Digital Object Identifier
Menopause is an overlooked area of study in the Indian context. This paper discusses the representation of menopause in Indian cinema through the analysis of selected films. It uses theoretical frameworks of embodiment, abjection, and the male gaze, along with Singh and Sivakami’s notion of menopause as distress. Through these frameworks, the physical symptoms and psychological distress of the protagonists are analyzed to understand menopause as rooted in social and cultural interpretations shaped by stigma rather than a mere biological process. Protagonists’ everyday experiences, domestic space, social encounters and moments of solitude demonstrate how menopausal bodies are constructed as disruptive to normative expectations of femininity and framed as abject. Visual and narrative strategies of these films highlight women’s anxiety about the loss of youth and desirability during menopause. It shows cinema can challenge the taboo surrounding menopause. This paper contributes to emerging feminist film studies and menstrual studies.
Athira Suresh, and Dr. Moncy Mathew. “Between Decline and Renewal: The Representations of Menopausal Bodies in Select Indian Cinema.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 346–368. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.21.
Open Access · CC BY 4.0 · Crossref DOI ·
the-criterion.com