Field versus Studio: Gendered Risk and Emotional Toil upon the Female Protagonist in the Movie Dhamaka

Abstract

This paper investigates the 2021 Hindi thriller "Dhamaka" to analyze how its female field reporter, Soumya, embodies gendered hierarchies within television news production. The film juxtaposes Soumya's precarious situation on the deteriorating Bandra-Worli Sea Link where she encounters physical peril and emotional toil with the secure studio position of male anchor Arjun Pathak. This contrast positions Soumya as a risk-bearing intermediary who navigates on-the-ground challenges to sustain broadcast ratings and facilitate Arjun's redemption. Soumya's role as female protagonist encompasses victim advocacy, broadcast stabilization, and emotional support for Arjun, yet her contributions remain unacknowledged as the narrative centers on Arjun's plagiarized past and heroic resolution. Drawing on feminist media theory and scholarship on women journalists in Hindi cinema, the analysis demonstrates how "Dhamaka" normalizes Soumya's disposability, reflecting newsroom dynamics where field reporting and emotional toil are relegated to women. Through an examination of key scenes, the study scrutinizes the film's spatial coding, dialogue, and editing that inscribe gendered vulnerability, situating Soumya within established tropes of the precarious female reporter. The paper critiques "Dhamaka" for utilizing Soumya's sacrifice to resolve the male protagonist's crisis without challenging media industry inequalities, thereby contributing to discussions on the representation of journalistic labor and gender relations in Indian cinema.