Bollywood Research Articles

Healing the Bloody Line: Suturing Indians and Pakistanis into Hindi Cinema and Pakistani Telesoaps

ABSTRACT The asymmetry of political with social, linguistic and cultural borders and the contradiction between national citizenship and cultural belonging is now an established trope in the discussion of borders in Partition Studies. Less examined is the dissolution of political boundaries through non state actors’ using informal or formal tactics like kinship and friendship relations, family visits and pilgrimage tours, cultural exchanges and collaborations, linguistic, regional and cultural associations and cinematic and televisual flows for inclusion exclusion of the “other.” Salter’s metaphor of the suture offers an analogous metaphor for the borders whose scars refuse to heal and continue to regulate intercommunal and international relations on the Indian subcontinent till now. But suture, in its extended meaning, also explains Indians and Pakistanis being stitched into the “other’s” cultural texts to be interpellated as cross-border cinematic or televisual subjects. Through examining the diverse ways that Indians and Pakistanis are sutured as viewers, audience and consumers of each other’s cultural products such as Hindi cinema or Pakistani telesoaps and form cross-border viewing publics, this paper illustrates the process of debordering.

Acid attacks and epistemic (in)justice: Violence, everyday resistance and hermeneutical responsibilities in the Indian Hindi film Chhapaak

AbstractBy taking into consideration films as a method of dissemination of knowledge, the article examines the relationship between epistemic change, an understanding of epistemic injustice, and the prior epistemic convictions of characters, as well as everyday resistance, in the film Chhapaak, translated as Splash, an Indian Hindi‐language biographical drama film that portrays the life of Laxmi Agarwal, a survivor of an acid attack. The first section of the article contextualizes the story of the film through the trajectories of acid attacks in India. This is followed by discussions on epistemic injustice and collective wrongdoing through the lived realities of acid attack victims and survivors as depicted in the film. The article also highlights how these individuals exhibit everyday resistance and strive to bring about transformation in society. The article concludes with discussions on the epistemic, socio‐cultural, and hermeneutical responsibilities of people that can make society a safe place for all, especially girls and women in India. The article concludes by examining the epistemic, socio‐cultural, and hermeneutical responsibilities that individuals must undertake in order to create a secure environment for all members of society, with a particular focus on girls and women in India.

Historicising the colonial past of India and Hindi cinema

ABSTRACT The idea of India as a nation has its seeds rooted in the political leadership for the struggle of independence in the colonial history. The pathway of such struggles stemmed from the social-cultural sphere of the society that imagined India free from the shackles of debt and slavery from the colonial British. Visual imagination and representation of political struggles that made, unmade, and remade the notion of India have been documented in the Hindi Cinema. However, analysing Hindi cinema from perspective of imagination of a nation has received less attention and needs a serious critical engagement. This article investigates Lagaan (2001), a Hindi film, based on anti-colonial struggle to understand how the nation is imagined in the cinematic text. It explores the peasants' role in the struggle and the relationship of the peasants with the nation, in a larger debate on colonialism and anti-colonial movements by using dialectics as a method.

From domestic guardian to the national militia: the familial, the national and the middle class in 1980s popular Hindi films

ABSTRACT This essay analyzes the theme of domestic anxiety of the Indian middle class in the 1980s through two specific genres of the contemporary popular Hindi films – the family drama and the action adventure. Poised right before the 1990s neoliberal drive in the Indian economy, the 80s middle class – hitherto staid and hermetic – was rattled by an ‘invasive’ global culture, permissiveness, politics of representation, rights and reform. This paper shows that the cinematic resolution of this crisis is a grudgingly lenient orthodoxy negotiating with the limits of cultural inclusion, represented through the questions of agency, gender, class, caste and ethnicity abounding in the middle class domestic sphere. The essay analyzes the middle class problematization of the familial as well as the national in films like Arth (Bhatt, 1982), Agar Tum Na Hote (Tandon, 1983), Souten (Tak, 1983), Shaan (Sippy, 1980) and Mr. India (Kapur, 1987).

BOLLYWOOD CINEMA AND MENTAL ILLNESS: AN APPROACH TO BALANCE ENTERTAINMENT AND EXACTNESS

Cinema is a reflection of society. Viewers watch and learn so many things and make assumptions with the help of cinema. In this research, the researcher has done conceptual content analyses of three Bollywood films Taare Zameen Par, My Name is Khan and Barfi. All these films portray mental illness and fall under the same genre. The focus of the study is to find out the similarities between the portrayal of the symptoms of mental illness in Bollywood films and the diagnostic criteria of ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder- 5th edition’, often known as DSM-5. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is used to know the diagnostic criteria for different mental disorders. The researcher has analysed the themes, behaviour of the family and society and diagnosis and treatment of the person with mental illness in the selected films.

Unveiling narratives: representation of same-sex love in bollywood films

The cultural history of India has been ignorant of various sexual orientations and gender identities leaving LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) community with a life of guilt and shame. Visual Media plays a key role in shaping society’s opinion of LGBTQIA+ people and individuals who come to terms with their gender and sexuality at a particular phase of their lives. The representation of homosexual characters is constantly diversified in Bollywood, and the change is evident from being caricatured and even scorned to being shown as prominent protagonists. The growing visibility and the positive portrayal of homosexual characters in Bollywood help to create a more inclusive society. This paper focuses on the select Bollywood films, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019) by Shelly Chopra Dhar and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020) by Hitesh Kewalya. The paper analyses the visual elements in select films and their role in shaping the portrayal of homosexuality within the narrative. The paper also reads the chosen films through the lens of familial resistance to same-sex relationships. By analysing the select films, the paper concludes that, though prior Bollywood films have explored the theme of individuals disclosing their sexual identity to their families, the primary narrative focus is not on seeking acceptance from their family members. Thus, the unique emphasis on seeking acceptance and understanding between family members and homosexual individuals set the select films as exceptional narratives within the context of Bollywood’s portrayal of homosexuality.

The Shifting Terrains of Disability and Gender: Investigating the Delineation of Women with Disabilities in Hindi Films

The paper engages with the portrayal of women with disabilities in Hindi cinema, considering the diverse facets of representational strategies and structures of power. Addressed in the narratives as objects of derision, pity, and care, women with disabilities are drawn to the able-bodied gaze and patriarchal chauvinism. Films such as Black (2005), Barfi (2012), and Margarita with a Straw (2014) are incorporated into the study to foreground the interactions among the ableists and non-ableists orbs. Efforts are underway to reposition the counter-discourse on disability narratives in 21st-century films, addressing the misrepresentation of individuals with disabilities in the hegemonic portrayal. Manifestations of the social model of disability would culminate in exposing the cultural tensions and reductionist ableism reinforced by normativity. To address, assess, and critique disability spectrum in films, the article moves forward to the intersectionality of disability, gender, and social reality to accentuate the lived realities of women with disabilities. By building on critical disability studies along with feminist disability studies as the theoretical base, the endeavour serves to permeate the arcs of representation, identity, and cultural synergy. Hence, the article seeks to unearth the dominant ideologies of normalcy and ableism in Hindi films while quantifying the amount of discrimination, stereotypical dissimulation interpolated and thus, counting insights into actualities in filmic narratives.

Manipulated Childhood: The Representation of Children in Bollywood Films

Manipulated Childhood: The Representation of Children in Bollywood Films

The Aesthetics of Sound and Silence in Photograph, a Hindi Film

The Aesthetics of Sound and Silence in Photograph, a Hindi Film

Antecedents of Bollywood Movie Success: A Qualitative Approach

Antecedents of Bollywood Movie Success: A Qualitative Approach

Dalal Street Blues: The Socio-economic Environment and the Demand for Bollywood Movies

Dalal Street Blues: The Socio-economic Environment and the Demand for Bollywood Movies

The Construction and Reflection of Bollywood Movies on Indian Social and Cultural Identity

The Construction and Reflection of Bollywood Movies on Indian Social and Cultural Identity

Deep learning based bi-polar sentiment classification of movie reviews in Hindi

With evolving technology, Hindi web content is growing considerably and catching popularity as the larger audience feels more connected and heard using their native language. A volcanic growth in online movie reviews (MRs) in Hindi has been observed lately; manually analyzing them is impossible. Hence, the research problem of automatic organization and classification of Hindi reviews is apparent as this can help viewers decide whether a movie is worth watching or not. This work focuses on developing a deep learning-based system for bi-polar sentiment classification of MRs for resource deficient language – Hindi. To this end, a primary Hindi movie review (MR) corpus is made and manually annotated with binary polarity class labels - positive or negative. The corpus is preprocessed using the preprocessing steps, and Random Word Embeddings (WEs) are utilized for feature extraction. This paper proposes an ensemble CNN_BiGRU, which is an integration of 1D CNN with BiGRU for the bipolar classification of Hindi MRs. To prove our ensemble’s efficacy; other widely used mainstream deep learning models (DLMs) such as Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) based models – Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), are also applied and compared with proposed ensemble using average classification accuracy. Empirical results show the effectiveness of the proposed ensemble in achieving a reasonably good average accuracy of 89.366%. The results indicate that proposed CNN_BiGRU compares favorably to the state-of-the-art DLMs applied and hence gives an effective solution for sentence-level bi-polar classification of MRs in a resource deficient scenario.

Indian Cinema: A Bridge of Identity for Indian Diaspora with Special Reference to Bollywood Movie Pardes

Films have always been a common source of education, entertainment, and information across the world. Here Beard states “films are among the most common artifacts of modern popular culture that generate and reflect diverse cultures and the traditional values of a society. Consequently films have become a major part of modern society, through which people are becoming aware of different cultures from all over the world”. The paper aims to study the cultural studies and seeks to explore the role of Bollywood movies especially with special reference to movie Pardes (1997), directed by Subash Ghai. These kinds of movies played an important role in identity construction of Indian diaspora across the world. Diaspora may use media products as a form of cultural maintenance for their roots. The interesting fact is that though sociological factors such as friends, family and peer groups always play an important role in making the Indian identity. Bollywood movies not only act as a bridge between home, homeland and diaspora but they also help them to transmit the values, culture and traditions. All these together play a significant role in maintaining their ‘Indianness’, in Abroad.

THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS AS INSTRUMENTS OF INDIA’S SOFT POWER IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

The idea of soft power has become increasingly popular in the field of international relations, where cultural diplomacy is essential to influencing how the global community looks a country. India, with its vast and diverse cultural heritage, has strategically employed its visual and performing arts as critical instruments of soft power. From Bollywood films and classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam and Kathak to its traditional music and fine arts, India has utilized these art forms to project influence on the global stage. This research paper explores how these various artistic expressions not only serve as tools of India’s soft power but also foster diplomatic relationships, enhance bilateral ties, and build a positive international image. Additionally, the paper analyzes the historical roots of these cultural forms, their evolution over time, and their continued relevance in contemporary global diplomacy. By assessing case studies of India’s use of art and culture in fostering international partnerships and elevating its status in global governance, the study sheds light on how the arts contribute to India's foreign policy goals and solidify its presence in the complex realm of international politics.

Trajectories of Care: Representations of Empowered Mothering in Contemporary Bollywood

Mothering a child with disability increases caregiving responsibilities considerably, making the mother assume the role of the nurse, the therapist, and the educator. Uninterrupted care work, societal surveillance and prevalent stigma severely interfere with the mental, physical, and existential well-being of such mothers. Through a thematic analysis of select contemporary Bollywood films, this article maps the trajectories of care and examines the alternative mothering strategies adopted by mothers of children with disabilities to take care of their children and themselves. A critical examination of these on-screen mothers provides an insight into the shifting discourses of mothering practices in India.

Stalking: A Crime Normalized by Bollywood

The media has become so pervasive in our lives that it is impossible to avoid the ideas and messages that are being broadcast to us, even if we make a concerted attempt. The Bollywood business is a prime illustration of this, as it pervades practically every aspect of Indians’ lives. Bollywood is the world's largest film industry in terms of the number of movies produced annually in a single nation, with 364 movies being shown each year (2017). Thousands of people flock to theatres to see Bollywood films, which are well received throughout the country. Various scenes and songs from these films leave an impression on the audience and often these can be extremely negative. In several Bollywood movies, stalking is portrayed in a very normalized manner. These movies show that stalking a person without their consent is completely okay. These negative aspects in Bollywood movies have a strong impact on all who watch them and often the act of stalking is enacted by these very people in real life scenarios which leads to the commission of an even more gruesome crime. The author of this research paper will be analysing the normalization of stalking in Bollywood movies and songs. The author will be examining the effect this normalization by Bollywood has on people’s minds. The author will also be studying the concept of masculinity, hypermasculinity that is portrayed in Bollywood movies and how it affects the perception of men about women and stalking.

The exploitation of women: Narrative of oppressed women in movies

AbstractThe status of women in Indian society has been paradoxical emanating from a deeply embedded socially construed gender‐based exploitation owing to historical and sociological reasons. Moreover, the intersectionality of gender and caste has made them one of the marginalized social groups who experience discrimination, exclusion, and exploitation. Plethora of Bollywood movies, and regional cinema narrate the humiliation and exploitation of women in various spheres of their life. Some of the recent Bollywood and regional cinema has successfully attempted to highlight the gender‐based exploitation and exclusion. Therefore, drawing upon an Amazon web series ‘Dahad’ and a movie ‘Kathal‐a jackfruit mystery’ the paper tries to explore the struggle, exploitation, discrimination, aspiration, and assertion of women against existing social oppression. Taking the inferences from these two movies, the paper endeavors to seek the answer to the following questions: What are the nature and pattern of gender and caste‐based humiliation of women? How gender and caste intersect in their humiliation and social exclusion? How are women making their own struggle against gender oppression and exploitation in society? What is the tactic they use to negotiate gender discrimination? How are they asserting against gender‐based discrimination? How are they asserting their ‘agency’ in patriarchal and hierarchical society? What aspire and motivate them to fight for their dignity?

Knowledge Born through (In)Justice: Gender Testing, Imposed Humiliation, and Epistemic Interventions in the Indian Hindi Film Rashmi Rocket

Knowledge Born through (In)Justice: Gender Testing, Imposed Humiliation, and Epistemic Interventions in the Indian Hindi Film Rashmi Rocket

Unraveling Bollywood’s Propaganda: A Framework for Analysing Political Narratives in Indian Cinema

This research paper delves into the intricate relationship between Bollywood cinema and propaganda. Bollywood, India’s film industry, has been a powerful force in shaping national identity and cultural norms. However, as with any form of media, films can serve as vehicles for propagating ideologies and agendas. Against the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government’s second tenure, marked by an upsurge in propaganda-laden films, this paper seeks to develop a comprehensive framework for evaluating propaganda elements in Bollywood movies. Drawing inspiration from Herman and Chomsky’s propaganda model and Matthew Alford’s adaptation of it for Hollywood, this research establishes the Bollywood propaganda model. The model comprises five key filters namely, concentrated corporate ownership, advertising, sourcing, flak and the enforcers and anti-‘other’ as a control mechanism. This research paper underscores the applicability of the propaganda model to Bollywood, shedding light on the industry’s role in shaping public perceptions and beliefs. While the model offers valuable insights, further research is needed to address the complexities and variations within the Bollywood film landscape comprehensively. Continuous exploration and refinement of the framework are essential for a more nuanced understanding of propaganda’s implications in Bollywood cinema.