Volume VI Special Issue V June 2026

Name of Author : MARIA SUSAN SUJO, EZABELLA K J

Title of the paper : Decolonizing Gender and Marriage: Rural Women, Identity, and Patriarchal Structures in Laapataa Ladies

Abstract: This paper examines Laapataa Ladies through the lens of decolonial feminist theory to explore how the film critiques patriarchal marriage structures embedded within rural Indian society. Set in a culturally conservative village landscape, the film portrays marriage not merely as a personal relationship but as a social institution shaped by tradition, gender expectations, and social control. It foregrounds the experiences of rural women whose individuality often becomes obscured within the patriarchal structures. Through the particular experiences of the female protagonists, the narrative challenges the normalization of obedience, silence, and dependence imposed upon rural women within patriarchal households. By centring ordinary rural women rather than urban elite narratives, Laapataa Ladies challenges Eurocentric feminist frameworks and contributes to the decolonization of gender discourse through localized and culturally specific representations of agency, resistance and selfhood. The study focuses on themes such as mistaken identity, mobility, domesticity, and resistance, and thereby questions traditional spaces. Ultimately, the paper positions Laapataa Ladies as a reflection on evolving gender consciousness in contemporary rural India. The film further reimagines gender, marriage, and female subjectivity from a Global South perspective, contributing to the decolonization of gender studies and representation in Indian cinema.

Keywords : Decolonial Feminism, Patriarchy, Rural Women, Gender Studies, Marriage and Identity

DOI :

Page Number : 38-44