I began by trying to understand the larger landscape of Indian cinema through its history, milestones, and the many forms it has taken over time. I explored the rise of commercial cinema alongside parallel, independent, main-stream and art films, curious about what each reflected about the world around them.

As I mapped this space, I grew interested in how cinema chooses to show ambition, rage, and protest, and how films respond to and influence cultural and political moments. This led me to explore related themes like ecofeminism, climate change, and the role of storytelling in shaping collective memory.

Along the way, I studied landmark films and influential filmmakers whose work shaped the industry, and came across frameworks like the Bechdel Test and the male gaze that helped me look more critically at how women are represented on screen.

My research then shifted toward understanding women’s presence in the industry, not just as characters, but as professionals behind the scenes. I looked more deeply into pay gaps, crew structures, screen time, portrayals of female friendships, and recurring stereotypes. I came across a few reports and essays, including OWOMANIA by Ping-Pong Studio, that helped deepen my understanding.

It became clear that these issues weren’t isolated. What stood out was the lack of in-depth research that connects these issues to their root causes. This gap became central to my project.

The project began with the question of how much women are seen in Indian cinema, but quickly shifted to how they’re seen. I looked beyond screen time into subtler details—like character depth, agency, and role significance.

Starting with the Bechdel Test, I explored several other frameworks that assess female representation in film. Tests like the Pierce Test (do women have their own desires?), the Sexy Lamp Test (can a woman be replaced by a prop?), and the Villareal Test (do characters rely on stereotypes?) helped me build a lens for analysis. I eventually shortlisted nine that felt most relevant to this project.

For film selection, I focused on mainstream Hindi cinema—films that are either box office hits or critically acclaimed. I wanted to study the ones people already know and celebrate, to examine how these influential stories write their female characters. The timeline spans six decades, with deeper analysis on films made in the 21st century to understand where we stand today.

For this project, I chose data visualisation as the primary medium to explore and express what I was discovering. To make the data more engaging, I decided to embed it into visual illustrations that act as metaphors, rather than simple charts. Each visual draws from the different tests and frameworks I explored, helping highlight how women show up in cinema—both on-screen and off. This includes things like character presence, narrative significance, screen time, and crew structures behind the scenes.

The final outcome is a print publication that brings everything together. I didn’t want to tell just one story, but instead map a system, one that’s filled with smaller patterns and details. The book begins with a card listing all the films studied, printed on both sides. This card acts as a reference the reader can return to as they flip through the pages. It adds a small element of interaction that felt more intuitive in print than on screen.
The tone throughout the work is investigative but empathetic. The idea is to pause, observe, and maybe start seeing things a little differently.

To begin the process of data collection, I shortlisted around 60 films spanning six decades, roughly about ten from each. This helped build a broad contextual framework to understand how the representation of women has shifted over time. I focused on things we often overlook, like the presence of women as writers, directors, or protagonists.

While this historical scan helped set the stage, the core of my study focused on films released after 2000, studying them through the lens of nine various tests. Most of the data collection was primary. I watched the films myself, guided by a set of parameters based on the tests and tropes I had studied. With each viewing, I tracked details scene-by-scene and organised the information into a structured table, using a software notion.

One film, Queen, became a deeper case study. I watched it over seven times, referencing the screenplay alongside. I looked closely at elements like screen time, dialogue, themes, and songs to build a more nuanced picture of how female-led narratives are written and brought to life in Indian cinema.

In order to get the visualisation process started, I first mapped out the flow of the book. This helped me understand how the visuals would sit across the pages, not just in terms of space, but also tone, pacing, and what each one communicates. Thinking about the flow of the narrative early on helped ensure that each visual played a part in a larger system, rather than working in isolation.

Once I had the data in place, I began analysing it to understand patterns and insights. I started sketching ideas for visuals that could integrate the data meaningfully. The core concept of each test guided the form and structure of its visual. For instance, the Bechdel Test focused on female dialogue, the Landau Test on revenge arcs, and the Furiosa Test on online boycotts, all of which pushed me to think differently about what should be shown and how.

These explorations became the basis for charts, diagrams, and illustrations. I leaned into visual metaphors to bring these patterns to life. For example, I used a spotlight to talk about narrative centrality and a silhouette of a heel to depict stereotyping. These metaphors helped the visuals carry meaning, even before the data was fully read.

In order to get the visualisation process started, I first mapped out the flow of the book. This helped me understand how the visuals would sit across the pages, not just in terms of space, but also tone, pacing, and what each one communicates. Thinking about the flow of the narrative early on helped ensure that each visual played a part in a larger system, rather than working in isolation.

Once I had the data in place, I began analysing it to understand patterns and insights. I started sketching ideas for visuals that could integrate the data meaningfully. The core concept of each test guided the form and structure of its visual. For instance, the Bechdel Test focused on female dialogue, the Landau Test on revenge arcs, and the Furiosa Test on online boycotts, all of which pushed me to think differently about what should be shown and how.

These explorations became the basis for charts, diagrams, and illustrations. I leaned into visual metaphors to bring these patterns to life. For example, I used a spotlight to talk about narrative centrality and a silhouette of a heel to depict stereotyping. These metaphors helped the visuals carry meaning, even before the data was fully read.

The final outcome was a printed book, accompanied by a reference card placed at the front. Printed on both sides, the card lists all the films studied and serves as a quick guide for the visuals that follow. The book begins with an introduction to Indian cinema and a broad look at how the portrayal of women has shifted (if at all) across the past six decades. It then zooms into films from this century, using data and visual metaphors to unpack the current landscape. Toward the end, a detailed case study of the film Queen sits alongside a few examples where representation has been more intentional and thoughtful.

The book doesn’t aim to tell a singular story but to reflect the patterns that shape how women appear in our films. It acts as a mirror, quietly asking the industry and its audience to reconsider what they’ve long accepted. While the tone remains empathetic, it encourages reflection and responsibility. It closes with a call to do better, not just for the sake of storytelling, but for a more inclusive future for Indian cinema.

The project found its first audience at my graduation show, where over 150 people engaged with the work in-person. Since then, its reach has steadily grown. I was invited to present it at DesignUp 2024, where I shared my work with an audience of over a thousand people from around the world. I’ve also spoken about the work multiple times at the Indian Institute of Art and Design, and more recently at smaller, more intimate spaces like Small Town Folk.

The conversations sparked by these sessions have been some of the most rewarding parts of the journey. The impact is ongoing in ways I couldn't have predicted when I first started.

This project took shape with the constant support of my mentor Aarti Uberoi. I’m thankful to Gagan Nahre, Ikroop Sadhu, and my batchmates for their feedback and ideas along the way. A special thanks to Pragyan James Ali for his significant help with data collection and his involvement across different parts of the project.