Woman Becomes Goddess in Bollywood: Justice, Violence, and the Feminine in Popular Hindi Film

  • Author(s): Kathleen M. Erndl
  • When: 2013-10
  • Where: Journal of Religion & Film
  • What happens “when a woman becomes Chandika?” This essay contributes to an on-going discussion of the theme of “avenging women” in popular Indian cinema, with particular focus on the transformation of a woman into a fierce Goddess who avenges oppression and re-establishes justice. Analysis of the story line and selected song sequences from the Hindi language film Anjaam (“Outcome,” 1994) in light of themes from the Hindu Sanskrit text, the Devi-Mahatmya (“Greatness of the Goddess,” 5thc. C.E.) shows how traditional religious images and values are adapted and transformed in a modern context.

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