Examining the Problematics of Material Ecofeminism in Indian Cinema

Abstract

This paper examines the concept of Material Ecofeminism through the lens of Indian cinema, analysing how films across different linguistic and regional traditions engage with the parallel oppression of women and nature under capitalist and patriarchal structures. Situated within the third wave of ecocriticism, the study draws upon the theoretical interventions of scholars such as Vandana Shiva, Maria Mies, Ariel Salleh, Charlotte Sussman, and Scott Slovic to explore how institutions of labour, power, and property function as shared sites of domination over both women and the environment. The paper positions Indian cinema as a powerful cultural medium that absorbs and reflects contemporary ecological crises, gender inequalities, and socio-economic disparities.

Through close readings of select films—Bhediya, Sherni, Kon Kitney Paani Mein?, Aranyakam, and Taledanda—the study demonstrates how cinematic narratives employ ecology, mythopoeia, and gendered symbolism to critique exploitative models of development. The analysis highlights recurring themes such as deforestation, displacement of tribal communities, water scarcity, caste hierarchies, and the marginalisation of women, while also interrogating the problematics of essentialism that often associate women and nature as innate nurturers. The paper argues that although some films risk reinforcing essentialist tropes and limiting female agency, others strategically transpose these associations to foreground resistance, biophilia, and alternative modes of coexistence.

By examining the aesthetic, utilitarian, sublime, and anthropoharmonic representations of nature alongside women’s negotiated agency, the study concludes that Indian cinema offers a complex, ambivalent engagement with Material Ecofeminism. While constrained by the ideological limits of popular culture, these films nonetheless create critical spaces for reimagining gender relations, ecological ethics, and socio-economic justice. Ultimately, the paper asserts that a genuine resolution to ecological and gender crises requires a radical restructuring of dominant value systems, uniting feminist and ecological movements to envision a more equitable and sustainable society.