READING AND COMPOSITION - India in the Writers Eye
Intersectionalities of Rural and Urban India in 21st-Century Hindi Films
In this course, we will analyze portrayals of the rural-urban divide in India as well as more liminal spaces in 21st-century Hindi films. Additionally, we will explore how and why the characteristics of these spaces in the popular imagination map onto the intersectional identities of the films’ characters. We will use the theory of intersectionality to deconstruct power dynamics between different spaces and the identities with which they are associated. Some of the films we will view include Omkara (2006), DevD (2009), Udaan (2010), Ishaqzaade (2012), NH10 (2015) and Dum Lagaake Haisha (2015); in addition to viewing these films, we will read articles relating to the films themselves as well as pertinent sociological, cultural and literary topics.
