Degree
BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)
Faculty / School
School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)
Department
Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts
Date of Award
Spring 2022
Date of Submission
2022-08-24
Advisor
Aliya Iqbal Naqvi, Visiting Faculty, Department of Social Sciences
Project Type
SSLA Culminating Experience
Access Type
Restricted Access
Abstract
India’s mega movie industry based in Bombay, popularly known as Bollywood, is loved and watched by millions across the globe. However, Bollywood movies have recently seen a surge in their anti-Muslim rhetoric, which often directly or otherwise, targets Pakistan. Recent scholarship has explored this phenomenon in light of the growing discrimination against India’s large Muslim minority. This qualitative study aims to extend the scope of inquiry to understand the reception of the many and longstanding Pakistani-Muslim viewers of Bollywood films to this agenda against their identities. Using the theoretical frameworks of Bell Hooks, Purnima Mankekar, and Rosa Tsagarousianou, this paper documents the responses of Pakistani Muslim viewers towards four particular films that contain a strong anti-Muslim/Pakistani agenda: Raazi (2018), Shershaah (2021) Padmaavat (2018) and Veer Zaara (2004). Pakistani-Muslim audiences from different generations and genders were recruited for a comprehensive and cross-generational analysis, using focus groups and in-depth interviews. The findings were complex and varied. Generally, perceived attacks on their Muslim identity engendered greater resistance in this audience over their Pakistani identity. Older viewers were more averse to negative portrayals than younger audiences. Moreover, findings illustrate that ultimately agency belongs to audiences, who find ways to enjoy films with potentially problematic narratives, choosing when to dissociate. Other important recurring themes in the study were childhood associations, loyalty to the stars, and socio-cultural comfort with Hindi cinema.
Pages
90
Recommended Citation
Asim, M. (2022). The filmy other: viewing Bollywood's Hindu nationalism as a Pakistani Muslim (Unpublished undergraduate project). Institute of Business Administration, Pakistan. Retrieved from https://ir.iba.edu.pk/sslace/144
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