Gender Performance and the Construction of Masculinity in Anuja Chandramouli’s Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince

Gender Performance and the Construction of Masculinity in Anuja Chandramouli’s Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince R.V. Aarthi A.A Prabhakar https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4324-5916

This article examines gender representation and the construction of masculine identity in Anuja Chandramouli’s Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince. Drawing from the Mahabharata and retold through a modern lens, Chandramouli’s narrative reimagines Arjuna not only as a warrior-hero but also as a complex figure negotiating expectations of duty, emotional vulnerability, and gendered performance. Through the lens of gender theory—particularly Judith Butler’s concept of performativity and Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity—this paper explores how Arjuna’s identity is shaped by sociocultural codes and epic conventions. It argues that the novel offers a nuanced depiction of masculinity as performative, fractured, and subject to continual negotiation within the mythological and moral frameworks of Hindu tradition.
07 22 2025 51669 10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i04.51669 https://www.ijfmr.com/research-paper.php?id=51669 https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2025/4/51669.pdf