This paper examines the social construction of gender by Gulzar in the film
Aandhi and maps it with the cultural and socio-political changes that took place
in the country during that era. Aandhi1
is the first Hindi film that narrates the
dilemma of a modern woman politician – a space largely occupied by men.
Gulzar went against the norms of film making in the seventies and directed a
film based on woman politician which broke certain gender stereotypes. Aarti,
the female protagonist in the film, wishes to have everything in life at her
whims and fancies. She is a non-conformist. She challenges the norms set by
society and refuses to become a sandwich between her father’s selfish
ambitions and husband’s patriarchal needs.