National Identity in Indian Popular Cinema, 1947-1987

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Performing Arts
Cover of the book National Identity in Indian Popular Cinema, 1947-1987 by Sumita S. Chakravarty, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sumita S. Chakravarty ISBN: 9780292789852
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: May 18, 2011
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Sumita S. Chakravarty
ISBN: 9780292789852
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: May 18, 2011
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
Although Indian popular cinema has a long history and is familiar to audiences around the world, it has rarely been systematically studied. This book offers the first detailed account of the popular film as it has grown and changed during the tumultuous decades of Indian nationhood. The study focuses on the cinema’s characteristic forms, its range of meanings and pleasures, and, above all, its ideological construction of Indian national identity. Informed by theoretical developments in film theory, cultural studies, postcolonial discourse, and “Third World” cinema, the book identifies the major genres and movements within Bombay cinema since Independence and uses them to enter larger cultural debates about questions of identity, authenticity, citizenship, and collectivity. Chakravarty examines numerous films of the period, including Guide (Vijay Anand, 1965), Shri 420 [The gentleman cheat] (Raj Kapoor, 1955), and Bhumika [The role] (Shyam Benegal, 1977). She shows how “imperso-nation,” played out in masquerade and disguise, has characterized the representation of national identity in popular films, so that concerns and conflicts over class, communal, and regional differences are obsessively evoked, explored, and neutralized. These findings will be of interest to film and area specialists, as well as general readers in film studies.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Although Indian popular cinema has a long history and is familiar to audiences around the world, it has rarely been systematically studied. This book offers the first detailed account of the popular film as it has grown and changed during the tumultuous decades of Indian nationhood. The study focuses on the cinema’s characteristic forms, its range of meanings and pleasures, and, above all, its ideological construction of Indian national identity. Informed by theoretical developments in film theory, cultural studies, postcolonial discourse, and “Third World” cinema, the book identifies the major genres and movements within Bombay cinema since Independence and uses them to enter larger cultural debates about questions of identity, authenticity, citizenship, and collectivity. Chakravarty examines numerous films of the period, including Guide (Vijay Anand, 1965), Shri 420 [The gentleman cheat] (Raj Kapoor, 1955), and Bhumika [The role] (Shyam Benegal, 1977). She shows how “imperso-nation,” played out in masquerade and disguise, has characterized the representation of national identity in popular films, so that concerns and conflicts over class, communal, and regional differences are obsessively evoked, explored, and neutralized. These findings will be of interest to film and area specialists, as well as general readers in film studies.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Infrastructures of Race by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Latina/os and World War II by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Galveston Island, or, A Few Months off the Coast of Texas by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Cartucho and My Mother's Hands by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Remembering the Hacienda by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Women and the Texas Revolution by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Portugal's Other Kingdom by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book On the Dirty Plate Trail by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Américo Paredes by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Government and Society in Afghanistan by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Texas by Terán by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Decolonizing the Sodomite by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Kuna Art and Shamanism by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book The Cult Film Experience by Sumita S. Chakravarty
Cover of the book Captain J. A. Brooks, Texas Ranger by Sumita S. Chakravarty
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy