Reconstructing the “Doctor's Touch”: Hegemonic Masculinity, Medical Professionalism, and Gender Performativity in Anubhuti Kashyap's Doctor G (2022)

Abstract

This study examines the 2022 Bollywood film Doctor G as a cultural text that interrogates the intersection of hegemonic masculinity and medical professionalism. Through qualitative content analysis informed by feminist film theory and medical sociology, this paper analyzes the protagonist's journey from orthopedic aspirant to gynecologist as a narrative of gendered professional socialization. Drawing on Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity, Butler's concept of gender performativity, and Mulvey's male gaze framework, this research investigates how the film represents the “male touch” versus “doctor's touch” dichotomy as a site of professional and personal transformation. The analysis reveals that while the film challenges gendered occupational segregation in medicine, it simultaneously reinforces essentialist notions of feminine care and masculine emotional incompetence. The study contributes to cinemeducation discourse by examining how popular cinema functions as a pedagogical tool for medical ethics, consent, and gender-sensitive healthcare. Findings suggest that Doctor G operates as both a critique and inadvertent reinforcement of patriarchal structures within medical education, offering valuable insights for critical medical humanities and gender studies scholarship.

Keywords: Medical humanities, hegemonic masculinity, gender performativity, cinemeducation, Bollywood, medical professionalism, doctor-patient relationship