Bollywood is part of the Indian Cinema, it creates the main phase of the indian film industry. Although Bollywood's birth was in 1913, indian films started to get its real shape in the late 1960's and 70s. We started to see male protagonists who started to get real roles, which made them active than ever before. Male significance was soaring high while the female was hardly shown in the film, this would be the mother or the wife. Male roles included such as romantic guy, the action man, and playing roles in gritty and violent movies. The asian culture is a true reflection of Bollywood, typically the man worked hard and brought money in to the household whereas the women brought up children and played as a good housewife.
Bollywood had shown the typical patriarchy in the 2oth century of its cinema.
Ms. Jones im really stuck, i do not know how to get around this. Please Help
Thursday, 10 January 2008
Sunday, 6 January 2008
...Essay Plan...
Hypothesis:
To show that typical Patriarchy in Bollywood films are subverting and that the significance of Women has started to increase, as we are changing the way we live in society, i.e not living in a Patriacrhal soceity.
Intro:
Talking about patriarchy in Bollywood. In general
· Men were seen as dominant
· Roles on man
· roles of women
· the stereotypes
Have a paragraph on- Historical texts
Mughal-e-Azam (1960), the whole narrative was about an Emperor’s son who falls in love with a courtesan. The film reinforces the dominance of one man over India and show women being entertainers/dancers for the rich.I would look at the roles of female protagonists along with the male protagonists. Concluding the role of the women in the film.
Chaal Baaz (1989), has a split representation of women, we see actor Sridevi playing a double role. Separated at birth are two twins, one who plays a bird-in-cage role and a modern club dancer. Even though the modern club dancer has a modern profession and sees men are equal to women, she still needs support of men. I would look at the roles of the female protagonists with the male protagonists. Comparing the two opposite roles and concluding how the film represents women. Look closely at Chaal Baaz, analyse the characteristics of Sridevi. Red lipstick connotes seduction, trying to achieve the ‘male gaze’. This states that women are there for fantasy/ selling herself.
Mother India (1957) - Seen to carry out man’s roles. A struggling mother. Look at her role, as this changed Bollywood totally. It did shake Bollywood as it was a moving film. The film created a Masochistic view for the audience. In Freud’s ‘Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality’ (1905d) he remarked ‘Masochism is associated with passivity and sadism with activity. An essential characteristic of the perversions is that the active and passive forms are found in the same individual.’ So in this case Radha a lead female actor had masochistic characteristics, which built over the course of the movie.
Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) - The movie song enforces the idea of women being the typical ‘housewife’ and the guy outside fixing his car.Have a paragraph on-
Talk about Laura Mulvey theory: The ‘male gaze’ I will refer back to the historical films.
Have a Paragraph on- Cash (2007)
- What is shown, the representation of women.
- The themes
Have a paragraph on-
Talking about ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE. So Cash (2007) has shown all women being active, whereas all other historical movies reinforced the passive side
Have a paragraph on- Identity change.
Older films- Sex symbols, objects of sex and passive roles.
New films, Cash (2007) - Sex symbols/references to sex-sexual innuendo and Active roles.
Have a Paragraph on- The ‘new man’
Look at films-
-Cash, man listens to his wife, follows instructions.
- Dhoom2- man cooks for wife. He takes care of the kitchen.
Have a Paragraph on- Compare Hollywood to Bollywood.
-Is Bollywood imitating Hollywood
- Look at films such as Kill Bill, and Tomb raider compare with new Bollywood movies.
-Kill bill- Tight clothes-yellow-attractive.
Conclusion-
Although Cash girls are still being objectified, which hasn’t changed since the birth of Bollywood. They have started to get resourceful roles but still shown women being the subject of the ‘male gaze.’
To show that typical Patriarchy in Bollywood films are subverting and that the significance of Women has started to increase, as we are changing the way we live in society, i.e not living in a Patriacrhal soceity.
Intro:
Talking about patriarchy in Bollywood. In general
· Men were seen as dominant
· Roles on man
· roles of women
· the stereotypes
Have a paragraph on- Historical texts
Mughal-e-Azam (1960), the whole narrative was about an Emperor’s son who falls in love with a courtesan. The film reinforces the dominance of one man over India and show women being entertainers/dancers for the rich.I would look at the roles of female protagonists along with the male protagonists. Concluding the role of the women in the film.
Chaal Baaz (1989), has a split representation of women, we see actor Sridevi playing a double role. Separated at birth are two twins, one who plays a bird-in-cage role and a modern club dancer. Even though the modern club dancer has a modern profession and sees men are equal to women, she still needs support of men. I would look at the roles of the female protagonists with the male protagonists. Comparing the two opposite roles and concluding how the film represents women. Look closely at Chaal Baaz, analyse the characteristics of Sridevi. Red lipstick connotes seduction, trying to achieve the ‘male gaze’. This states that women are there for fantasy/ selling herself.
Mother India (1957) - Seen to carry out man’s roles. A struggling mother. Look at her role, as this changed Bollywood totally. It did shake Bollywood as it was a moving film. The film created a Masochistic view for the audience. In Freud’s ‘Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality’ (1905d) he remarked ‘Masochism is associated with passivity and sadism with activity. An essential characteristic of the perversions is that the active and passive forms are found in the same individual.’ So in this case Radha a lead female actor had masochistic characteristics, which built over the course of the movie.
Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) - The movie song enforces the idea of women being the typical ‘housewife’ and the guy outside fixing his car.Have a paragraph on-
Talk about Laura Mulvey theory: The ‘male gaze’ I will refer back to the historical films.
Have a Paragraph on- Cash (2007)
- What is shown, the representation of women.
- The themes
Have a paragraph on-
Talking about ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE. So Cash (2007) has shown all women being active, whereas all other historical movies reinforced the passive side
Have a paragraph on- Identity change.
Older films- Sex symbols, objects of sex and passive roles.
New films, Cash (2007) - Sex symbols/references to sex-sexual innuendo and Active roles.
Have a Paragraph on- The ‘new man’
Look at films-
-Cash, man listens to his wife, follows instructions.
- Dhoom2- man cooks for wife. He takes care of the kitchen.
Have a Paragraph on- Compare Hollywood to Bollywood.
-Is Bollywood imitating Hollywood
- Look at films such as Kill Bill, and Tomb raider compare with new Bollywood movies.
-Kill bill- Tight clothes-yellow-attractive.
Conclusion-
Although Cash girls are still being objectified, which hasn’t changed since the birth of Bollywood. They have started to get resourceful roles but still shown women being the subject of the ‘male gaze.’
Friday, 4 January 2008
...Historical Texts...
Mughal-E-Azam (1960)
Plot Oultine
Set in the 16th century AD, the movie brings to life the tale of the doomed love affair betw
een the Mughal Crown Prince Saleem and the beautiful, ill-fated court dancer, whose fervor and intensity perpetrates a war between the prince and his father the great Mughal Emperor Akbar, and threatens to bring an empire to its knees.
Badshah Akbar was the supreme ruler of Hindustan and ruled this country fairly and justly. He wanted the Hindus and Muslims to live as a big family; encourages all religious groups to live in harmony together; and even undertakes a barefoot journey to the temple of Ambe Maa and installs a gold umbrella over Ambe Maa. He married a Hindu Rajput Yodhabai, and together they sire a son who they name Saleem. Born in a very tolerant and acceptable atmosphere, Saleem also witnesses war and perhaps this does have an affect on his mind. He then falls in love with a lowly courtesan, Anarkali. When his parents want him to get married to a woman of their choice, he refuses and wants to marry Anarkali. This angers the tolerant Akbar, who could never visualize his son marrying a mere dancing girl. He has Anarkali imprisoned, but Saleem arranges her escape and incites a open revolt against Akbar. Enraged, Akbar declares Saleem a traitor and sends his armies to crush him. Saleem is defeated and brought in chains to be sentenced by his father, but Anarkali managed to elude his armies. Akbar wants to trade Saleem's life with that of Anarkali, but Saleem will not let anyone know where Anarkali is, and is therefore sentenced to die. Watch the climax, to the tunes of "Zindabad...Zindabad...." of this blockbuster as Saleem is tied to a tower and a huge cannon is aimed at him to blow him to bits in front of everyone present.
een the Mughal Crown Prince Saleem and the beautiful, ill-fated court dancer, whose fervor and intensity perpetrates a war between the prince and his father the great Mughal Emperor Akbar, and threatens to bring an empire to its knees.Badshah Akbar was the supreme ruler of Hindustan and ruled this country fairly and justly. He wanted the Hindus and Muslims to live as a big family; encourages all religious groups to live in harmony together; and even undertakes a barefoot journey to the temple of Ambe Maa and installs a gold umbrella over Ambe Maa. He married a Hindu Rajput Yodhabai, and together they sire a son who they name Saleem. Born in a very tolerant and acceptable atmosphere, Saleem also witnesses war and perhaps this does have an affect on his mind. He then falls in love with a lowly courtesan, Anarkali. When his parents want him to get married to a woman of their choice, he refuses and wants to marry Anarkali. This angers the tolerant Akbar, who could never visualize his son marrying a mere dancing girl. He has Anarkali imprisoned, but Saleem arranges her escape and incites a open revolt against Akbar. Enraged, Akbar declares Saleem a traitor and sends his armies to crush him. Saleem is defeated and brought in chains to be sentenced by his father, but Anarkali managed to elude his armies. Akbar wants to trade Saleem's life with that of Anarkali, but Saleem will not let anyone know where Anarkali is, and is therefore sentenced to die. Watch the climax, to the tunes of "Zindabad...Zindabad...." of this blockbuster as Saleem is tied to a tower and a huge cannon is aimed at him to blow him to bits in front of everyone present.
Notes
- Women for the rich were just dancers and performers, that kept the Rich entertained.
Similarites and Differences to my Hypothesis (for CASH 2007)
- Character Roles- Women in Cash have a active role, being strong, bold. Whereas women in Mughal-E-Azam are shown passive, being more feminin, fragile and naive.
- Props- Women in Cash are scantily clad whereas in Mughal-E-Azam women are fully covered (they followed the norms and values of the asian tradition...to be fully covered.)
- Action packed in Cash whereas in Mughal-E-Azam they just show life surrounding around the rich and the Dancing Brothel
- Cash female characters shown working in professional field whereas Mughal-E-Azam female characters are just for entertainment.
- Cash female characters shown working in professional field whereas Mughal-E-Azam female characters are just for entertainment.
- Patriarchy (men ruled) in Mughal-E-Azam, women followed man's instructions.
- Cash protagonists were out going, socialable, free as a bird whereas women protagonists in Mughal-E-Azam were closed in walls, seemed trapped.
- No similarities
ChaalBaaz (1989)
Plot Outline
Anju and Manju are twins separated when babies thanks to their mentally retarded nanny. An evil uncle Tribhuvan gets their parents killed in a car accident. He brings up Anju as coy (people who avoid social situations) and easily frightened girl. Manju grows up in a bastee as a happy-go-lucky club dancer. After a lot of terrifing days in Anju's life, one day she runs away from home. On that very day, Manju has a fight with her childhood companion and neighbor Jaggu, a friendly beer drinking taxi driver. With twist of fate, their paths cross but they never meet. They somehow end up at each others place. Sooraj is the love interest in Anju's life who is actually Manju and Jaggu is...It is better to watch the entire movie. There is the usual confusion of identities.
Anju (Sridevi) lives with her Uncle, Tribhuvan (Anupam Kher) and aunt, Amba (Rohini Hattangadi), who abuse her both physically and emotionally all the time, and also keep her drugged, so she is dependant on them all the time. They live in a big mansion, and therefore, Anju is forced to do all the housework. Anju's passion is dancing and her Uncle prevents her from perusing this. Dayal (Annu Kapoor) does his best to protect Anju from the frequent beatings.(Annu needs mans protection) Meet Anju's look-a-like (also played by Sridevi), who lives in small tenement, drinks beer, fights with men, dances, lies, amongst other things. Manju's mom (Aruna Irani) has psycological problems and is hospitalized, and Manju's friend is Jaggu (Rajnikanth), who is quiet and soft-spoken, and will only get into a fight to protect Manju. Tribhuvan's friend's name is Vishwananth (Saeed Jaffrey), who wants his son, Suraj (Sunny Deol) to marry Anju. Suraj is a lot like Manju, and he has even met Manju in the beer bar, and thinks the photograph of Anju is Manju. And on the other hand Tribhuvan and Amba want Anju to marry Batuknath Lalanprasad Malpani (Shakti Kapoor), who is the nephew of Amba. One day Anju and Manju are taken for each other and what results is absolute chaos, as each try to fit into the other's shoes.
Similarites and Differences to my Hypothesis (for CASH 2007)
- 1 of the characters have an active role
- Shown independancy in Manju-living out.
- One twin shown unsocialble and one very sociable.
- One twin shown unsocialble and one very sociable.
-Differences such as Women being clingy, need support of man when in trouble.
-Differences- Heavily dependant on man
-Differences- Heavily dependant on man
-Difference- Men seem to control women, i.e. the husband, the lover, the friend.
!!!Sir it is really hard to find Historical Texts!!!
My personal thought is that Bollywood is still today tied back with strings to its Norms and Values, to its culture, its tradition and it cannot move forward as the industry hopes. Someone who break these Norms and Values do not succeed in the Industry and are pointed at- e.g. Dhoom2 kissing scene.
It seems as Bolly is stuck between/glued back.
It seems as Bolly is stuck between/glued back.
Looking at Bollywood pre-1990 compared to post-1990, there does seem a change in the significance of women, they get active roles or seem to be more resourceful than ever before.
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Task 11...Laura Mulvey
a) A Political Use of Psychoanalysis
Film reflects the langauge of partriarchy by being bound up in the same story of sexual difference that all patriarchy is founded on. In film women is seen as Other, as an object not a subject. In a way she represents the unconscious of the male because she is always the object he is looking at and never is able to speak for herself.
Phallocentrism -- a world view which sees the penis (symbolic and otherwise) as the defining center of meaning. In other words-- there is a central, stable meaning to things; that meaning is defined largely by men who associate their power to name and define and control reality with their masculinity.
Symbolic Order -- the realm of meaning controlled by the Law of the Father (in Lacan's theorizing): the language of partriachy. As opposped (by Kristeva) to the Imaginary -- the primal language of connectiona sscoiated with pre-Oedipal bonding with the mother.
b) Destruction of Pleasure as a Radical Weapon
Hollywood film reflects the dominant ideology of their culture. We get our pleasure from films from this presentation of the erotic. If we learn to make films which do not encode these ideologies, a lot of people will lose their pleasure in looking at film.
Mise-en-scene means staging an action. It is historically to do with directing plays, and became later to do with film to express how the material in the frame is directed.
http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/womenstudies/flc436/mulvey.html
Film reflects the langauge of partriarchy by being bound up in the same story of sexual difference that all patriarchy is founded on. In film women is seen as Other, as an object not a subject. In a way she represents the unconscious of the male because she is always the object he is looking at and never is able to speak for herself.
Phallocentrism -- a world view which sees the penis (symbolic and otherwise) as the defining center of meaning. In other words-- there is a central, stable meaning to things; that meaning is defined largely by men who associate their power to name and define and control reality with their masculinity.
Symbolic Order -- the realm of meaning controlled by the Law of the Father (in Lacan's theorizing): the language of partriachy. As opposped (by Kristeva) to the Imaginary -- the primal language of connectiona sscoiated with pre-Oedipal bonding with the mother.
b) Destruction of Pleasure as a Radical Weapon
Hollywood film reflects the dominant ideology of their culture. We get our pleasure from films from this presentation of the erotic. If we learn to make films which do not encode these ideologies, a lot of people will lose their pleasure in looking at film.
Mise-en-scene means staging an action. It is historically to do with directing plays, and became later to do with film to express how the material in the frame is directed.
http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/womenstudies/flc436/mulvey.html
Sunday, 4 November 2007
...BLOG BUDDIES...
My Class
Kiran
I chose Kiran coz' i think that her study focuses on the rep of women or modern western women. Looking at Kirans blog i see that her research on the Character Bree tells me that she is a 'perfect house wife' n traditionally or still today indian women were/are to be seen just as house wives. Taking care of family, n raising kids. Kiran's study is focused on a western drama, whereas im looking at Bollywood, we here have a fusion of EAST n WEST...are Bollywood films being influenced by the WEST....'EAST meets WEST'
Other Class
Dipz MAIN BLOG BUDDY
Dipz chose me coz' we have a similar argument 'to why and how the society is changing and making women look supieror to men'. I agree with her, so i will be her Buddy as she is looking at women being the breadwinners, and how its changing/subverting
Manveer B
Well accusing me that i copied her work tells me that we have a similar study, well bazza i didnt copy your work!!! Her study suggest that shes looking at how Bollywood is reflecting Hollywood, if it is and to what extent. Well manveers thesis tells me that shes looking at Bollywood, refering to indian films, holly films n focusing on characters.
Naz
Naz can help me with my study, shes not my main blog buddy, but she has accepted to be casual buddies. As we both looking at bollywood actresses, we can see how the rep of women is changing.
...CASH RESEARCH...
Cast n Director talks about the Film
Official Website
http://www.cash-thefilm.com/
Official Website
http://www.cash-thefilm.com/
...Close Textual Analysis...
This scene from CASH-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGCSm6zFNDE
Clip between: 2mins 15 sec to 4mins 5 sec
In this clip we see Shamita Shetty aka Shanaiya being very confident doing Abseiling, whereas her husband Ajay devgan is sleeping in the car. This shows how active she is, and how lazy Ajay devgan is.
Well as she comes towards the car we see how she poses her self, and her way of walking is very seductive. There is also non-diegetic music being played in the background which gives her entry scene a push. We see her wearing skimpy clothing which shows how modernised she is, this fulfils the male interest.
She gets into the car and her dim-witted husband asks her-
Husband: ' Are we not suppose to have Breakfast together? ' he cries.
Shanaiya: ' Err only on one condition, i will drive to home, coz there wont be anytime left for breakfast if you drive ' she confidently speaks
Here Shanaiya speaks confidently to her husband, like over toning, shes kinda arrogant. Her husband speaking very slowly, feeling intimidated by Shanaiya.
And then we see Shanaiya zooming the car to home, while the husband is scared and telling her to slow down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGCSm6zFNDE
Clip between: 2mins 15 sec to 4mins 5 sec
In this clip we see Shamita Shetty aka Shanaiya being very confident doing Abseiling, whereas her husband Ajay devgan is sleeping in the car. This shows how active she is, and how lazy Ajay devgan is.
Well as she comes towards the car we see how she poses her self, and her way of walking is very seductive. There is also non-diegetic music being played in the background which gives her entry scene a push. We see her wearing skimpy clothing which shows how modernised she is, this fulfils the male interest.
She gets into the car and her dim-witted husband asks her-
Husband: ' Are we not suppose to have Breakfast together? ' he cries.
Shanaiya: ' Err only on one condition, i will drive to home, coz there wont be anytime left for breakfast if you drive ' she confidently speaks
Here Shanaiya speaks confidently to her husband, like over toning, shes kinda arrogant. Her husband speaking very slowly, feeling intimidated by Shanaiya.
And then we see Shanaiya zooming the car to home, while the husband is scared and telling her to slow down.
...SELF DEIRECTED RESEARCH: REPORT...
...My own research...
Links-
http://feminism.eserver.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Item_number
Books-
1) BFI film and Television Handbook 2002
2) Indian Cinema- The Bollywood Saga
Research-
Although Mr. Bush said WIKIPEDIA is not a good place for searching, but we do get some good information from there. At times it is useful..hehe
Objectification of women in Bollywood has become increasingly rampant, accompanied by a spurt in the demand for item girls. As a result, many top stars are doing item numbers, and the phenomenon is becoming less stigmatized. Many new women entering Bollywood find item numbers a more amenable shortcut to success, as opposed to more traditional roles with no guarantee of eventual stardom.
Former item girls in pop songs outside films, Rakhi Sawant and Meghna Naidu, for example, are now quite in demand and very popular. Today, they are even being given lead roles in commercially successful movies.As of 2007, Mallika Sherawat has become the most expensive "Item Girl", as she charged Rs. 1.5 crore for the song Mehbooba Mehbooba in Aap Ka Suroor - The Real Love Story.
We also know Urmila Matondhkar and Helen did the same song 'Mehbooba Mehbooba'
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Item_number
...10 Keywords...
Norms: Value Based Rules
Objectivity: presenting amedia text from a neutral or objective standpoint.
Props/Clothing: Part of the key concepts, the garments which protagonists wear.
Post-feminisim:
Protagonist: The person who is working in the film, an actor/actress.
Realism: the tv or film that portrays/represents the real world. My study would look at both sides, if it's Against- Whatever Cash shows is not real, it is only a Bollywood movie, they are fictional. If it is For, then- Whatever CASH shows is refelceting of our society, there is equality.
Reception Theory:
Representation:
Right wing:
Sexism:
Star system: Constructing the film around a successful actor, which will secure the box-office success. For e.g. AJAY DEVGAN
Stereotype:
Subversive:
Target Audience: The audience which the text is made for.
Objectivity: presenting amedia text from a neutral or objective standpoint.
Props/Clothing: Part of the key concepts, the garments which protagonists wear.
Post-feminisim:
Protagonist: The person who is working in the film, an actor/actress.
Realism: the tv or film that portrays/represents the real world. My study would look at both sides, if it's Against- Whatever Cash shows is not real, it is only a Bollywood movie, they are fictional. If it is For, then- Whatever CASH shows is refelceting of our society, there is equality.
Reception Theory:
Representation:
Right wing:
Sexism:
Star system: Constructing the film around a successful actor, which will secure the box-office success. For e.g. AJAY DEVGAN
Stereotype:
Subversive:
Target Audience: The audience which the text is made for.
Monday, 29 October 2007
...Evaluations...
Self Evaluation
- Attainment 3
- Effort 3
- Punctuality 1
- Submission and quality of homework 3
- Ability to work independently 3
- Quality of writing 3
- Organisation of Media folder 2
- Oral contributions in class 4
- Standard of Module 5 blog 2
- Standard of Module 6 blog 1
WWW
-Doing creative lessons/visual learning, great stuff as im a visual learner, i pick info up easily. Powerpoint Presentations are fun!!!
-Enjoying the Course overall, media is fun
-Working on Med 6 blog, its uptodate!!! plus ms jones likes the Med 5 thesis!!!
EBI
-Need to work on oral contribution in class, build communication
-Try to work on my own, and/or share better ideas between the person sitting next to me which is SPICY ANJ!!!!
-Get uptodate with Med5 blog, do more independant work
Thursday, 11 October 2007
...10 Keywords...
The x10 Keywords i will use are-
Bollywood- The indian film industry, its a key term for me.
Cognitive dissonance-
Flashback- a scene in a film which disrupts the chronological narrative, by recalling past events.
Gender- psychologocal n cultural aspects behaviour associated with masculinity n femininity.
Patriarchy- men have authority of women
Ideologies- ideas, attitudes n beliefs that are within the text
Liberal feminism- laws which feminists promote equal oppertunites, n that sees gender inequalites. AS I NEED TO CONSIDER BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUEMENT, I HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT FEMINISTS THINK.
Non-linear narrative- non sequential narrative
Male Gaze- Laura Mulvey's theory
New Ladism- male backlash against feminism n girl power
Bollywood- The indian film industry, its a key term for me.
Cognitive dissonance-
Flashback- a scene in a film which disrupts the chronological narrative, by recalling past events.
Gender- psychologocal n cultural aspects behaviour associated with masculinity n femininity.
Patriarchy- men have authority of women
Ideologies- ideas, attitudes n beliefs that are within the text
Liberal feminism- laws which feminists promote equal oppertunites, n that sees gender inequalites. AS I NEED TO CONSIDER BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUEMENT, I HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT FEMINISTS THINK.
Non-linear narrative- non sequential narrative
Male Gaze- Laura Mulvey's theory
New Ladism- male backlash against feminism n girl power
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
...Delicious Links...
1) AIM Magazine http://www.asiansinmedia.org/
2) Networks in India Of Women in Media (my own search) http://nwmindia.org/
3) Media Litracy http://www1.medialiteracy.com/representation.jsp
4) Super Slick Power Chicks ttp://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/02/22/power_chicks.html Still 'girl heroes' or 'fame babes' may be reflective of, and banking on, the modern day girl's overriding desire for grand success. As Hopkins states: “Fame is replacing romance as the dominant female fantasy (…) Love and marriage is no longer the final answer to youthful feminine desire” (Hopkins, 189-191).
5) British Film Institution http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/index.html
6) Website on Gender http://theoryhead.com/gender/
7) Representation http://www.allisonmedia.net/Concepts/representation.htm
2) Networks in India Of Women in Media (my own search) http://nwmindia.org/
3) Media Litracy http://www1.medialiteracy.com/representation.jsp
4) Super Slick Power Chicks ttp://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/02/22/power_chicks.html Still 'girl heroes' or 'fame babes' may be reflective of, and banking on, the modern day girl's overriding desire for grand success. As Hopkins states: “Fame is replacing romance as the dominant female fantasy (…) Love and marriage is no longer the final answer to youthful feminine desire” (Hopkins, 189-191).
5) British Film Institution http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/index.html
6) Website on Gender http://theoryhead.com/gender/
7) Representation http://www.allisonmedia.net/Concepts/representation.htm
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
...Texts That Im Going To Look at!!!...
Main Referance is 'CASH'
Other texts that i can talk about-
Dhoom 2- Subverting Bollywood Stereotypes
Tomb Raider- Hollywood showing an Individual
Masti- How wives fight back, after relationship crisis
Provoked- Ash takes her stand against abuse and torture
Enough- J Lo gets abused by her Husband.
Tokyo Drift- Japanese Girls seen as Sex Objects for males.
Laga Chunri mein Daag- Rani is under the control of men, first her father then men aka PIMPs through her Professional/High class Escorting job.
Other texts that i can talk about-
Dhoom 2- Subverting Bollywood Stereotypes
Tomb Raider- Hollywood showing an Individual
Masti- How wives fight back, after relationship crisis
Provoked- Ash takes her stand against abuse and torture
Enough- J Lo gets abused by her Husband.
Tokyo Drift- Japanese Girls seen as Sex Objects for males.
Laga Chunri mein Daag- Rani is under the control of men, first her father then men aka PIMPs through her Professional/High class Escorting job.
!I can also look at Directors, who produce certain films...on women???!
Friday, 21 September 2007
...Relevant DHOOM 2 research...
The trailer
Aishwarya's Entry in Dhoom2
In Dhoom2 Aishwarya Rai Bhachan was zipped up in a tight suit, which made her look really seductive, morethan the theme song being played in the background gave Ash's entry scene a little push, as she unzips her tight jacket and says "I'm So Hot". Lol! Look at the VDO above^^^
The angle in which Ash stands is similar to Angelina Jolie in her Tomb Raider....she infact is seen as a self-independant women in her Tomb Raider series, and now which Bollywood tries to do the same. But the indian culture and values pulls them back from moving on to the new trend/culture....Aishwarya n Hrithik were in trouble---->
'The Kissing Issue raised after 3 mins of this VDO'
The Kissing Scene
Ash's Response to the Film
Thursday, 20 September 2007
...Reviews... + ...Anubhav Sinha's movies...
...BBC film review...
"Earn money the hard way. Steal it" rings the tagline to Anubhav Sinha's Cash, but he's going to have to work much harder than this to get his hands on the audience's hard-earned money. Sadly, the visually rich opening (complete with Pulp Fiction-esque title track) doesn't lead to much, as this action-packed multi-starrer unfolds. Set in South Africa, the story is so complex that Danny (Zayed Khan) is forced to narrate what's happening to Rhia (Ayesha Takia), but to paraphrase "even after explaining it all, you still don't understand".
Karan (Ajay Devgan) enlists the services of Danny (Zayed Khan), Lucky (Ritesh Deshmukh) and Pooja (Esha Deol) to steal a set of historic diamonds. Angad (Suneil Shetty) is after the same diamonds, along with his loyal girlfriend and accomplice, Aditi (Dia Mirza). Meanwhile, Karan's girlfriend, Shania (Shamita Shetty) has the unenviable task of guarding this much sought-after booty for the government. And so begins an elaborate but ultimately mind-numbing story. Luckily, the lack of plausibility raises such questions as: how can a boat still remain afloat after having a hole cut in it from underneath? And whatever happens to the painting that's stolen in one of the film's many action-packed sequences.
"SHORT-CHANGED ON STORY"
A large cast list, jaw-dropping stunts and animated gimmicks haven't helped this film at all, whereas investing in a better screenplay could have made Cash a sure-fire money spinner. Deshmukh is very watchable as chancer Lucky, and it is left to him and Mirza to provide the film's only note-worthy characters. Devgan is unconvincing and Deol is simply lost. Although visually striking, Cash gives value for money on stunts but will leave you short-changed on story.
Cash is out in the UK on 3rd August 2007.
...India FM...
Okay, Anubhav Sinha unleashes his heist saga today -- CASH. Come to think of it, CASH is very similar to DUS. A plethora of stars, stunning locales/visuals, an energetic musical score and stylized action. CASH goes a step further -- it has animation too!Sinha has mastered the craft and garnishes CASH well, but as you begin to savor the taste, you realize that the recipe isn't perfect. Perhaps, writers Yash-Vinay had the right intentions of making a chor-sipahi kahani, but the writing is just not convincing. Where does the problem lie? Not with Anubhav Sinha, for the director is, without doubt, one of the most stylish narrators in Bollywood. The choice of subject is also right, but the writing lacks the meat to mesmerize the viewer. Clearly, the screenplay is the villain here!
Write your own movie review of CashTo sum up, you expect a sangam of style and substance in CASH, but what you eventually get is style, style and only style! CASH is a thriller set in Cape Town, South Africa. The film revolves around an ace con artist [Ajay Devgan], who hires a set of topnotch robbers [Esha Deol, Zayed Khan, Dia Mirza and Ritesh Deshmukh] to steal a set of priceless diamonds in South Africa. The group also faces a threat from underworld don [Suniel Shetty], who is after the same diamonds and also the Head of Security [Shamita Shetty]. How these three groups manage to thwart each other forms the rest of the story. CASH bears an uncanny resemblance to some films. The concept of a guy hiring professionals to execute a plan brings back memories of SHOLAY. There's an uncanny resemblance with DHOOM 2 as far as the stylish stunts are concerned. Also, a number of individuals wanting to lay their hands on the priceless diamonds take you to SHALIMAR. It's not blasphemous to be inspired by any film, past or present, but what the writers ought to know by now is that there has to be a riveting story at the end of the day. What you take back as a viewer is only style. The writing is unenergetic in the first hour, but the second hour, you've to admit, is far more absorbing. The marked currency notes and also the chase by the cops [Ritesh, Esha, with Zayed atop the speeding car] are pulse-pounding. Director Anubhav Sinha does make a 'good looking film', but the writing curtails it from being called an engrossing saga. If Sinha deserves brownie points for making a visually enticing movie, all you want to remind him is that the viewer wants to listen to an absorbing story at the end of the day. As the captain of the ship, he should've ensured that Yash-Vinay gave him a smart screenplay that compliments his skills. Anthony Stone's stunts are topnotch. A never-seen-before experience on the Hindi screen. Vishal-Shekhar's music is trendy and the visuals and choreography supporting the tracks make you exclaim 'Wow'. Ravi Walia's cinematography is mesmeric. The film bears a striking look all through. Dialogues are well-worded at times. Ajay Devgan is not in form this time around. He looks unenergetic… something is missing! Suniel Shetty gets to play a role he has visited a few times in the past. Zayed Khan is strictly okay. The real scene stealer is Ritesh Deshmukh. Very confident and easy-going, he's sure to walk away with ceetees and taalis. Shamita Shetty stands out. Esha suffers due to sketchy characterization. Also, her make-up makes her face look hard. Dia is far more appealing and enacts her part well. Ayesha Takia adds to the star-value. On the whole, CASH has style, but rests on a thin plot and that is its biggest flaw. At the box-office, the film might attract the audience in its initial weekend, but a weak script will throw a spanner.
Other Anubhav Sinha's Movies
Cash (Known Sequel to DUS, 2007)
Tathastu (2006)
Dus (2005)
Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai (2003)
Tum Bin (2001)
Anubhav Sinha's Genre index in Directing, Writing & Producing-
3 Drama
3 Romance
2 Action
2 Family
2 Musical
2 Thriller
1 Comedy
1 Crime
1 Documentary
...Summer Work...
Media Representations
Who is being represented?
- In what way?
- By whom?
The text that i have chosen to study is Cash (Hindi, 2007) within this movie the women protagonists are all shown non inferior to men, both male and female protagonists are equal.
-Shamita Shetty although married (to Ajay Devgan) has a professional job, she is very confident and is not controlled by her Husband.
-Esha Deol, an independant women, who is uncatchable, she is too fast.
-Dia Mirza who also plays a role with her Boyfriend (Sunil Shetty), but Sunil doesnt seem to have any control of her.
ALL FEMALE PROTAGONISTS IN THIS FILM ARE NOT DOMINATED BY ANY MALE CHARACTERS. IT'S LIKE THE ROLES OF FEMALE ACTRESSES IN BOLLYWOOD HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME, AS THEY SAY ITS THE 21ST CENTURY, WOMEN ARE EQUAL TO MEN. BUT THIS CHANGE HAS TOTALLY REVOLUTIONIZED BOLLYWOOD.
CASH MAY BE AN AUTHENTIC/ACTION/ADVENTURE MOVIE, BUT BOLLYWOOD FANs WOULD KNOW HOW DRAMATICALLY THE FILM INDUSTRY IS CHANGING. ISIT HOLLYWOOD INFLUENCE OR WHAT?
WELL AS TIME GOES ON INDIA IS MODERNISING, AND SO WILL ITS FILM INDUSTRY. YOU WOULD NOT HAVE SEEN WOMEN BEING EQUAL TO MEN IN BOLLYWOOD BACK IN THE 20TH CENTURY, OH NO YOU WONT, BECAUSE WOMEN WERE KEPT UNDER THE FINGER, THEY WERE RESPECTED FOR BEING SHY/QUITE/INNOCENT AND BEAUTIFUL. BUT IN THE 21ST CENTURY WHAT WE ALL WANT TO SEE IS HOW MODERN THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY IS, BECUASE ALL BOLLY WATCHERS NOW KNOW THAT FILMS GET BETTER AND MODERNER
Why is the subject being represented in this way?
-Shamita Shetty although married (to Ajay Devgan) has a professional job, she is very confident and is not controlled by her Husband.
-Esha Deol, an independant women, who is uncatchable, she is too fast.
-Dia Mirza who also plays a role with her Boyfriend (Sunil Shetty), but Sunil doesnt seem to have any control of her.
ALL FEMALE PROTAGONISTS IN THIS FILM ARE NOT DOMINATED BY ANY MALE CHARACTERS. IT'S LIKE THE ROLES OF FEMALE ACTRESSES IN BOLLYWOOD HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME, AS THEY SAY ITS THE 21ST CENTURY, WOMEN ARE EQUAL TO MEN. BUT THIS CHANGE HAS TOTALLY REVOLUTIONIZED BOLLYWOOD.
CASH MAY BE AN AUTHENTIC/ACTION/ADVENTURE MOVIE, BUT BOLLYWOOD FANs WOULD KNOW HOW DRAMATICALLY THE FILM INDUSTRY IS CHANGING. ISIT HOLLYWOOD INFLUENCE OR WHAT?
WELL AS TIME GOES ON INDIA IS MODERNISING, AND SO WILL ITS FILM INDUSTRY. YOU WOULD NOT HAVE SEEN WOMEN BEING EQUAL TO MEN IN BOLLYWOOD BACK IN THE 20TH CENTURY, OH NO YOU WONT, BECAUSE WOMEN WERE KEPT UNDER THE FINGER, THEY WERE RESPECTED FOR BEING SHY/QUITE/INNOCENT AND BEAUTIFUL. BUT IN THE 21ST CENTURY WHAT WE ALL WANT TO SEE IS HOW MODERN THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY IS, BECUASE ALL BOLLY WATCHERS NOW KNOW THAT FILMS GET BETTER AND MODERNER
Why is the subject being represented in this way?
- Is the representation fair and accurate?
- What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?
According to todays society, the representation of female protagonists are fair, but these 
characters are to be seen under-dressed. The female actresses nowadays are seen as sex symbols, like in CASH>>> 
characters are to be seen under-dressed. The female actresses nowadays are seen as sex symbols, like in CASH>>> 
Media Languages and Forms
- What are the denotative and connotative levels of meaning?
- What is the significance of the text’s connotations?
- What are the non-verbal structures of meaning in the text (e.g. gesture, facial expression, positional communication, clothing, props etc)?
- What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings?
- What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?
- What are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?
- What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?
As a whole, the movie focuses on the action, the stunts and the sophisticated roles. But when it comes to the girls theres' some irony, because Bollywood still hasnt fully morphed to an modern/contemporary film industry- they still follow thier traditional bollywood values.
Well i can say that the Denotative meaning would be that in this movie, the female protagonists are shown as independant role mdoels in the modern indian society. The Connotative meaning can be that they are shown as sex objects, which would be there for the 'male gaze'
The female protagonists are to be seen as sex symbols, due to their roles as well as their get ups 'aka' props. If you look at the pictures above you would see how skimpy their clothing is. This poses the significant connotation of the protagonists.
Throughout the film we see many different facial expressions/gestures. but the main facial expressions are Curious, Oddity and Cunning. Gestures are created so the audience can identify the protagonists feeling.
Cash has many different Mise-en-scenes, but the most obvious one would be the city, where the most of the filming is done. It is set in Cape town, south Africa. The city implies modernism, new technology, high in commerce and culture. With tall structures and life being so busy living in the city, tells us how modern these protagonists are. We are shown how professional each character is in their job. They are clever, hard working and FAST!!! Especially the girls!!!
Well music in films are used to show the themes of the text, however most of the time in Bollwood it's there to convey love n passion. Songs are there for many reasons but whatever the genre, having songs is a must in Bollywood. The music in CASH is there for :
- love/passion (Shamita Shetty & Ajay Devgan)
- Entry roles (Esha Deol)
- Start Credits
- End Credits
Finally there was an "ITEM" song/number in CASH...VDO can be seen on the Side Bar>>>
An Item song refers to highly sexualized songs with racy imagery and suggestive lyrics. The "item number" would feature an "item girl" who appears in the film as a dancer, usually in a bar or nightclub, and was only in the film for the length of that song.
or
to include almost all upbeat dance numbers involving either a woman in skimpy clothing, or a "guest appearance" from a star who is only in the movie for the length of that song. It is a common occurrence for these item numbers to occur in the opening and closing credits of Bollywood films.
Narrative
- How is the narrative organised and structured?
- How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?
- How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created?
- What techniques of identification and alienation are employed?
- What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative?
- What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody?
The movie has a non-linear stucture, this is because the story starts of from the present time, then goes in a flashback, then back in present time, then flashback....this regurgitates several times...finally it comes back to present time and the films ending is shown.
Genre
- To which genre does the text belong?
- What are the major generic conventions within the text?
- What are the major iconographic features of the text?
- What are the major generic themes?
- To what extent are the characters generically determined?
- To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre, or does it treat them playfully or ironically?
- Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?
The Genre of the text is-
Double Cross
Animation
Action
Thriller
Heist
Surfing
Caper
Con Artist
Diamond
Exploding Car
Hang Gliding
Mastermind
The Generic Conventions of this text would be action, some thrill, master mind thinking.
Yes the movie casts all well known characters. Ajay devgan the mastermind, is one of the famous casts in the movie, also Suniel Shetty. These character are known to be in thriller/action/or comedy films. Zayed Khan is known just for Action or thriller.
Media Institutions
- What is the institutional source of the text?
- In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?
- Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text?
- Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?
- How has the text been distributed?
Its Production Company-
Karma Entertainment
Its Distributors-
Adlabs Films Ltd. (2007) (India) (all media)
Adlabs produces movies, distributes, has television sector & cinemas. This means Diversification can be done as they have thier hand in other industries. This tells us how well known and how big they are.
Media Values and Ideology
What criteria have been used for selecting the content presented?
That women are independant, they can do things their way, not in co-ordination of men. Props/clothing is the main criteria which has been used to show this, as well as the characters role.
Media Audiences
- To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience?
- What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text?
- What assumptions about the audience are implicit in the text’s scheduling or positioning?In what conditions is the audience likely to receive the text? Does this impact upon the formal characteristics of the text?
- What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience?
- What are the probable and possible audience readings of the text?
- How do you, as an audience member, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background etc?
Due to a big cast, there would be a mass audience, as the cast was a perfect lot for such movie.
I think this text is a KEY text for Bollywood, because it emphasises the equality we are still underpinning in society. When i saw this movie i felt that there something different about this movie, its ironic because we dont really see films like CASH which show all women as indpendant, so i thought Bollywood is moving away from its women being passive and men being active, but when i see other movies from Bollywood i still see that there is male patriachy, so this made me to look at this issue/study.
Due to my Asian background, we assume the female protagonists being an insult for Bollywood industy for doing these kind of roles, and would be de-moralising the traditional values and norms of the Asian Culture, but because we are now advanced and modernised we accept this happily. But i do feel Bollywood is being held back and it can't open itself freely.
Monday, 17 September 2007
...Introduction...
Yet again i changed my idea...but this time im looking at Bollywood.
Bollywood at the moment is experiencing a massive turnaround !!!
One of the main accusation that Bollywood faced was that "Is Bollywood turning Hollywood" after something you wouldnt usually see; in the Movie DHOOM:2, little as we know a 5-6 sec scene caused such a havoc for Bollywood. In the news, in the papers, it was something that demoralized Bollywood Values.
Im going to look at how the typical Male dominance in Bollywood films are subverting and that Women are to be seen equivalent to men, as we are changing the way we live in society, i.e not live in a Patriacrhal soceity.
Bollywood at the moment is experiencing a massive turnaround !!!
One of the main accusation that Bollywood faced was that "Is Bollywood turning Hollywood" after something you wouldnt usually see; in the Movie DHOOM:2, little as we know a 5-6 sec scene caused such a havoc for Bollywood. In the news, in the papers, it was something that demoralized Bollywood Values.
Im going to look at how the typical Male dominance in Bollywood films are subverting and that Women are to be seen equivalent to men, as we are changing the way we live in society, i.e not live in a Patriacrhal soceity.
'Quote' Translated from Hindi movie- MASTI (2004)
"You lot are 21st century Women, and you are crying as if you are medieval women"
Im going to look at this topic with a close referance with the Film CASH (Hindi,2007) I will be comparing old Bollywood movies to recent ones. I may also look at Hollywood as they also produce movies which show how this male patriarchy is changing, such as in Tomb Raider. However Bollywood is changing and has moved on from having shy/naive/inncoent female protagonists to developing independant role models.
I believe my study will show that the typical patriarchy in bollywood films are changing, and that women are becoming the breadwinners. In relation to Laura Mulvey’s theory, women would still be the subject of the "male gaze" but they will not be in the control of men as it was before.
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