In 2001, after more than sixty years of independence, India came to be coined into the acronym, BRIC, recognizing India for her emerging economic development status. Liberalization of India¡¦s economy since 1991 from stringent state control has resulted in the opening up its markets to world participation in the form of lowered trade barriers, and invitation of foreign direct investments. Such changes in the economy have stirred up both external and internal imaginations of a globalized India no longer focused exclusively on her films, television, and literatures, but as an intricately woven entity of conglomerate spheres involving economics, demographics, histories, political science, and so on. This is to inspect the composites of each arena through historical surveys and position each arena¡¦s globality with their respective locality to suggest what they produced for the world, in addition to how globalization produced them. In doing so, the popular culture of the Indian cinema(s) and the Indian television are analyzed as dialogues between Indian nation state and the global rest, striving to differ from the unidirectional discourse of cultural imperialism/hegemony by the general West in the process of globalization. Extensive examples are drawn to map the contours of a globalized India, as well as other social issues are also addressed by introducing Arundhati Roy¡Ðwho has written extensively on various subjects linked to globalization¡Ðfor a comprehensive picture of the issues the nation is currently embroiled in in its encounter with globalization. Drawing on Arundhati Roy¡¦s criticism of corporate globalization, the suggestion of a morally and socially responsible globalization is evoked for an alternative global imagination to belonging.

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Thesis (M.F.A.) / The purpose of this project is to redefine the word "Bollywood" as more than a regional or cultural cinema, focusing instead on the unique style of the films that is often neglected or dismissed by film critics. The aspects explored are the development of Bollywood style from 1995 to the mid 2000s as exhibited by the films Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), and Dhoom (2004), and a subsequent development of a reflexive neo-Bollywood style beginning in the mid-2000s, exhibited by the films Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), Dhoom 2 (2006), and Chennai Express (2013). Close analysis of these films shows an aesthetic of melodrama that applies not only to the narrative of the films but more noticeably and importantly to the filmic style of the narrative and the subsequent themes that emerge. To further illustrate Bollywood as a style, the project analyzes Bollywood’s stylistic influences outside of India, including readings of television shows Smash and Glee, and films Moulin Rouge! (2001), Strictly Ballroom (1992), and Chicago (2002). This project aims to vindicate Bollywood as a complex artistic expression that privileges an emotional reality over a mimetic reality. / 2999-01-01

The thesis explores elements of Sanskrit drama studies, its philosophy of aesthetics, Hindu theology and Indian cinema studies. It seeks to identify and appreciate the continual influence of a pioneering and influential idea from the Indian subcontinent’s cultural memory and history – the ‘theory of aesthetics’, also known as the ‘Rasa Theory’. The rasa theory is a seminal contribution of the ancient Indian Sanskrit drama textbook, the Natyashastra, whose postulates have provided a definitive template for appreciating and analysing all major fine arts in the Indian sub-continent for over two millennia. No criticism of an art form in India is more devastating than the allegation that it is devoid of rasa. Though ‘rasa’ has many literal meanings like taste, essence and ultimately bliss, in Natyashastra it is used to signify the “essence of emotion” or the final emotional state of ‘relish/reaction/aesthetic experience’ achieved by a spectator while watching a performing art. The thesis uses this fundamental aesthetic influence from India’s cultural memory and heritage to understand its working in the shaping of emotive performances, and the structuring of multiple genre mixing narrative styles in Indian cinema. It identifies and explains how the story telling attributes in Indian cinema, still preserve, transmit and represent, drama and performance aesthetics established 2000 years ago. The chapters are divided into two sections – evidence-led correlation confirming the direct influence of Natyashastra guidelines on Indian filmmaking practices, and arguments-driven proposals on how to use the rasa theory for appreciating cinematic aesthetics. Section One, comprising of the first three chapters, engages with direct evidence of the influence and use of Natyashastra prescriptions and rasa theory expectations in the early years of Indian cinema, when the movie industry was intimately tied to theatre for creative guidance. Section Two, comprising of chapters four to six, goes beyond these conscious engagements to explore the continuing relevance of the concepts of bhava and rasa for studies and methods in film appreciation, and their potential usage in discussing alternate modes of cinematic expression, like melodrama. In this section, recommendations are made on how to re-read and review influential and representative cinematic achievements from different eras, regions and genres of Indian on-screen entertainment, using the rasa theory for better understanding of foundational cinematic attributes like plot construction, performances and directorial achievement in non-realism prioritising on-screen narrations. The thesis shows how to appreciate expressive acting, song and dance performances and melodramatic narratives/ movies using the rasa theory’s prescriptions on good acting in a navarasa exploring drama. It calls for a greater engagement with the theory’s aesthetic appreciation ideas, beyond its current peripheral acknowledgement in academic scholarship as an exotic and ancient review model with doubtful contemporary relevance. My conclusions offer a valuable guide for a fair and better appreciation of dramatic, stylistic and stereotypical acting in cinema that Western models of film criticism privileging the realistic form have been inadequate in comprehending. These findings propose a mode of inclusive aesthetic criticism that enjoys broad application across a wide range of cinematic art genres and national cinema styles using non-Euro/American modes of storytelling, towards the establishment of a humanist film education.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of English, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [2], 52 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-52) and filmography (p. 50).

In spite of the substantial amount of critical work that has been produced on Indian cinema in the last decade, misconceptions about Indian cinema still abound. Indian cinema is a subject about which conceptions are still muddy, even within prominent academic circles. The majority of the recent critical work on the subject endeavors to correct misconceptions, analyze cinematic norms and lay down the theoretical foundations for Indian cinema. This dissertation conducts a study of the cinema from India with a view to examine the extent to which such cinema represents an anti-colonial vision. The political resistance of Indian films to colonial and neo-colonial norms, and their capacity to formulate a national identity is the primary focus of the current study.

Le cinéma indien est structuré en plusieurs industries cinématographiques régionales autonomes, chacune s’appuyant sur des caractéristiques linguistiques et socioculturelles différentes. Ce contexte est traversé par des problématiques identitaires conflictuelles, dont celle du rapport au national. Le cinéma hindi (Bollywood) est souvent présenté comme le cinéma national en Inde, aux dépends des « autres » cinémas régionaux. Peut-on toutefois parler de cinéma « national » en Inde ? Nous avons voulu examiner cette question à travers l’étude d’une forme cinématographique émergente que nous avons définie comme « cinéma hatke ». Ce nouveau concept opératoire met en évidence la singularité de ce cinéma qui se présente comme un mouvement contre-hégémonique participant à la construction d’un point de vue alternatif sur la modernité indienne. Une méthodologie constructiviste et médiaculturelle permet d’interroger le cinéma hatke dans toute sa complexité. Cette recherche s’appuie sur une étude filmique d’un corpus de neuf films et une analyse des discours médiatisés des acteurs de la production en Inde. Une première partie développe un cheminement théorique et critique partant de la pensée de Gramsci jusqu’aux Cultural Studies indiennes pour questionner différents concepts au regard de notre objet de recherche (hégémonie/contre-hégémonie, culture populaire, cinéma national). Dans une deuxième partie, nous avons mené l’analyse de l'hégémonie du cinéma hindi, en tant que forme esthétique et en tant qu’industrie culturelle, à travers sa relation à l’imaginaire national dominant. Il s’agit ensuite d’étudier les multiples médiations (techniques, discursives, sociales et communicationnelles) contribuant à définir le cinéma indépendant comme un cinéma hatke, c'est-à-dire comme un espace de résistance au sein d'un espace culturel national et transnational. Une dernière partie porte plus spécifiquement sur une analyse filmique révélant la dimension contre-hégémonique de ce cinéma par rapport à Bollywood et aux instances de pouvoir. / The Indian film industry is divided in different regional film industries, based on different linguistics and sociocultural features. This specific context leads to conflicting identity issues, especially in relation to the national imaginary. Hindi cinema (Bollywood) is often seen as the national cinema of India. But can we actually talk about a “national” Indian cinema? We wanted to examine this issue through the emergence of a new independent cinema that we came to define as “hatke”. This new concept highlights the originality of this cinema that can be described as a counter-hegemonic cultural movement contributing to the configuration of an alternative point of view on Indian modernity. A constructivist and mediacultural approach is developed to study the hatke cinema in its complexity and multidimensionality. This research comprises a film analysis of nine films and a discursive analysis of the mediated discourses of the actors of the film industry involved in the production of this cinema. A first part presents a theoretical and critical approach from the Gramscian theory to the Indian cultural studies. We have explored different concepts in regard to the object of enquiry: hegemony/counter-hegemony, popular culture, national cinema. In a second part, we have analysed the hegemonic construction of Hindi cinema, as a cultural form as well as a cultural industry, investigating its relation to the national imaginary. We also analyzed the multiple mediations (technical, discursive, social and communicational) contributing to the definition of an independent cinema as a hatke cinema that can be seen as a space of resistance in both a national and a transnational cultural space. A final part has more precisely analyzed the counter-hegemonic dimension of this cinema in relation to Bollywood and to the national imaginary.

No description available.

Guru Dutt was one of the most important filmmakers in India, who worked for a little over a decade starting in 1951. He died prematurely in 1964. In those few years, he made some of Indian cinema?s most memorable films. Song and dance sequences are an integral part of the narrative structure of popular Indian cinema. Guru Dutt, working within that paradigm, devised innovative methods of using song sequences. In his films, the song sequences were not a distraction, but they served the purpose of carrying the narrative forward, expressing the inexpressible, and replacing scenes. He achieved this by his creative use of locations, lyrics, music, camera angles, and placement of the song within the narrative. This study critically analyzes song sequences from five of his films ? Aar Paar (Through and Through, 1954), Mr. and Mrs. 55 (1955), Pyaasa (The Thirsty One, 1957), Kaagaz ke Phool (Paper Flowers, 1959) and Saahib Biwi aur Ghulam (Master Mistress and Slave, 1962). Guru Dutt?s style of song direction focused on realistic depiction and the quality of storytelling. He used each feature of the song to his advantage never losing control of the larger narrative. This study also brings to the fore Guru Dutt?s conflicted views as an artist on the issues of tradition and modernity, and the position of women in the emerging nation.

當過去歷史透過電影重現，電影以特定的形式與內容重新編排將會使歷史有著不同意義，影響行動者認知及將某種行為成為可能。因此，探討電影如何再現歷史對閱聽人相當重要。 本研究探討影視文本如何再現歷史，以1984年印度黃金廟事件為例，採用《火柴》（Maachis,1996）、《阿畝》（Amu, 2005）及《旁遮普 1984》（Punjab 1984, 2014）三部電影為研究個案，取徑影視史學與民族寓言理論並透過文本分析法，探討三個面向：第一，電影拍攝時空環境與歷史事件時空環境兩者之間的辯證關係。第二，電影文本如何再現過去歷史並呈現其關鍵要點；第三，書寫歷史與影視歷史間呈現的關係。 研究發現，當歷史以影視文本再現時，呈現出以下幾個特點。第一，影視文本歷史再現關注現在。第二，影視文本歷史再現反映當代主流觀點。第三，以角色人物為主之民族寓言。第四，敘事安排製造懸疑感、凸顯關鍵要點。第五，影視文本歷史再現開啟換位思考。 / This study aims to analyze how films reproduced history by using Maachis, amu and Punjab 1984 as case studies which focus on the history of the “Golden Temple Incident of 1984” in India. The methodology of this study is based on concepts of historiophoty by Haden White and national allegory by Fredric Jameson. Textual analysis is adopted to explore three films for the following questions. First, what is the relevance between the filmic background and the historical incident? Second, how does the film text represent history and focus on key points? Third, what is the relationship between Historiography and Historiophoty? This study finds that, first, the historiophoty focuses on present situations. Second, historiophoty reflects the dominate perspectives in present time. Third, the films represent characters as the figures in national allegory. Fourth, arrangement of narrative creates suspenses and foregrounds crucial moments. Lastly, historiophoty opens the possibility for the audience to identify with characters in films.