Abstract
T he guiding principle concerning the question of bodily agency and the feminist discourse of employing a focus on abortion in extending liberation for women since the mid-1900s in the West finds a nemesis in sex-selective abortion in India. Unfortunately, the sociocultural baggage, lack of sensitization, and fanatic adherence to tradition allow the illegal practice of prenatal sex determination in considerable parts (both urban and rural) of India a wide berth. The eventual criminalization, harassment, and oppression of women who fail to bear male offspring within an all-encompassing heteronormative patriarchal system problematize the context further. T he use of a monistic colonial discourse in delineating these practices negates the plurality of the problem. Hence, employing decoloniality to comprehend these issues against a sociolegal framework might aid. The oeuvre of Indian cinematic narratives showcases a severe dearth of intervention when addressing these issues. Anchoring on decolonial feminism and feminist consciousness-raising, and taking liberty with genre and medium fluidity, this article investigates the irreconcilable gulf between the two conflicting aspects of abortion in India through five cinematic works: Matrubhoomi: A Nation Without Women (2003), Kajarya (2015), Brina (2016), Chhorii (2021), and Jayeshbhai Jordaar (2022).
