Subversive Storytelling and Feminist Agency in theFilms of Aruna Raje: Reclaiming Women’sNarratives Beyond the Male Gaze

Abstract

This paper examines Aruna Raje’s feminist cinematic language, focusing on how her films challenge patriarchal frameworks through female subjectivity, autonomy, and resilience. It highlights her non-linear storytelling and emotionally complex characters that go beyond binary notions of oppression and freedom. Using feminist film theory, the study argues that her work reorients cinematic narratives toward female desire, labor, and decision-making, positioning her films as both counter-cinema and precursors to contemporary feminist discourse.