Beyond the Silver Screen: A Feminist Film Theory Analysis of Toxic Masculinity and Femininity in Contemporary Tamil OTT Originals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63300/Keywords:
Feminist film theory, toxic masculinity, toxic femininity, Tamil OTT, gender representation, intersectionalityAbstract
This research examined portrayals of toxic masculinity and femininity in five Tamil OTT originals between 2021 and 2025 employing intersectionality and feminist film theory. The following series—Kuruthi Kalam (2021), Kaaval (2022), Vehmai (2023), Thirai (2024), and Mangai Neer (2025)—were studied through textual content analysis and audience reception of 600 online comments. Scenes were rated on toxic masculinity characteristics like aggression, emotional constraint, and entitlement, and toxic femininity characteristics like sacrificial abstinence and manipulative sexuality, with high intercoder reliability (κ = 0.82). Most series were found to reinforce patriarchal norms by idealized hyper-masculine heroism and traditional domestic femininity. Male violence was frequently presented as cathartic, and female characters were confined to sacrificial or seductive roles. There have been, however, some counter-narratives stressing male vulnerability and women's activism. Audience reactions indicated 68% support for heroic violence, and 34% objection to constrained female agency, reflecting increasing awareness about gender stereotyping. The research finds that even with OTT innovation, the Tamil narratives tend to maintain conventional gender stereotypes and need inclusive authorship and critical content policies to ensure more representative treatment.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Priya Palanimurugan, Dr. V. Shanthi, Dr. Thulasi Bharathi.M, M. Sakthivel (Author)
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