Bollywood And Postmodernism

Applying postmodern concepts and locating postmodern motifs in key commercial Hindi films, this innovative study reveals how Indian cinema has changed in the 21st century.

Identity conflicts, a prominent feature of our times, a phenomenon of belonging somewhere yet belonging nowhere, are increasingly finding their way into cinema. This book looks at the representations of identity conflicts in India on the canvas of Indian cinema, connecting them with broader socio-political developments in contemporary India. Starting with the historical background of how political developments in Europe like the emergence of Nation states, secularism, modernity influenced socio-political developments in India in the past century, the book looks at how those developments have shaped modern India. While looking at the cinematic representations of a variety of identity conflicts through the lens of cultural and political analysis, it provides insights into how the construct of an Identity and the inherent conflicts associated with it evolve and manifest themselves through the medium of a film.

Cinema in India is an entertainment medium that is interwoven into society and culture at large. It is clearly evident that continuous struggle and conflict at the personal as well as societal levels is depicted in cinema in India. It has become a reflection of society both in negative and positive ways. Hence, cinema has become an influential factor and one of the largest mass communication mediums in the nation. Social and Cultural Dynamics in Indian Cinema is an essential reference source that discusses cultural and societal issues including caste, gender, oppression, and social movements through cinema and particularly in specific language cinema and culture. Featuring research on topics such as Bollywood, film studies, and gender equality, this book is ideally designed for researchers, academicians, film studies students, and industry professionals seeking coverage on various aspects of regional cinema in India.

Inhaltsangabe:Introduction: The show will be a magnificent, opulent, tremendous, stupendous, gargantuan, bedazzlement! A sensual ravishment. It will be Spectacular, Spectacular . Zidler is right. That is what Moulin Rouge! is spectacular. Zidler, the impresario of the Moulin Rouge, tries to sell the bohemian play 'Spectacular, Spectacular', which Toulouse and Christian present to the Duke. However, Moulin Rouge! is 'Spectacular, Spectacular' and vice versa. The Duke is the maharajah, Christian is the penniless sitar player and Satine is the beautiful courtesan. Luhrmann's latest work is loud, colorful, fast, postmodern, a melodrama and a musical, and it is about love. Opinions are much divided over this film and many critics wonder if it is just bad taste and kitsch or an ingenious piece of film art. In other words, it is an original Baz Luhrmann. Until today, the Australian director produced three movies, which he calls the 'Red Curtain Trilogy'. He started with Strictly Ballroom in 1992, followed by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in 1996 and ended with Moulin Rouge! in 2001. Luhrmann calls his way of filmmaking a theatricalized cinema style . Baz Luhrmann definitely is a unique and versatile character. However, if his film is art or trash remains a matter of opinion. Luhrmann himself disassociates from any categorization in the sense of low culture and high art, taking into account that back in time Shakespeare was also considered as popular culture in the same way, as operas were the lowest form of culture at their peak times. He counters his critics and their objections, die Story ist dünn und simpel , with, Doch gerade das ist eine Konvention des Musicals, aber auch der Oper, mit Ausnahme von Wagner. Aber eigentlich zieht auch Wagner nur einen dünnen Plot in die Länge. The other often expressed criticism that his latest work, is a direct assault on eyes, ears, and expectations (Abele), and hard to exceed in terms of kitsch, he only defies with the credo that, Persönlicher Geschmack ist der Feind der Kunst. . Moulin Rouge! is a mélange of film, music and dance. Set in 1899 but with contemporary music it is a work of extremes. Everything in this film seems to scream: 'anything goes!'. Nevertheless, Luhrmann follows a concept. Nothing in this film happens accidentally but it is his own style. Luhrmann's 'Red Curtain' style comprises several distinct storytelling choices. He uses a rather simple story, based on a well-known [...]

This book offers a comprehensive view of the 100 most significant films ever produced in Bollywood. Each entry includes cast and crew information, language, date of release, a short description of the film’s plot, and most significantly, the importance of the film in the Indian canon.

Die Arbeit analysiert Baz Luhrmanns Film „Moulin Rouge!“ (2001) vor dem Hintergrund postmoderner und orientalischer Stilmittel in Literatur und Film. Moulin Rouge! ist nach Strictly Ballroom (1992) und William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1996) das letzte Werk in Luhrmanns ‚Red Curtain Trilogy‘. Charakterisierend für diese Art des Filmschaffens ist, dass der Fokus auf der Art der Erzählung bzw. der Erzählform liegt, und nicht primär auf ihrem Inhalt. Moulin Rouge! verknüpft Elemente des amerikanischen Musicals der 40er und 50er Jahre mit europäischen Charthits der 1990er und Erzähltechniken aus Bollywood Filmen. Dabei spielt er mit postmodernen und poststrukturalistischen Phänomenen wie Intertextualität, mehreren Erzählebenen sowie der Selbstreflexivität der Figuren als auch der Geschichte. Der Film ist laut, bunt und hektisch. Kitsch oder Kunst oder beides - das bleibt eine Frage des Geschmacks.

Postmodernism is a notoriously elusive concept and still the object of critical debates among scholars across a range of different disciplines. In literature, in particular, these debates are complicated by “postmodern” styles emanating from outside the concept’s Western origins. By analyzing contemporary Hindi novels, and drawing on both Western and Hindi literary criticism, "Postmodern Traces and Recent Hindi Novels" aims to understand some of the manifestations of postmodernism in contemporary Hindi fiction, including ways the latter might challenge the traditional parameters of postmodern literature. This book is essential reading for scholars and students specializing in South Asian studies and both postcolonial and comparative literature. It will also interest the general reader curious to know more about one of the less explored areas of world literature.

This is the first-ever book on the rise of the new wave of independent Indian films that is revolutionising Indian cinema. Contemporary scholarship on Indian cinema so far has focused asymmetrically on Bollywood—India’s dominant cultural export. Reversing this trend, this book provides an in-depth examination of the burgeoning independent Indian film sector. It locates the new 'Indies' as a glocal hybrid film form—global in aesthetic and local in content. They critically engage with a diverse socio-political spectrum of ‘state of the nation’ stories; from farmer suicides, disenfranchised urban youth and migrant workers to monks turned anti-corporation animal rights agitators. This book provides comprehensive analyses of definitive Indie new wave films including Peepli Live (2010), Dhobi Ghat (2010), The Lunchbox (2013) and Ship of Theseus (2013). It explores how subversive Indies, such as polemical postmodern rap-musical Gandu (2010) transgress conventional notions of ‘traditional Indian values’, and collide with state censorship regulations. This timely and pioneering analysis shows how the new Indies have emerged from a middle space between India’s globalising present and traditional past. This book draws on in-depth interviews with directors, actors, academics and members of the Indian censor board, and is essential reading for anyone seeking an insight into a current Indian film phenomenon that could chart the future of Indian cinema.