Abstract
Representation of landscape images is a ubiquitous feature of Bollywood films that provides cinematicscape to the storyline and aims to appeal to the sentiments and emotions of the audience by engaging with the narrative. Landscape images engage in the process of making and unmaking of meanings because of their symbolic value that constitute a sense of place and underpin human relations with immediate and distant spaces. Notwithstanding the ubiquity of its images in Bollywood cinema and its centrality to forming the collective imagination and, thereby, the sense of place for audience, landscape is yet to find its place in wider social discussion and debates, especially in the developing world. This paper critically examines the visual representation of landscape in Bollywood films and the various interpretations that can be found in both its production and consumption within the realm of the culture industry.
Highlights
The representation of landscape is a ubiquitous feature of Bollywood films that provides cinematicscape to the storyline and aims to appeal to the sentiments and emotions of the audience by engaging with the narrative
Landscape images used in films may appear natural or fictitious, they are part of a larger function in an attempt to build a narrative of spatial consumption — a craft that goes through a strategic selection and rejection of images keeping various cinematic aspects in mind
Notwithstanding the ubiquity of its images in Bollywood cinema and its centrality to forming the collective imagination and, thereby, the sense of place for audience, landscape is yet to find its place in wider social discussion and debates in India
Summary
The representation of landscape is a ubiquitous feature of Bollywood films that provides cinematicscape to the storyline and aims to appeal to the sentiments and emotions of the audience by engaging with the narrative. Landscape images used in films may appear natural or fictitious, they are part of a larger function in an attempt to build a narrative of spatial consumption — a craft that goes through a strategic selection and rejection of images keeping various cinematic aspects in mind These images engage in the process of the making and unmaking of meanings because of their symbolic value that constitutes a sense of place and underpins human relations with immediate and distant spaces. Extraordinary landscape images, both modern and natural, have emerged as an integral component in achieving a near-perfect recipe for formula movies in Bollywood Whilst this may appear to be a logical commercial activity, it underpins the broader issue of mediation vis-à-vis image construction that perpetuates ideological beliefs and biases and acts as a site for complex power relations between the filmmaker/signifier and the audience/spectator
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
