Bollywood both shapes and is shaped by Indian society and its ideas on gender and nationhood. As such, it engages in the politics of representation as theorised by feminist film scholars. While...Show moreBollywood both shapes and is shaped by Indian society and its ideas on gender and nationhood. As such, it engages in the politics of representation as theorised by feminist film scholars. While extensive literature on the representation of women in Bollywood has arisen in the last two decades, less attention has been put on how rural populations or, more particularly, rural women are represented. This thesis attempts to fill this gap, recognising the invisibilization of rural women in India, especially the agrarian female workers who make up a major part of the national economy and around a fourth of the Indian population. I have used content and discourse analysis techniques on the Bollywood films Lagaan (2001) and Parched (2016) to investigate, firstly, the representation of Indian rural women in Bollywood, secondly the applicability of the theories developed through the literature on Indian women in Bollywood, and lastly, the possible implications of such representations on the visibility of Indian rural women, considering both the content and the reach of the films in the context of contemporary Bollywood. There is a multiplicity of representations of Indian women across Bollywood films, and this also applies for the representation of Indian rural women. In Lagaan, women play side-roles and are defined by their relation to the male characters; they are dedicated daughters, mothers and lovers. In Parched, the rural women are nuanced characters with desires, struggles and the will to fight for their agency in a patriarchal society. Even though the representations in Parched challenge notions of patriarchal and upper-class nationhood, its viewership and therefore the impact of the visibilization Indian rural women is limited to an elite and largely foreign audience, whereas the more patriarchal, but subaltern-perspective film Lagaan has reached Indian masses. Although women centric Bollywood films have been on the rise, a low number of films portray rural Indians and of those only few depict female characters in nuanced ways like done in Parched. This implies that Indian rural women remain largely invisibilized and stigmatized in Bollywood and in the imagination of the nation by the Bollywood audiences. Going forward, middle cinema offers a promising space for critical but still influential films, stimulating larger discussions on class and gender.Show less
Muslims form the largest minority in India, making up for approximately 13% of the total population of India. However, Muslims are also victim to the stereotypes which the Bollywood film industry...Show moreMuslims form the largest minority in India, making up for approximately 13% of the total population of India. However, Muslims are also victim to the stereotypes which the Bollywood film industry reproduces. Cinema is a form of mass media, which can play a large role in the formation of someone’s opinion. With the increase of electronic mass media, and the availability of internet worldwide, the influence of cinema is greater than ever. Cinema has proven to be one of the most influential instruments in popular culture for shaping current trends. Due to its large influence on both culture and mind-set, cinema also serves as a mean for politicians to affect the values of the civilization. Taking into account the growing influence of cinema on both ‘public opinion’ and politics, the stereotyping of Muslims could have a negative influence on the public image of Muslims worldwide. This thesis will address the following hypothesis: The representation of Muslims in popular Bollywood cinema conforms to stereotypes and constructs their identity in a negative manner.Show less
Bachelor thesis | South and Southeast Asian Studies (BA)
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The competition among different corporations in the open market is intense. Companies are engaging in developing interesting advertisements that are not only appealing but also convincing. Amul...Show moreThe competition among different corporations in the open market is intense. Companies are engaging in developing interesting advertisements that are not only appealing but also convincing. Amul India, is one such company that markets its products very well. Amul is ranked as the number one dairy producing companies in India, but how does Amul maintain that position? It’s the unique nature of Amul’ advertisements that successfully stimulate the sales of the company. Amul started as just a dairy co-operative and now it is not only the biggest initiative in India but it is also getting national and International recognition. Amul is known for using its politically and socially crisp advertising. Correspondingly, a lot of its TV commercials touch upon the cultural and social values of India. Studying the uniqueness of ‘Amul India’ advertisements can prove to be of great importance in marketing. There are ample theories and techniques that teach the essentials of a good advertisement but studying what makes ‘Amul’ unique in its advertisements will give a chance to the other corporations to learn from it. More importantly, Amul’s understanding of Indian society and its use of that understanding to create very successful marketing can be used to gain knowledge on how to market in India successfully. Why Amul?: Amul India is the best-selling dairy co-operative in India has maintained its position for a long time. They have an intimate understanding of Indian culture, which allows them to be so successful.Most importantly it is one company that works for the people by the people unlike other companies whose main objective is to main profit and care a little about the welfare of the people.Show less
