Cinema in contemporary India has been evolving in multifarious ways, technological innovations and the multiplicity of digital platforms significantly altering the experience of film production and reception. Apart from the mainstream Hindi cinema that enjoyed a national viewership till recent times, regional films have also emerged as popular forms of entertainment across the nation. Popular Indian cinema is being redefined and in this new environment, regional content is appreciated, new genres are welcomed, and a new viewing experience is well appreciated. Film production methods have also changed radically, with independent films gaining in popularity especially among the urban audience. In this new world of film production and reception, tales of resistance and resilience are also acknowledged and appreciated. Films like Jai Bhim (2021) directed by T J Gnanavel, or Sardar Uddham (2021) directed by Shoojit Sircar speak the voice of resistance to power in different ways. Similar films in various Indian languages, produced from across the country have been appreciated and evaluated critically for its content and form. Apart from the production of new content, there have been scholars and critics re-evaluating older tales of resistance, using the lens provided by new epistemological practices.
Culture of resistance has resulted in social changes over time and films have been part of this culture. Films of resistance have been hailed as alternate voices using innovative techniques and devices to articulate dissent. Filmmakers who challenge hegemonic structures have found creative ways to address social issues and these films have not always been part of the mainstream industry. This work will look at films that have managed to negotiate with social inequalities and systemic violence, analyse and evaluate them from multiple perspectives – production, consumption as well as critical discourse analysis based on the content and semiotics of the filmic texts. Moreover, there has been re-readings and re-defining of older films in contemporary times, where the parameters have evolved from the socio-cultural shifts shaping the discursive patterns in the nation. This proposed work will study two categories of films that fall under the category of tales that narrate the stories of resistance and resilience. One section of the text will work on films produced and released since the new millennium, in any of the Indian languages. Since the work studies cinemascapes, the various dimensions of film industry will be critically evaluated, to comprehend the methods used to capture the stories of resistance. The second category will seek to re-visit older films that can be categorised as tales of resistance or dissent.
We hope to bring a balanced yet nuanced approach to the whole work, with some of the chapters reading into the visual texts while others look at the production and reception of filmic texts. The style and format for this edited text will be Chicago style citation and formatting.
Possible titles and chapters
- Analysis {discourse, content, semiotics} of resistance and resilience cinema of the new millennium
- Re-reading the older films of resistance and resilience: comprehending discourses around them
- Resistance and resilience cinema as the harbinger of socio-cultural shifts in the nation
- Discourses on production and reception of the cinema of resistance and resilience
- The narrative of the culture of resistance as created by these filmmakers: old v/s new
- Audience reception studies: mixed-methods approach to interpret audiences of the new millennium
Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication
Resistance and resilience cinema’s addition to the corpora of culture studies and film studies
