Portrayal of the Colonization in Indo-Pak Cinema: A Case Study of Four Period Movies

Abstract

Cinema is considered a substantial medium in the advancement of narratives. The intention of this study was to determine how the Cinema of the subcontinent responded to the British colonization of India after 50 years of its independence. This paper explores the portrayal of colonization in Indian and Pakistani cinema with special reference to two Indian period films namely “The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2005)” and “Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey(2010)” besides two Pakistani period films namely “Jinnah (1998)” and “Laaj (2003)” by the qualitative method of research. After reviewing the tradition of Occidentalism and the historical background of Indian and Pakistani Cinema, the researcher analyzed the films by employing thematic narrative analysis and contextual analysis techniques which enabled him to understand the nature of such depictions besides similarities and differences between Indian and Pakistani Occidentalism. The researcher observed that selected Indian films depict secular nationalist construction; whereas selected Pakistani movies depict religious construction.