Bollywood films are an important calling card of India, loved by audiences worldwide for their lavish song-and-dance performances, powerful star casts, and vivid storytelling. However, within India, Bollywood has been embroiled in controversy for promoting gender discrimination. As incidents of sexual assault become increasingly frequent, Bollywood, as a symbol of India's deeply rooted patriarchy, has become a focal point of public criticism. Accusations that Bollywood "spreads misogyny under the guise of romantic entertainment, portrays rape scenes, and glorifies sexual violence" have been persistent.

In response, many Bollywood filmmakers emphasize that cinema is a reflection of real society, and Bollywood should not be held responsible for the increase in rape cases in India, nor can it be held accountable for the "morbid psychological thinking" of its audience. However, the undeniable fact is that the excessive portrayal of sexual assault scenes has indeed subtly contributed to the influence of "rape culture" in India through Bollywood films. Therefore, in the face of severe criticism from all sides, Bollywood filmmakers are also seriously reviewing and reflecting, and beginning to depict issues of crimes against women with different attitudes and approaches.

Folk taboos on sexual topics make Bollywood more popular. In the eyes of outsiders, India is a very conservative society, but ancient Indian sexual norms were much more relaxed than they are now. The fact that the world's first sex manual, the Kama Sutra, was born in India is a clear proof. The Khajuraho temple complex in Madhya Pradesh, India, is adorned with numerous artistic carvings depicting sexual acts, which shows that as early as the 1st century AD, Indian society had an open attitude towards discussions about sex.

However, due to the conservative nature of social culture and the taboo surrounding sexual topics, sex education has become a controversial and private subject in India today. In the Indian school education system, sex education is often neglected or avoided. For example, whenever the biology curriculum reaches the chapter on sex education, teachers usually skip it to avoid awkwardness and assign it as homework instead. Out of a conservative mindset, most Indian parents, like teachers, avoid discussing sexual topics with their children. They often believe that such conversations are "unnecessary" and could disrupt social order or family values.

Ritesh Sharma (name changed), a mother of two, recalls, "I still clearly remember that in the ninth grade, the teacher skipped the 'Human Reproduction' section in the textbook and said, 'Don't giggle, you probably already know about it from movies.'" Sharma's description reflects the current reality of sex education in India. Due to the lack of formal sex education, most Indians obtain their sexual knowledge from pornography, movies, the internet, or from peers. The Indian fascination with cinema, coupled with the influence of Bollywood itself, makes it the most accessible and primary source from which people absorb information related to sex. Although sex is also restricted in film and television, this does not prevent Indian audiences from drawing inspiration from the rich sexual elements in Bollywood movies. Many people think about and even imitate based on the messages conveyed by Bollywood.

Film studies expert Jerry Pinto once described in an article how obsessed Indians are with Bollywood, "When a perfect line is delivered, applause immediately follows. When song and dance appear on screen, the excited audience will either clap along with the dance steps or stomp their feet. In remote towns, sometimes the audience will even ask the projectionist to replay a particularly beloved scene." "Bollywood is no longer just a film industry, but an omnipresent dream machine. Bollywood dictates how Indians see themselves, how they think, dream, chat, love, argue..." Jerry Pinto emphasized.

To attract audiences of diverse backgrounds and ages, Bollywood has always gone to great lengths: films need to feature action scenes that appeal to men, romantic stories that captivate women, and religious songs that elders can hum along to. However, regardless of how the plot changes, Bollywood's portrayal of women follows an unchanging principle: female characters need to be "sexualized," and women's bodies are greatly objectified for male gaze.

Considering that sex is a private topic involving morality, the Central Board of Film Certification in India banned all sex scenes in movies, leading Bollywood producers to explore subtle ways of depicting sex through film scenes, such as using visual metaphors or double-meaning lyrics, or adding a lengthy, unrelated song-and-dance sequence known as a "item song" to the film: accompanied by catchy tunes, a scantily clad, sexy girl (commonly referred to as an "item girl") performs a provocative dance, with the camera switching to close-ups that showcase the female body. Typically, the role of the "item girl" has little to do with the main storyline, yet this overtly sexual "item song" is a guarantee for box office success. Many people go to the movies just to enjoy the dance performances of the "item girl." Some Indian male audiences openly admit that they love Bollywood because of its scenes filled with sensuality and extravagance, as well as its flirtatious dances.

Although the use of sexual metaphors was quite effective for a period, with the rise of the home video market and the internet, Bollywood filmmakers have had to "innovate" in their depiction of sex, turning to rape scenes as a standard feature to please male audiences. To pass the scrutiny of the Central Board of Film Certification, producers typically incorporate rape scenes into segments related to villainous characters, making the bad guys appear even more despicable.

Bollywood actor Yash Patnaik told India's Outlook magazine that, like "item songs," rape scenes are also randomly included in Bollywood films. In those days, films with rape or sexual assault scenes would be hugely popular. Asthana, a senior Hindi novelist, believes that movies with rape scenes achieving high box office success indicate that Bollywood has inadvertently sparked the audience's interest in such scenes, and this trend has become so prevalent that some viewers repeatedly watch a particular film just because it contains rape scenes. Ironically, several villains who frequently appear in rape scenes have even earned the nickname "rape experts."

In the 1980s, Ranjit, a iconic villain actor in Bollywood films, played rapists in over 70 movies, earning him the nickname "King of Rape" from the Indian media. In interviews, Ranjit candidly stated that distributors often urged producers to insert rape scenes featuring him to boost box office returns. However, personally, each performance in a rape scene made him despise himself, and his family once refused to let him enter their home due to hatred for the roles he played.

Indian film historian... points out that rape scenes in Bollywood films are more often driven by commercial considerations rather than narrative necessity, resulting in highly formulaic depictions. The typical setup includes a dimly lit room, a helpless woman, a lecherous villain, and a hero who rescues the victim—a recurring trope in Bollywood rape films. Since the release of Bollywood's first rape-themed film, this excessive "rape culture" has persisted for at least years.

With the spread of the internet, explicit rape scenes are now less common in Bollywood films, but double-meaning lyrics, bold dance performances, and sexually suggestive shots remain prevalent. Moreover, the male leads often engage in prankish stalking, public harassment, and teasing of women in Bollywood films. Bollywood often romanticizes male dominance in films, portraying stalking, harassment, sexual assault, or sexual violence against female characters as "normal expressions of fun, pleasure, and romantic love."

"Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" is considered one of Bollywood's most successful romantic classics. Since its premiere, it has been running for years and is still showing at a single-screen theater in Mumbai. When the author watched "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" at this theater, a viewer next to him said that whenever he had time, he would come to watch it once a week. An Indian male viewer who grew up watching "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" described the film as "the defining movie of our generation" because it "influenced our fashion sense, the way we talk to girls," and "elevated the dating skills of Indian boys to a whole new level."

In the eyes of some experts in India, "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" is "constructing a successful romantic story by romanticizing sexual crimes." They point out that the male protagonist in the film engages in a significant amount of sexual harassment towards the female protagonist, which, according to the Indian Penal Code, should result in legal repercussions for the male lead. "Bollywood has essentially conflated romance with sexual harassment, which is extremely dangerous because this is what children grow up seeing," Indian filmmaker Swati Shetty told Al Jazeera.

After the heinous gang rape and murder of a female student in New Delhi in 2012, discussions about "rape culture" began to frequently appear in various Indian media. As Indian society collectively explored the causes behind this rape case, much of the public discourse pointed the finger at Bollywood. Some comments explicitly stated that Bollywood films from the 1980s and 1990s contributed to the "rape culture" across India.

As reported by India's Outlook magazine, many individuals who have sexually assaulted women in real life have mentioned that they were inspired by rape scenes in Bollywood films. The defense attorney for the rapists in the case also stated that the perpetrators believed they could escape punishment and face no consequences after committing the crime, clearly "falling into the cinematic fantasies created by Bollywood."

After the man convicted in the infamous case was hanged, an Indian expert told The New Indian Express that although the heinous crime had been legally concluded,