Author:

Debaleena Basu
Research Scholar
Department of History
Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan
Birbhum ,West Bengal ,India

Email: debleena2000basu@gmail.com

Abstract::Abstract:This paper explores the gendered politics of gaze and representation in colonial Bengal
through Satyajit Ray’s (1921-1992) films Devi and Charulata. It discusses how these films provide a lens
to examine how nationalist discourses deified women and their bodies for patriarchal aspirations while
stripping them of their agency. It argues that these films bring to light female subjectivity in the context of
colonial Bengal and shows the lost female perspective on these deeply political issues. When discussing
gender norms in relation to historical events, it is common to encounter the problem of authentic
depictions of women’s experiences. This paper takes into account the Feminist Film Theory and suggests
that these two films specifically deal with the most debated concept presented in it, the problem of the
‘male gaze’ and links it to the historical deification of women during the emergence of nationalist feelings
in Bengal.

Key Words::Colonial Bengal, Cultural revival, Feminist, Films Nationalism, Women etc.