Rethinking Diasporic, Cultural and Religious Identity through the Eyes of Celluloid

Abstract

The word Diaspora was first used to describe the dispersion of the Jews beyond Israel. This has since changed, and today there is no set definition of the term because its modern meaning has evolved over time. But as a general term it is a scattered population whose origin lies in a separate geographic locale. As found in a search in Google it is the dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland. As per Oxford Advanced Dictionary it is defined as the movement of the Jewish people away from their own country to live and work in other countries and the movement of people from any nation or group away from their own country. So we have a clear definition of the word Diaspora. Diasporas work on a transnational premise and the term best alludes to ’complex multidirectional streams of individuals, thoughts, items - social and physical, and to types of collaboration, arrangement and trade.’ The suggestion at that point is that not all ostracizes are Diasporeans, the term being restricted to the individuals who are proactively occupied with transnational action. Since Diaspora and the baggage associated with the term is very subjective, it also takes a great toll in shaping an individual’s socio-cultural and religious identity as well. Cultural Identity refers to a person’s sense of belonging to a particular culture or group. This process involves accepting traditions, heritage, language, religion, ancestry, aesthetics, thinking patterns, and social structures of a culture. Normally, people internalize the beliefs, values, norms, and social practices of their culture and identify themselves with that culture. The culture becomes a part of their self-concept. This paper tries to explore the problems that get depicted on the celluloid, especially in Indian cinema. The paper tries to find out the difficulties that individuals undergo in order to come to terms with the spatial and mental exile through films like Swades and My Name is Khan.It also tries to uphold the liberating force of exile and migration that works on human’s psyche in order to make them free from societal bondage through films like English Vinglish. The two different approaches that the films employ to manifest the impact of migration on human life will help in proving that Diasporas have consistently been something beyond forever settled than ordinarily expected yet today they are more dynamic than they have ever been.