Nationalism In Bollywood

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Nationalism has found various means of reaching people. Nationalism is a concept which Is in a constant state of flux. In the pre Independence era, Nationalism revolved around the fight against our colonial rulers. After attaining independence, nationalism catered to the acts of developing India economically, politically and socially. After we attained a certain level of balance and overcame the trauma that our colonial rulers caused, definition of nationalism evolved again. Nationalism and the idea of ‘the nation’ i.e. India has been reaching people through various channels. One critical channel acting as a carrier of this idea has been Films. Cinema is said to be the reflection of our society. But just like no text is innocent, so isn’t …show more content…

Earlier, there were films based on mythology where the man was given leverage over the female counterparts. However, now it’s different. . As women in India redefined their status and role in the society, it is seemed to be reflected in the films as well. Now to think of women huddled up behind the veil is passé. Representation of ‘Indian’ women in Bollywood has undergone a sea of transformation post globalization. The entire construct of Indian-ness and Indian women and how she should be like has been forged strongly by Bollywood. The representation of women in Bollywood post globalization however, cannot be studied in isolation. There are many other factors and forces that constituted the change in representation of women in movies. The concept of nation state and the whole construct of India as a nation state highly influenced this …show more content…

The right wingers have built a niche for themselves among the NRI’s in UK and USA. These films evoke nostalgia and help them feel a connect with their cultural roots. Women are shown as subordinates, with traditional values. They don’t just represent themselves but communities and hold the values and purity of the community. They symbolize national identity. Symbols of marriage like vermillion are fetishized. In the film directed by Karan Johar, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Tina a young college girl is dressed in mini skirts but sings a bhajan ( Om Jai Jagdeesh Hare). This is followed up by her speech on how she has studied and lived abroad all her life but has not compromised and forgotten her ‘Sanskriti. Directors like Karan Johar and Sooraj Barjatya were the torch bearers of melodramatic cinema that specially catered to the NRI audiences. These films had women playing larger than life roles that epitomized values like love, care, discipline, obedience etc, These values are characteristic of Indian

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