Title: Reflexive Global Bollywood and Metacinematic Gender Politics in <i>Om Shanti Om</i> (2007), <i>Luck By Chance</i> (2008), and <i>Dhobi Ghat</i> (2010)
Abstract: This essay examines reflexive strategies in three contemporary Hindi-language feature films directed by women, Om Shanti Om (2007), Luck By Chance (2008), and Dhobi Ghat/Mumbai Diaries (2010). These Mumbai-set films, directed and written by Farah Khan, Zoya Akhtar, and Kiran Rao, respectively, offer insider industry perspectives and a variety of outlooks on Bollywood and Indian society more generally. I introduce the concepts of “selective reflection” to critically examine self-conscious representations of the excessively star-driven world of Bollywood filmmaking in an age of globalization (and the dominant figure of the male hero), directing styles and strategies of image-making, and the blurred boundaries between reality and artifice. This article presents a close analysis of narrative tropes (especially “breaking in” to Bollywood), filmi references, casting, spectator dynamics, and gendered agency in films that represent a taxonomic range from commercial blockbuster to art cinema.
Publication Year: 2015
Publication Date: 2015-02-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 1
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot