Least progressive I have to vote for post-colonial 40s and 50s and the past… 8-10 years? Because when censorship is so insane it cuts and blurs stuff from 50 to 60 years earlier to ribbons that cannot be MORE progressive.
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Absolutely not related to the topic, but I saw that marathi film Chandramukhi (about a tawaif and a politician, with great Ajay-Atul music) is now on Einthusan. If I remember well you wanted to watch it.
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Thanks, Angie! I do really want to see that.
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Yaaaaaay, you agree with me on 40s-50s! It’s very progressive/regressive in a weird way, capitalism is bad but also “traditional” Indian values are GREAT/
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And the ‘traditional’ values are soooo extreme, but then I guess you do also get pushback against them and a lot of cowardly ‘is this bad? no it’s not. but is it???? maybe???? NO.’ plots
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I wonder whether the lack of parallel cinema and the huge amount of attention put into bollywood’s messaging has contributed to that. I was watching Satyajev Jayate 2 (which is such a good masala film no one told me about) and Sadak 2 (which was bad but in a kind of fun way) had such cheesy plots. Even a movie like Atrangi Re which atleast attempted to work about the concept of mental health was given so much media attention. Parallel cinema is also now heavily removed from audience members unless you are a specialist film critic or one of those firectors get a screening at TIFF.
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I think that is exactly it. From what I’ve heard the government has such a stranglehold on cinema, anything critical simply doesn’t get made, and when it does it is not given exposure. I admit I’m not an expert since I’ve found increasingly few movies I can actually bear to watch.
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I can’t choose a single decade as there is always good and bad. However I do feel recently there is less of an even ground. I think today’s age has some modern films but also many regressive (let’s say ‘safe’) films.
Like I was watching this kannada movie ‘Bhakta Prahlada’ and I noticed how few mythological films are made today due to fear of offense. I also think a lot of modern movies are being increasingly centred around uber-rich people which I think gives the wrong ideas.
One of the things I miss about old bollywood films is the people being middle-class(not the urban upper-middle class tortured boy in Tamasha kind) or living in villages. The idea that progressive movies are only from such societies is a completely idea.
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I hardly watch old Indian movies, so I’m not an expert, but I have the feeling that 90′ are more progressive then 80′. One of the very few 80′ movies I have seen, is about a man who marries a girl only for revenge and treats her badly. He tries to kill her few times and in the end she is like: I know you want to kill me, but I’m your wife and my work is to make you happy, so if it will make you happy, please, kill me. I have never seen something like this in the 90′.
And aren’t a lot of movies from the 80′ “you raped my sister, so I’m kill you”?
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True, 80s is very violent and a lot of that is gendered violence. But the message tends to be very anti-caste and class and wealth. And anti-communal, lots of Muslim best friends. I don’t know! It’s a combo.
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Yeah the 80s are I think the worst for the violence and violence against women, for sure. Mostly once you get past the early 80s which are more like the 70s. But it also had quite a lot of sexual liberty and less emphasis on parental authority so eeeh. Like you wouldn’t get that underwear scene in Love 86 today.
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