The representation of women on screen has taken a dramatic turn with the emergence of Over the Top (OTT) platforms. On the one hand, the web series is creating a new space for female actors to portray challenging professions. But, on the other hand, the directors have leapt when it comes to storytelling that goes far beyond the socially accepted homogeneous classification of femininity. Drawing upon the insight of ‘Butler’ concept of ‘Gender Performativity’ (‘Gender reality is performative which means, quite simply, that it is real only to the extent that it is performed‘), this article examines the deconstruction of gender binaries and how the non-homogeneous space created in a male-dominated territory. For the present study, female cop Hindi web series released during 2017–2022 have been selected: The Test Case, Code M Season 1, Delhi Crime, Aranyak and Code M Season 2. The significant findings reveal that the content of the web series has the potential to break the stereotype of hegemonic masculinity and question the existing gender binaries.
BajpaiS. (2018). Thoroughly modern misses: Women on Indian television. Women: A Cultural Review, 8(3), 303–310. https://doi.org/10.1080/09574049708578319
2.
BasuJ. (2010). Development of the Indian gender role identity scale. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 36(1), 25–34.
3.
BhattacharyaS. (2022, 22August). After Raveena Tandon, Rasika Dugal gets real about how life is tougher for female cops. iDiva. https://www.idiva.com/opinions/womens-issues/after-raveena-tandon-delhi-crimes-rasika-dugal-talks-about-the-tough-lives-of-policewomen/18039996
4.
ButlerJ. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge.
5.
DahlU. (2012). Turning like a femme: Figuring critical femininity studies. NORA—Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 20(1), 57–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/08038740.2011.650708
Government of India. (1985). An Indian personality for television: Report of the working group on software for Doordarshan (Vol. 1). Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Publications Division.
8.
HydeJ. S., BiglerR. S., JoelD., TateC. C., & van AndersS. M. (2019). The future of sex and gender in psychology: Five challenges to the gender binary. American Psychologist, 74, 171–193.
9.
JenkinsJ., & FinnemanT. (2018). Gender trouble in the workplace: Applying Judith Butler’s theory of performativity to news organisations. Feminist Media Studies, 18(2), 157–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2017.1308412
10.
KaurS. P., & SharmaV. (2017). Blurring the binaries, blending the genders: A transition from male masculinity to female androgyny in Hindi cinema. Media Watch, 8(2), 287–294. https://doi.org/10.15655/mw/2017/v8i2/49019
11.
KhanA. (2018, 29January). Nimrat Kaur on her web series The Test Case. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/nimrat-kaur-on-her-web-series-the-test-case/article22550142.ece
12.
LevesqueR. J. R. (2011). Sex roles and gender roles. Springer.
13.
MorgenrothT., & RyanM. K. (2021). The effects of gender trouble: An integrative theoretical framework of the perpetuation and disruption of the gender/sex binary. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(6), 1113–1142. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620902442
14.
MukherjeeA. (2022, 1March). Clean Slate Filmz launches world’s first women-centric OTT platform. India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in/binge-watch/story/clean-slate-filmz-launches-world-s-first-women-centric-ott-platform-1919420-2022-03-01
15.
OTTplay. (2022, October). OTT and the authentic female cop: How platform fuelled in the change of perspective. https://www.ottplay.com/features/ott-and-the-authentic-female-cop-how-the-platform-fuelled-a-change-in-perspective/b88dc2f912789
16.
PunwaniJ. (1988). The portrayal of women on Indian television. In GhadiallyR. (Ed.), Women in Indian society (pp. 224–232). Sage Publications.
17.
TellyChakkar.com. (2022, 21June). Exclusive! Jennifer Winget reveals that she felt proud while wearing the uniform on screen in Code M, says, ‘It is a lifetime opportunity, and the character is so strong’. https://www.tellychakkar.com/tv/tv-news/exclusive-jennifer-winget-reveals-she-felt-proud-while-wearing-the-uniform-screen-code-m
18.
The Indian Express. (2017, 17May). Uniform appeal. https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/uniform-appeal-4659139/
19.
The Indian Express. (2020, 18February). Explained: What Supreme Court said on women in army. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/women-in-army-what-supreme-court-said-6273177/
20.
The New Indian Express. (2022, 26August). OTT platforms may upend multiplexes’ run soon, set to be a Rs 12,000-crore industry by 2023: Report. https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2022/aug/26/ott-platforms-may-upend-multiplexes-soon-set-to-be-a-rs-12000-crore-industry-by-2023-report-2491692.html
21.
The Times of India. (2022, 11October). ‘You walk taller when you wear a cop’s uniform’: Shefali Shah on Delhi Crime 2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/news/hindi/you-walk-taller-when-you-wear-a-cops-uniform-shefali-shah-on-delhi-crime-2/articleshow/93712018.cms
22.
TylerM., & CohenL. (2010). Spaces that matter: Gender performativity and organisational space. Organization Studies, 31(2), 175–198. https://doi.org/10.11x77/0170840609357381
