Into the Wild

Abstract

This essay explores the main reasons behind the emergence of a new film form over the past decade – variously referred to as “New Bollywood,” or alternative Hindi cinema. Using philosophical and psychoanalytical approaches, the essay argues that the rise of these new aesthetic forms is one of the results of the neoliberal transformations that have been taking place in India over recent decades and, more importantly, that this new film form is an integral part of the construction of the new urban upper class Self vis-à-vis the Other. By examining some examples of recent films set in small-town India, or Other India in terms of target audience background, the essay argues that the new film form is a far more complex phenomenon than most scholars working in Indian cinema would imagine. The desire for the Other, expressed as cinematic journeys outside urban spaces, helps in the construction of a new Self in a rapidly transforming and highly mediated environment. The essay constructs an approach to understanding alternative Hindi cinema, its appeal to urban consumers, and its relationship to the spaces represented in the films.