Framing the Margins: Caste, Gender, and Nationhood in Reformist-Era Indian Films (1930–60s)

Abstract

The Reformist Era of Indian cinema, spanning between 1930s and 1960s, was closely associated with India’s colonial resistance, movements toward freedom, independence, and the formative challenges of democratic governance. While films from this era have been recognized and acclaimed for their social awareness and critiques the traditional hierarchies, this paper argues that they also simultaneously marginalized the voices of the most oppressed groups—particularly Dalit women—by systematically neglecting their lived experiences and confined them to merely symbolic or subordinate roles. The present paper critically studies and analyses how the cinematic narratives from this era constructed an idealized portrayal of the Indian nation that effectively concealed the oppression related to caste and gender.