Course Description

This course is an exploration of contemporary Indian film as narratives of cultural discourse, specifically the phenomena of “Bollywood,” India’s film and television industry and the largest film-producers in the world, generating more than 300 films annually. Focusing on the constructions of gender and identity in this visual discourse, the class will analyze nationalism and globalization that emerge from within these depictions of Indian cultural and social environments.  Through the films and readings, we will examine the ways in which Indian cinema addresses the issues of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, caste, class, and modernization as a cultural dialogue within Indian society.  At the same time, questions of hybridity, transnationalism, and "Indian-ness" within the South Asian diaspora will also be considered.

We will view films by Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, and Mani Rathnam, and particular attention will be given to films directed by the women of South Asian diaspora, such as Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair, and Gurinder Chadha.