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'Is Macho the In-thing?' Effects of the Representation of Masculinity in

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 Global Media Journal-Indian Edition; Volume 12 Issue1; June 2020.
ISSN:2249-5835

‘Is Macho the In-thing?’ Effects of the Representation of

Masculinity in Bollywood Cinema on Youngsters

Adharsh Raj
Department of Media and Communication,
School of Communication,
Central University of Tamil Nadu, India, +91 79071 32431,
adharshraj161@gmail.com
&
Manash Pratim Goswami
Associate Professor and Head,
Department of Media and Communication, School of Communication,
Central University of Tamil Nadu, India, +91 99999 15977,
mpgoswami@cutn.ac.in

Abstract
With an increase in the number of cinemas released and the reach these cinemas are getting,
irrespective of geographical boundaries, the influence created by cinemas on youngsters also has
been increased. Though a small section of researchers believe that the movies are capable of
motivating and spreading positive messages, the popular view on the influence imparted by
cinemas on youngsters' block is highly critical of it, associating substance abuse, adapting and
depicting etc., with it. Also, there are instances of criminal activities, including substance abuse,
rape, murder etc. In this backdrop, the present study analyses the effects of the representation of
masculinity in Bollywood cinema on youngsters. In this study, which based on a quantitative
research technique, a sample size of 300 Bollywood cinema lovers selected. Snowball sampling
procedure used in the respective study as it considered as one of the effective as well as cost-
efficient sampling techniques that can reach a vast number of respondents belonging to varied
demographics across the country. It firmly believed this technique would give reasonably good
ideas about the views of young filmgoers on the influence of Bollywood cinema in their lives and
around. The web of relationship between factors such as physical characteristics, idealised gender,

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gender-related age identity, lust and male eroticism, hero idol, use of slang, glorifying substance
abuse, effects on youngsters, as well as adapting and depicting are analysed, along with
demographic variables such as age, gender, family monthly income, location, and educational
qualification are also analysed using statistical tools. The study results indicated that the contents
filled with violence, romance, toxic masculinity, substance abuse, etc., showcased in Bollywood
movies as some of the significant characteristics of masculinity, is reflected or imitated in real
lives by youngsters in India. The present study also reached a conclusion where most of the
respondents, who were youngsters, responded that they had a feeling to try cigarettes, liquor or
drugs in their real lives after watching a hero using those in style, in order to magnify his
masculinity. The ones who fantasise their lives as a Bollywood cinema and those who try to follow
a lifestyle just like the macho hero on-screen was also not less in numbers.

Keywords: Masculinity, Bollywood, Cinema, Adapting and Depicting, Imitation, Youngsters,

Perceptions, Mass communication

Introduction
'Bollywood' is a portmanteau derived from Bombay and Hollywood, the centre of the American
film industry, which started to flourish during the 1970s by overtaking the United State’s credit of
largest film producers in the world (Goswami, M.P., 2020; Rajghatta, C., 2008). According to
Goswami, there are several claims regarding the coining of the term 'Bollywood', including, the
famous lyricist, filmmaker, and cinema scholar Amit Khanna and the journalist Bavinda Collaco.
From macho heroes who are angry and fighting off with a group of villains, roles for men are
changing. A shift in the representation of male heroes in the Bollywood film industry is very much
visible while considering the pre-2000s and post-2000s. The representation of male characters
changed from the angry young man to many other different traits, that is, while Dharmendra,
Amitabh Bachchan, etc., possessed an angry young men image, the successors like Sharukh Khan,
Ameer Khan, Hrithik Roshan, et al., were focusing on their physical attributes in the movies
(Bhattacharjee, P.; Tripathi, P., 2017.).
Bhattacharjee P. and Tripathi P. also state that the heroes of the pre-2000s Bollywood
cinema were tall, dark and handsome with more emphasis given to the chest hairs. Even individual
Hindi proverbs connecting the trust quotient of men with chest hairs were in use, like, “jiski chaati
pe baal nahi, uski baat pe aitbaar nahi (roughly translated as a man with no hair on his chest

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cannot be trusted)”. With the movies of Sharukh Khan et al., the idea of masculinity changed from
an angry young man to a more supportive young man who is always there for his love of life. Still,
the idea of physical fitness was relevant, and almost all the Bollywood heroes displayed their bare
bodies on the silver screen. The notion of having six-pack abs thus came up. The trends kept on
changing and the glorifying of the use of intoxicants such as cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, etc., made
their way into cinemas. Thus, the representation of male characters, as well as the impact that they
create on the movie-goers, has been changing, and it is still evolving.
According to Meghna Mehra (2019), the first asexual student leader of India and an author,
the angry young man epoch, the period when all the heroes were angry on-screen, laid a foundation
in the minds of the Bollywood audience fascinating them to be a man like that, a man who has got
certain superpowers to fight off a massive number of villains alone to save the female counterparts
in the movie. It had a lasting impact on the minds of the audience from the 1960s to 1990s. The
actors such as Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra appeared in Bollywood movies with an angry
young man and macho image. The movies such as Sholay (1975), ShahenShah (1988), etc. defined
masculinity during that period (Mehra, 2019). This era portrayed the idea of being a man as being
robust, rowdy and very well physically fit, and hence people were very much eager to be a man
with those features.
Mehra, M (2019) also states that during the 1990s actors such as Govinda and Akshay
Kumar came into the play and portrayed similar characters with some comedy elements in the
script. Using extra-marital affairs and maltreatment of women characters were prevalent during
this period. The Akshay Kumar starrer movie, Khiladi (1992), is also an example of a movie with
the portrayal of exaggerated masculinity. Salman Khan’s Beevi Number One (1999) is a movie in
which he cheats on his wife and has an affair with some other lady. The normalising of
misbehaviour towards women continued, and it also started to happen in real life. The end product
was the injection of the concept that it is how men are programmed, and it is reasonable to mistreat
women. The same period also witnessed the arrival of family-oriented movies, and the main
characteristics of those movies were that they filled with drama, action, violence and some sexist
jokes as an icing on the cake.
The saviour image started to mushroom up in the Bollywood industry during the 2000s.
The men characters were the handsome fit guys who will always save the so-called weak female
counterparts in the movies. Every decade the evolution of male characters was happening in the

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Bollywood industry. Nevertheless, the fact is that certain pre-conceived notions of masculinity
were more influential in all the decades. Men were always the head of the family who makes
decisions. Even though the aggressiveness was less and some movies labelled as "women-
oriented" the men portrayed as a guiding factor for women to be successful. Men depicted like
someone who is born to free women from all sorts of dangers, and the sad part is that such an
image is still present in the most modern 21st century.
Even after many real-life stories of misbehaviour towards women, still, movies with such
themes are prevalent in almost all the film industries irrespective of language or culture. Few to
point out are Kabir Singh (2019) and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018). However, some movies such
as Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011), Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008), Hindi Medium (2017), Tumhari
Sulu (2017), Tanu weds Manu (2011), etc. screened not such an angry man who is supportive.
Those heroes portrayed as involving in household works as well. They were expressing themselves
and at the same time were showing their masculinity in some other ways.
In 2019, Bollywood produced 495 films out of 2446 films produced all over the country (Central
Board of Film Certification, 2019). The most popular genre of Bollywood is masala cinema, which
is a combination of genres like action, comedy, romance, drama, and melodrama along with
musical numbers (Ganti, 2004).
The Economic Times reports that the effects of cinema on both urban populace as well as
the rural populace, in India, are almost similar. Hence the effect of cinemas in both rural and urban
settings can be analysed (Dasgupta, 2017). According to Goswami & Sharma (2020), the influence
exerted by movies on people, irrespective of their age, is also very much significant even from the
starting of motion pictures. By the end of the 19th century, cinema emerged as 'a marvel of the
century'. They also state that film and fashion are mutually connected. Even though films appeal
to different age groups differently, said that the Bollywood film outputs generally influence
youngsters more. Weddings, dancing on a floor, a theme party, or any youthful occasion or
enjoying leisure time or taking part in cultural events, the elements of fun, fashion, and celebration
of Bollywood films will be present everywhere, knowingly or unknowingly (Goswami &Sharma,
2020).
Goswami & Sharma (2020) also states that the films of the Bollywood industry are acting
as a reference for the people to come out of their real-life and imitate fun, style, fashion as well as
dialogues, etc. It has been prevalent from the initial days itself that, if a hero or a heroine flaunts a

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style or seen using any specific product, it automatically becomes the trend of the nation and
people, especially the youngsters' block will tend more to imitate those with great enthusiasm.
With the hike in the number of romantic genre films in Bollywood during the 1960s, society started
to get several new dimensions about life.
Goswami and Sharma (2020) also quote particular examples from the history of Bollywood
cinema on adapting, depicting and imitating fashion trends by the audience. Actress Madhubala
who wore the famous Anarkali Kurti and heavy jewellery in the movie Mughal-e-Azam (1960),
Actress Mumtaz who made famous the iconic saree in the movie Brahmachari (1968) and Sadhana
who flaunted on the big-screen with her fringed hairstyle, which was later known as 'Sadhana cut',
in the movie Love in Shimla (1960), etc. were the trendsetters during the initial days. Many of the
film historians consider actor Dev Anand as the pioneer of fashion in the Hindi film industry. He
used to appear on the screen with a sweater draped over his shoulder. From variety in combination
as well as the selection of shirts, pants, coats, and hats, Dev Anand created his style statements.
Later, his contemporary Shammi Kapoor brought-in the trend of short shirts. Rajesh Khanna, the
first superstar of Bollywood, brought-in different kinds of kurtas on the screen, while Feroz Khan
brought the trend of jeans in the 1970s. Amitabh Bachchan, who was the angry young man on the
screen, was famous for his long hair that could cover his big ears. The Amitabh Bachchan hairstyle
also was imitated by youth. During the 1970s Bachchan also gave a new look to wear a jacket or
a waist-coat in his films. The mullet hairstyle popularised by Mithun Chakraborty and Sanjay Dutt
was imitated mainly by the youth of the decade. The 1980s came to an end by popularising rugged
denim jeans and biker jackets used by Salman Khan in the highest-grossing film of the decade,
Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), which is an outfit used by Indian youth even in the present scenario.
While talking about the 1990s, the popular box-office hit movies such as Dilwale Dulhania Le
Jayenge (1995), Raja Hindustani (1998), Hum Aapke he Kaun (1994), Dilto Pagal Hei (1997) and
Kuch Kuch Hota Hei (1998), brought-in a completely new scenario in terms of fashion in
Bollywood, which was highly imitated by the youngsters all over India (Goswami & Sharma,
2020).
Later, in the 2000s, Sushmita Sen in Mein Hoon Na (2004) and Priyanka Chopra in
Dostana (2008), became the fashion icons of designer sarees which had a massive impact on the
movie-goers' taste of dressing. The 2016 movie Ae Dil Hai Mushkil introduced the trend of ripped
jeans and long Kurtis among girls and young women. Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone, Alia

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Bhatt etc., brought in different trends among the young females around India through their movies,
while Sharukh Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Ayushman
Khurrana, Dulquer Salmaan etc., were setting new trends for the male youth counterparts. The
popular belief that women mostly imitate Bollywood trends is not entirely correct. Men also have
copied enough trends from Bollywood. Be it fashion or physical fitness. Men also had tried to
imitate different hairdos, dressing style as well as the muscular body, which include six-packs,
eight-packs or chisel-shaped body. Hence, Bollywood can be one of the references for the youth
in building up their looks, styles and fashion (Goswami &Sharma, 2020). Besides all these,
Santosh Kumar Gautam (2017), an Indian research scholar, states in his study titled, Portrayal of
Drugs and Alcohol in Indian Cinema: A reflection of Cultural Practices in the twenty-first century
that the excessive portrayal of drugs or alcohol creates a negative impact on youth and they tend
to imitate those portrayals.
Sukriti Sobti (2013) and Ashok Row Kavi (n.d) note in their study, the Bollywood film
contents of the last two decades emphasis more on male eroticism. The period from 1960 to 1990s
had rare exposure of the male body in movies. Nevertheless, today the male body exposing has
turned out to be an unwritten norm in Bollywood cinema. Some of the movies released in this
century are also capable of motivating people as well as spreading good messages to the people.
The movies which were once concentrated only on masala content, today tend to concentrate on
the well-being of society by spreading good messages. According to an article published by Vogue
India, ‘How Bollywood’s ‘movies with a message’ are helping start difficult conversations,’
authored by Udita Jhunjhunwala (2020), Bollywood's latest love for movies with social
commentary, which make use of humour, satire, and drama to reach wider audiences, is helping to
open up discussions on taboo subjects. Some of the movies concentrating on social issues include
Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (2017), which spread the message against open defecation, Pad Man
(2018), the movie that talked about menstrual hygiene, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017), which
deals with the message of erectile dysfunction, and Bala (2019). This film talked openly about the
hardships of a bald man. Another interesting fact noted is that these films are not only finding
critical acclaim; many of these movies are doing an excellent job in Box-Office as well
(Jhunjhunwala, 2020).
Thus, the Bollywood film industry is evolving ever since it started making movies. It has
been influencing, motivating, and giving both good and bad to society. The present study will

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focus on the effect imparted by Bollywood movies on youngsters due to the portrayal of
masculinity.

Theoretical Framework
The available literature on the topic suggests that the representation of male characters, as well as
the impact that they create on the movie-goers, has been changing and it is still evolving. There
are a plethora of studies that point towards the adverse effects of cinema that can affect children,
youngsters as well as the elderly. Wilbur Schramm (1968), in his study titled Motion Pictures and
Real-Life Violence; What the Research Says, states that, even though films or televisions are not
only the factors that can catalyse aggressive behaviours in the audience, it also plays a part in the
lives of the people in shaping them to imitate what they have seen in the motion pictures. “There
is evidence that violence in motion pictures can contribute to violence, delinquency, and crime in
real life” (Schramm, 1968). According to a study by Herbert Blumer (1933), movie heroes'
dressing styles and their mannerisms in the movies imitated by youngsters. He also states that not
only mannerisms and the dressing style, but also, some of the respondents selected for his study
inspired by heroes and their actions like the way they kissed in the movies and also they tried to
imitate the criminal behaviours depicted in the film. “It is tough, of course, to ascertain the extent
of this imitation with exactness.
Nevertheless, the evidence is quite conclusive in indicating that the degree is by no means
small” (Blumer, 1933). Social learning theory, a theory of learning process and social behaviour,
states that new behaviours can be acquired by observing and imitating others hence. At the same
time, a person exposed to media content that can negatively affect his/her ideas and values
influenced by that harmful content and may imitate those in their real lives as well.
Cultivation theory in psychology, proposed by George Gerbner, argues that the media
influence the public in developing their worldview. Even though the cultivation theory formulated
to address the effects of television on the public, later with umpteen numbers of studies, it
understood that the theory is practical in case of all media. According to the theory, continuous
exposure to media content can cultivate a belief that the social reality aligns with reality portrayed
in the media. The films which very often portray events such as violence, substance abuse, abusing
women, etc., can also affect the audience, and they may cultivate a belief that those portrayals are
real. It is normal to imitate in real lives.

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Uses and Gratification theory is a theory which aims at understanding mass

communication. According to this theory, the audience chooses what they want to watch mainly
because of five different reasons, Information and Education, Entertainment, Personal Identity,
Integration and social interaction, and Escapism (Abbitt, 2014). Abbitt states that the people, when
exposed to media content, mimic behaviours seen in the content or they try to develop a personal
identity which is similar to the person that they saw in the media content. The people while
imitating those traits feel normal as they tend to use the media for their gratification and may lead
to mimicking not only the positive traits but also negative traits including violence, substance
abuse etc. Hence, through this research, the researcher aims to systematically and structurally
analyse the effects of the representation of masculinity in Bollywood cinema on youngsters.

Objectives
The representation of masculinities in Bollywood cinema is affecting every movie-goer
irrespective of their age. It can be as small as imitating the dressing trends to adapting certain evil
behaviours and being overly exposed to substance abuse or similar misdoings. The idealisation of
gender, male eroticism, etc. are some other kinds of stuff being portrayed in cinema nowadays.
Hence, it becomes vital to study the representation of masculinity in Bollywood cinema and its
effects on youngsters. Accordingly, the following research objectives formulated:
1. To analyse the perceptions on the minds of youngsters about the portrayal of specific male
gender roles in Bollywood films.
2. To understand the reflections in society due to the portrayal of masculinity in
Bollywood cinema
3. To study the effect it creates on youngsters.
Research Questions
RQ1: Do the variables Age, Gender, Educational Qualification, Family Monthly Income, and Location
have an association with Physical Characteristics, Idealised Gender, Gender-Related Age Identity, Lust and
Male Eroticism, Hero Idol, Use of Slang, Glorifying Substance Abuse, Impact on Youngsters, and Adapting
and Depicting?

RQ2: Are the variables Physical Characteristics, Idealised Gender, Gender-Related Age Identity, Lust and
Male Eroticism, Hero Idol, Use of Slang, Glorifying Substance Abuse, Impact on Youngsters, and Adapting
and Depicting interrelated?

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Research Methodology
The main objective of this study is to understand the effects Bollywood cinema can create in the
minds of youngsters through the different depictions of masculinities. A range of factors that could
influence these effects, such as physical characteristics, idealised gender, gender-related age
identity, lust and male eroticism, hero idol, use of slang, glorifying substance abuse, effects on
youngsters, as well as adapting and depicting are analysed. Apart from these, demographic
variables such as age, gender, family monthly income, location, and educational qualification are
also analysed. In this study, based on a quantitative research technique, a sample size of 300
Bollywood cinema lovers selected. Snowball sampling procedure used in the respective study as
it considered as one of the effective as well as cost-efficient sampling techniques that can reach a
vast number of respondents belonging to varied demographics across the country. It believed this
technique would give reasonably good ideas about the views of young filmgoers on the influence
of Bollywood cinema in their lives and around. An online survey was conducted in March 2020 to
collect perspectives from selected individuals. The questionnaire of the survey consisted of 50
questions dealing with all the selected variables—the survey conducted among Bollywood movie-
loving millennials. The age interval between less than 19 and above 24 years, across India, by
sharing the online survey form in different groups in social media platforms such as Facebook,
WhatsApp, and Instagram, where critical appreciation, marketing techniques, impacts of cinema,
promotion and other different aspects of Bollywood cinema discussed regularly. Views of each
individual considered as one unit. The webs of relationships between these variables analysed
using statistical tools after the completion of data collection. One-way Anova, T-Tests and
Bivariate correlation tests conducted to arrive at findings of this study.

Discussion
According to statistical tests, the researcher arrived at specific findings. The tables given below
are the results of the statistical analysis of the selected variables:

Table 1. Anova Test Result: Dependent Variables vs Age

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

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Between
3138.457 2 1569.228
Groups
Physical
Within 116.526 0
Characteristics 3999.623 297 13.467
Groups

Total 7138.08 299

Between
178.512 2 89.256
Groups

Idealised Gender Within 23.023 0

1151.418 297 3.877
Groups

Total 1329.93 299

Between
502.345 2 251.172
Groups
Gender-related age
Within 61.639 0
identity 1210.242 297 4.075
Groups

Total 1712.587 299

Between
410.897 2 205.448
Groups
Lust and Male
Within 51.502 0
Eroticism 1184.77 297 3.989
Groups

Total 1595.667 299

Between
216.91 2 108.455
Groups

Hero idol Within 19.86 0

1621.927 297 5.461
Groups

Total 1838.837 299

Between
443.704 2 221.852
Groups
Use of Slang 45.235 0
Within
1456.626 297 4.904
Groups

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Total 1900.33 299

Between
290.681 2 145.34
Groups
Glorifying Substance
Within 14.928 0
Abuse 2891.706 297 9.736
Groups

Total 3182.387 299

Between
764.999 2 382.499
Groups

Impact on Youngsters Within 41.878 0

2712.668 297 9.134
Groups

Total 3477.667 299

Between
1050.19 2 525.095
Groups

Adapting and Depicting Within 66.078 0

2360.13 297 7.947
Groups

Total 3410.32 299

Table 2. Independent Sample T-Test Results: Dependent Variables vs Gender

Sig. (2-
F Sig. t df
tailed)

Physical Equal variances assumed 50.881 0 -1.705 298 0.089

Characteristics Equal variances not assumed -1.71 254.345 0.088

Equal variances assumed 0.012 0.911 -0.198 298 0.843

Idealised Gender
Equal variances not assumed -0.198 297.866 0.843

Gender-related age Equal variances assumed 0.106 0.745 0.927 298 0.354
identity
Equal variances not assumed 0.927 297.692 0.355

Lust and Male Equal variances assumed 16.98 0 -0.581 298 0.562

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Eroticism Equal variances not assumed -0.582 274.095 0.561

Equal variances assumed 0.013 0.908 -2.138 298 0.033

Hero idol
Equal variances not assumed -2.139 296.399 0.033

Equal variances assumed 8.112 0.005 -0.931 298 0.353

Use of Slang
Equal variances not assumed -0.932 291.996 0.352

Glorifying Substance Equal variances assumed 32.979 0 -1.797 298 0.073

Abuse
Equal variances not assumed -1.801 278.121 0.073

Equal variances assumed 1.488 0.223 2.265 298 0.024

Impact on Youngsters
Equal variances not assumed 2.263 292.861 0.024

Adapting and Equal variances assumed 23.564 0 0.791 298 0.429

Depicting Equal variances not assumed 0.793 280.982 0.429

Table 3. Anova Test Result: Dependent Variables vs Educational Qualification

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 3111.261 3 1037.087

Physical Characteristics Within Groups 4026.819 296 13.604 76.233 0

Total 7138.08 299

Between Groups 281.946 3 93.982

Idealised Gender Within Groups 1047.984 296 3.54 26.545 0

Total 1329.93 299

Between Groups 504.358 3 168.119

Gender-related age
Within Groups 1208.229 296 4.082 41.187 0
identity
Total 1712.587 299

Between Groups 336.319 3 112.106

Lust and Male Eroticism Within Groups 1259.347 296 4.255 26.35 0

Total 1595.667 299

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Between Groups 94.664 3 31.555

Hero idol Within Groups 1744.173 296 5.892 5.355 0.001

Total 1838.837 299

Between Groups 313.159 3 104.386

Use of Slang Within Groups 1587.171 296 5.362 19.468 0

Total 1900.33 299

Between Groups 430.521 3 143.507

Glorifying Substance
Within Groups 2751.865 296 9.297 15.436 0
Abuse
Total 3182.387 299

Between Groups 1321.547 3 440.516

Impact on Youngsters Within Groups 2156.12 296 7.284 60.476 0

Total 3477.667 299

Between Groups 1137.551 3 379.184

Adapting and Depicting Within Groups 2272.769 296 7.678 49.384 0

Total 3410.32 299

Table 4. Anova Test Result: Dependent Variables vs Family Monthly Income

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between
1994.544 4 498.636
Groups
Physical Characteristics 28.599 0
Within Groups 5143.536 295 17.436

Total 7138.08 299

Between
62.248 4 15.562
Idealised Gender Groups 3.621 0.007

Within Groups 1267.682 295 4.297

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Total 1329.93 299

Between
157.645 4 39.411
Groups
Gender-related age
7.477 0
identity Within Groups 1554.941 295 5.271

Total 1712.587 299

Between
281.45 4 70.363
Groups
Lust and Male
15.794 0
Eroticism Within Groups 1314.216 295 4.455

Total 1595.667 299

Between
75.589 4 18.897
Groups
Hero idol 3.162 0.014
Within Groups 1763.247 295 5.977

Total 1838.837 299

Between
414.118 4 103.53
Groups
Use of Slang 20.55 0
Within Groups 1486.212 295 5.038

Total 1900.33 299

Between
589.559 4 147.39
Groups
Glorifying Substance
16.769 0
Abuse Within Groups 2592.828 295 8.789

Total 3182.387 299

Between
586.44 4 146.61
Groups
Impact on Youngsters 14.959 0
Within Groups 2891.226 295 9.801

Total 3477.667 299

Between
Adapting and Depicting 460.941 4 115.235 11.526 0
Groups

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Within Groups 2949.379 295 9.998

Total 3410.32 299

Table 5. Anova Test Result: Dependent Variables vs Location

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between
383.609 3 127.87
Groups
Physical Characteristics 5.604 0.001
Within Groups 6754.471 296 22.819

Total 7138.08 299

Between
133.201 3 44.4
Groups
Idealised Gender 10.982 0
Within Groups 1196.729 296 4.043

Total 1329.93 299

Between
199.006 3 66.335
Groups
Gender-related age
12.973 0
identity Within Groups 1513.581 296 5.113

Total 1712.587 299

Between
71.022 3 23.674
Groups
Lust and Male
4.596 0.004
Eroticism Within Groups 1524.645 296 5.151

Total 1595.667 299

Between
171.195 3 57.065
Groups
Hero idol 10.129 0
Within Groups 1667.642 296 5.634

Total 1838.837 299

Between
Use of Slang 99.596 3 33.199 5.457 0.001
Groups

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Within Groups 1800.734 296 6.084

Total 1900.33 299

Between
176.708 3 58.903
Groups
Glorifying Substance
5.801 0.001
Abuse Within Groups 3005.679 296 10.154

Total 3182.387 299

Between
198.313 3 66.104
Groups
Impact on Youngsters 5.967 0.001
Within Groups 3279.354 296 11.079

Total 3477.667 299

Between
285.76 3 95.253
Groups
Adapting and Depicting 9.024 0
Within Groups 3124.56 296 10.556

Total 3410.32 299

The above tables show the tabular form of findings of the study. According to Tables 1 to 5, the
physical characteristics and age-related to each other. It noted that the people who are below 19
years of age are strongly concerned about the physical characteristics such as, tallness, fairness,
physical fitness, handsomeness, having beard, moustache, and hair, having more bass sound, etc.,
that are portrayed in a Bollywood movie by a male hero as an important characteristic of
masculinity. The people belonging to the age group 19 to 24 are the least concerned about the
same. Even though females believed the most that physical characteristics are important in order
to portray masculinity on-screen, the study results indicated that there is no statistical relationship
between Gender and Physical Characteristics. The respondents who have an educational
qualification of 10th or below were of the highest opinion that the physical characteristics play a
significant role in the portrayal of masculinity. While analysing the family monthly income of the
respondents and the potential relationship with the importance of physical characteristics, the
respondents who were earning a family monthly income between 20,001 and 30,000 were highly
concerned about the physical characteristics while the respondents earning an income between
10,000 and 20,000 was highly critical of it. As Dasgupta states in his article on The Economic

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Times, the effect of cinema on both urban populace as well as the rural populace, in India, are
almost similar, the results of the present study also indicate that the respondents from urban settings
are concerned more about the physical characteristics. Whereas, the respondents from the rural
setting were clearly against the role of physical characteristics in portraying masculinity in
Bollywood cinema.
The study result shows that the idea of idealising males and creating certain stereotypes are
prevalent in Bollywood cinema. The respondents belonging to the age group of fewer than 20
years, believe this idea the most, followed by the respondents who were above 24 years of age.
Even though there was a slight variation in the averages of males and females who believe in
idealising male characters, there was no relationship found between the gender and idealising of
males. It was the highly educated set of respondents, the ones with an education of post-graduation
or above, who believed the idea of idealising male characters in Bollywood cinema is still present,
and they also believed that there is no need to idealise a character in order to showcase his
masculinity on-screen. While the people who earn a monthly income between Rs. 20,001, and Rs.
Thirty thousand believed the same concept, the one's from rural Indian settings were critical of it,
and the one's from metro settings agreed to the concept.
According to the findings from the study, the people belonging to the age group of below
20 years, having higher secondary educational qualification, earning a monthly income between
20,001 and 30,000 and hailing from a metro setting believe the most that Bollywood movies
targeting children have superhero characteristics, often Bollywood movies create an image that,
all the male youth are angry young man type, family-oriented movies often portray male characters
as breadwinners and heads of families, depicting males in such ways can negatively affect
youngsters. There is no need for portraying men as such perfect creations in order to create any
stereotype. At the same time, gender was not related to the same.
As SukritiSobti (2013) and Ashok Row Kavi (n.d) note in their study, the Bollywood film
contents of the last two decades give more emphasis on male eroticism. The period from 1960 to
1990s had rare exposure of the male body in movies. Nevertheless, today the male body exposing
has turned out to be an unwritten norm in Bollywood cinema. In the present study also the results
indicate that the youngsters also believe the same and are influenced by the eroticism of male
heroes on-screen. According to the study results, the respondents belonging to the less than 20
years age group with an educational qualification of 10th or below whose family monthly income

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falls between Rs. 20,001 and Rs.30,000 and based on metro setting tends to believe the most that
the male heroes often portrayed as hyper-sexual in Bollywood movies, most Bollywood movies
will have unnecessary exposure of the male bodily attributes, exposing male bodily features like
the abs, chisel-shaped body, etc., attracts the opposite sex to watch these movies, an actor does not
need to expose his body in a movie, and exposing bodily features will harm the audience. Whereas,
the respondents belonging to the age groups between 20 to 29 believe that the male eroticism does
not create any negative effect among the youth. At the same time, the study results indicate that
there is no direct relationship between lust and male eroticism and gender.
While analysing the result it is interesting to note that the less than 20 years group of
respondents believe the most that certain heroes are type-casted for certain kinds of roles, age does
not matter for a hero, and it does matters for a heroine, a man in real-life should be as perfect as
portrayed on-screen. Masculinity is an important characteristic of a successful hero in Bollywood
cinema. In the case of gender, the female respondents tend to believe the most the same as the
male counterpart. The ones who hail from a metro setting with a monthly family income ranging
from Rs. 20,001, and Rs. 30,000 and with an educational qualification of 10th or below is also of
the same belief system as of the less than 20 years age group and the female respondents.
It is important to note that the study results also indicate that the use of slangs, as well as
offensive language in a Bollywood cinema, affects the youngsters who are less than 20 years and
mostly the ones who have a higher secondary educational qualification. No specific relationship
between the use of slang and gender found in the study. At the same time, the ones who hail from
metro areas and have a family monthly income ranging from Rs. 20,001, and Rs. Thirty thousand
are affected by the same the most. Hence, said that the present study agrees with a previous study
of M. P. Goswami & Manisha Sharma (2020) which stated that the films of the Bollywood industry
are acting as a reference for the people to come out of their real-life and imitate fun, style, fashion
as well as dialogues.
The present study also put forth a similar finding to that of the findings of Santosh Kumar
Gautam (2017), an Indian research scholar, who stated that the excessive portrayal of drugs or
alcohol creates a negative impact on youth and they tend to imitate those portrayals. The present
study results indicate that the respondents who are less than 20 years of age with an educational
qualification of 10th or below whose family monthly income falls between Rs. 30,001, and Rs.
40,000 and based on metro settings mostly had the feeling to smoke or drink or try drugs after

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being exposed to a Bollywood cinema and they also believe that smoking a puff of cigarette like a
hero is cool and stylish. At the same time, the same group also believe that the excessive portrayal
of drugs and alcohol in cinema can negatively affect the youth. They say that the ban on showing
smoking or drinking in films lifted, movies that show using drugs or alcohol not certified as adult
films, and the statutory warnings displayed on-screen is not capable of giving the message that the
substance abuse is harmful, even when the hero of the movie is using it. Another interesting finding
of the study is that the take of youngsters that the glorifying of substance abuse or at least showing
them on-screen helps in making the movie more realistic.
The results of the present study are also following the previous study of M.P. Goswami
and Manisha Sharma (2020) which states that if a hero or a heroine flaunts a style or using any
certain product, it automatically becomes the trend of the nation and people, especially the
youngsters' block will tend more to imitate those with great enthusiasm. The less than 20 years
aged respondents tend to be more influenced by Bollywood films. They tend to imitate the dressing
styles, hairdo, makeover, personal daily routine habits, use of abusive language and they also
sometimes get motivated by watching Bollywood movies. The males influenced more by the film
content than that of the female counterparts. The ones who are based on metro settings with an
educational qualification of 10th or below and having a family monthly income ranging from Rs.
30,001 toRs. Forty thousand observed to be more affected.
Adapting and depicting the lives shown in a Bollywood cinema is another area to be
analysed and the respondents belonging to the less than 20 years block with a higher secondary
educational qualification whose family monthly income falls between Rs. 30,001, and Rs. 40,000
and who based on metro settings found to be more towards adapting and depicting Bollywood
cinema in their real lives. For them, the Bollywood cinema affects their purchase behaviours, they
get inspired by watching Bollywood movies to smoke, booze or try drugs, and at the same time,
they fantasise their lives as one of the Bollywood films that they have watched.

Table 6. Pearson's Correlation Test Result: Dependent Variables vs Dependent Variables

PC IG GRAI LaME HI UoS GSA IoY AaD

PC Pearson Correlation 1 .337** .560** .648** .449** .634** .493** .372** .653**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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IG Pearson Correlation .337** 1 .784** .751** .653** .658** .336** .539** .455**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

GRAI Pearson Correlation .560** .784** 1 .825** .692** .774** .501** .667** .713**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

LaME Pearson Correlation .648** .751** .825** 1 .705** .880** .622** .579** .725**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

HI Pearson Correlation .449** .653** .692** .705** 1 .720** .624** .492** .536**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

UoS Pearson Correlation .634** .658** .774** .880** .720** 1 .652** .615** .738**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

GSA Pearson Correlation .493** .336** .501** .622** .624** .652** 1 .357** .693**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

IoY Pearson Correlation .372** .539** .667** .579** .492** .615** .357** 1 .566**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

AaD Pearson Correlation .653** .455** .713** .725** .536** .738** .693** .566** 1

Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

According to Table 6, a strong positive correlation observed between physical characteristics and
gender-related age identity, which means that those whom idealised male actors tended to believe
more that men need to be tall, strong, violent, adventurous and courageous and with fair skin
complexion, reflecting the established masculine stereotypes. A strong positive correlation found
between the physical characteristics and other factors such as lust and male eroticism, use of slang,
and adapting and depicting. That means, those who believed more on the physical characteristics'
role in showcasing masculinity, also believed in lust and male eroticism, use of slangs and adapting
and depicting Bollywood cinema in real lives. Another important finding to be noted is that a
robust positive correlation found between the variable hero idol and gender-related age identity.

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That is, those who idolise male characters or those who admire on-screen heroes tend to believe
more in gender-related age identity. An interesting strong positive correlation found from the
results of the present study is between the glorifying substance abuse and adapting and depicting.
That is, those who believe more in glorifying substance abuse in Bollywood cinema tend to adapt
and depict that glorification in their real lives. The variable impact on youngsters found to have
strong positive correlations with the use of slang as well as gender-related age identity. Another
crucial finding of the study noted is that the strong positive correlation between the variable was
adapting and depicting and the use of slang. The ones who believe more in adapting and depicting
tend to use the slangs in their real-live that used in Bollywood flicks.

Conclusion
The vast number of studies happening across India has proved that the films have been and is
continuing to be one of the influencing factors for youngsters all across the world. The present
study also arrived at a similar conclusion. The study was aiming to analyse the effect of masculinity
in Bollywood cinema on youngsters. The primary objectives set by the researcher for the study are
to analyse the perceptions on the minds of youngsters about the portrayal of specific male gender
roles in Bollywood films, to understand the kind of reflections in the society due to the portrayal
of masculinity in Bollywood cinema and mainly to study the effect it creates on the youngsters in
India. While analysing the available literature on the topic, it understood that the representation of
male characters, as well as the impact that they create on the movie-goers, especially the youth,
has been changing and it is still evolving. Hence, the present study tried to answer a set of research
questions framed in order to analyse and understand the effects of the representation of masculinity
in Bollywood cinema on youngsters.
The study successfully fulfilled the objectives put forward by the researcher. The
researcher was able to collect relevant data through the online survey and analyse perceptions of
the youngsters on different gender roles played my male heroes in Bollywood cinema. The study
results prove that the Bollywood cinema still portrays male heroes as the heads of the family,
breadwinners and the decision-makers. These portrayals do harm the minds of the audience, says
the study results. The study results have also indicated that the contents filled with violence,
romance, toxic masculinity, substance abuse, etc., showcased in Bollywood movies as some of the
significant characteristics of masculinity, is reflected or imitated in real lives by youngsters in

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India. Umpteen number of news stories related to the mishappenings in India as well as around the
globe, due to imitating or being influenced by specific harmful contents portrayed in Bollywood
cinema and the world cinema is available in the world wide web. The present study also reached
a similar conclusion where most of the respondents, who were youngsters, responded that they had
a feeling to try cigarettes, liquor or drugs in their real lives after watching a hero using those in
style, in order to magnify his masculinity. This can be called one of the negative impacts of
Bollywood cinema on youngsters. The ones who fantasise their lives as a Bollywood cinema and
those who try to follow a lifestyle just like the macho hero on-screen was also not less in numbers.
While comparing the test results with the different theories such as the Social learning theory,
Cultivation theory and the Uses and Gratification Theory, the results seem to reinforce the
postulates put forth by these theories. According to Social learning theory, new behaviours can
acquire by observing and imitating others. Hence, while a person exposed to media content that
can affect his/her ideas and values, may be influenced by those contents and may imitate those in
their real lives as well. While analysing the results, the observation that the youngsters tend to
imitate Bollywood stars to a great extent by being influenced by them, starting from the kind of
language or slang they use on-screen, dressing style, violence, substance abuse etc., and the list
goes on till the ideology put forward by the Bollywood movies. According to Cultivation theory,
continuous exposure to media content can cultivate a belief that the social reality aligns with reality
portrayed in the media. Hence it can be assumed that the hardcore Bollywood movie watchers,
especially the youngsters, may cultivate a belief that everything picturised in a Bollywood cinema
like the portrayal of masculinity, substance abuse, stereotyping etc., is normal and it is how the
system works. Similarly, as the Uses and Gratification theory states, people while consuming the
ideas that they want, may try to adapt and depict a closely-related version of what they see on-
screen in their real lives too.
With the ubiquity of smartphones, thanks to its affordable cost, and easy availability of
high-speed internet, movies falling to different genres are readily available to most of the
youngsters. The OTT platforms are also playing their part in the easy availability of uncensored
movies. Hence, the extent to which parents can control the youngsters in a selection of movies also
has a limitation nowadays. As the study results prove that the youngsters are negatively affected
by Bollywood cinemas’ portrayal of masculinity, effective campaigns organised in order to change
the conceptions of youngsters on the portrayal of masculinity in Bollywood cinema. While the

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youth are against censoring cinema, they also say that the statutory warnings shown in cinema are
not much adequate. Psychologists should organise counselling for youngsters who fantasise their
own lives as Bollywood cinema. The government can also think of some new forms of
certifications for Indian cinemas. Parental controls can be added by different OTT platforms to
control the minors watching uncensored contents in these platforms. This present study looked at
with certain limitations. In the study, a sample size of (N= 300) taken through snowball sampling,
if the future studies conducted with a reasonable sample size, more meaningful conclusions drawn.
Examining more demographic groups and analysing more perceptions and attitudes of the Indian
cinema goers is another advancement that can be done by future researchers.

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