Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


muhonors1209924713.pdf (3.18 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Bollywoodizing Diasporas: Reconnecting to the NRI through Popular Hindi Cinema

Datta, Pulkit
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1209924713

Abstract Details

2008, Bachelor of Philosophy, Miami University, School Of Interdisciplinary Studies - Interdisciplinary Studies.
This project explores the recent shift in focus of popular Hindi (Bollywood) films from domestic characters encountering social issues, to members of the South Asian diaspora (primarily in the West) negotiating their ethnic identities. This project offers insights into the evolution of the Bollywood narrative where identities are being renegotiated and connections with traditional Indian culture are being challenged. Acknowledging the economic liberalization of India as catalyst, this paper examines the representation of the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and their connectedness with the diasporic reality in which they live. The representation is discussed in terms of the impact that religion, gender, sexuality, and regional/national politics have on the creation of a hybridized ethnic identity. Moreover, recent NRI-centric films are openly utilizing the diasporic characters as a safer experimental platform to negotiate these complex issues. The 2003 release of Kal Ho Naa Ho acts as the central example of a film that follows all the Bollywood conventions, yet due to its complete focus on the diaspora, can also be seen as non-Bollywood. The film's multiple subplots, tackling a wide range of issues among the diaspora, offer an engaging explanation of India's portrayal of its expatriates as a socially liberal, affluent, culturally liminal, and hybridized ethnic population within their host societies. Finally, the project delves into the visible shift of Hindi cinema from a dominantly India-centric industry to the realm of transnational cinema via images of the NRI.
William Newell, PhD (Advisor)
Sally Harrison-Pepper, PhD (Advisor)
Ronald Scott, PhD (Committee Member)
Alysia Fischer, PhD (Committee Member)
107 p.
Fine Arts; Mass Media; Motion Pictures
bollywood; indian diaspora; diaspora; NRI; hindi cinema; indian cinema; kal ho naa ho

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Datta, P. (2008). Bollywoodizing Diasporas: Reconnecting to the NRI through Popular Hindi Cinema [Undergraduate thesis, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1209924713

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Datta, Pulkit. Bollywoodizing Diasporas: Reconnecting to the NRI through Popular Hindi Cinema. 2008. Miami University, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1209924713.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Datta, Pulkit. "Bollywoodizing Diasporas: Reconnecting to the NRI through Popular Hindi Cinema." Undergraduate thesis, Miami University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1209924713

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

muhonors1209924713
32,705
© 2008, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University Honors Theses and OhioLINK.