Role of Cinema in Identity Construction in India and Pakistan After Partition 1947

Abstract

This paper reflects only part of a broader research project in which narratives between India and Pakistan have been analyzed as propagated through the medium of film. Existing literature highlights that events from 1947 partition between India and Pakistan, have been used methodically by establishments on both side to recontextualize the realities of partition and violence associated with that, blaming each other for being the cause, suppressing much of what actually transpired, evading any clear position, while promoting triumphant discourses of nation, sacrifice and socio-economic insinuations. The focus of this paper is to examine how visual modality as explained by Machin and Mayr (2012), plays a part in shaping opinions and narrating events. Employing Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) to analyze the discourses realized by a partition based movie, this paper highlights that the way ‘other’ is depicted to experience partition, and has been represented to suit the ‘self’s’ account. The representation is a vital part of the legitimization of one particular discourse of partition, used to marginalize other likely discourses in both countries. The study has implications for understanding post-colonial and post-separation socio-cultural development in Pakistan and India. The outcomes of the study can be utilized to identify the ways both countries can use media and narratives to enhance socio-cultural ties and policies; thereby welfare of people on both sides.