Ramisha Nabila
Abstract: Contemporary Hindi cinema increasingly engages with questions of power, gender, social construction of masculinity, within deeply established patriarchal culture. This paper critically analyzes Do Patti (2024), directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi, through Laura Mulvey’s concept of the male gaze, alongside the related notions of voyeurism and scopophilia. The study demonstrates that the film offers nuanced portrayal of toxic masculinity as a socially constructed and institutionally reinforced phenomenon. Through an analysis of central character, Dhruv Sood, it reveals how traits such as aggression, dominance, control, entitlement, and competitiveness are normalized and valorized as markers of idealized masculinity. These traits are shown to underpin practices of objectification and domestic violence, functioning as mechanisms that sustain gendered power hierarchies and restrict women’s autonomy. Importantly, the analysis finds that Do Patti not only represents but actively critiques these cultural scripts by exposing their psychological and social consequences. The film foregrounds how gendered expectations marginalize women’s identities and limit their agency while simultaneously destabilizing the legitimacy of patriarchal authority. The paper contributes to feminist film discourse by illustrating how contemporary Hindi cinema challenges normalization.
Keywords: Male Gaze, toxic masculinity, voyeurism. scopophilia, and domestic violence
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