Deconstruction of Symbols of Reality in Hindi Cinema: A Study on Calendar Girls and Haider

HARINATH KUMAR & GOVIND JI PANDEY
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, India

Abstract
Hindi cinema has always been a better citation for Indian culture. Now it is an accepted proof for the changing scenarios of modern India. The cinema has shaped and portrayed Indian culture to the extent that the sixth art forms could ever achieve. Hindi cinema has a great influence on common man who sees the different symbols of daily life and culture constructed by cinema as real things present in their day-to-day life. Cinema does not only construct the symbols but also deconstruct it. The present research aims to trace and analyze the construction and deconstruction of different social, economic, and psychological symbols created over a period of time through many block buster films. To check this changing perspective of cinema for the society, two films namely ‘Calendar Girls’ and ‘Haider’ discussed in this paper. The focus of the study is on understanding the portrayal of women in Calendar Girls and terrorism in Haider. Keywords: Deconstruction, representation, reality, symbols, Hindi cinema

Keywords: Deconstruction, representation, reality, symbols, Hindi cinema

References

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Filmography
1-Ahir, S. (Producer), Bhandarkar, M. (Writer), & Bhandarkar, M. (Director). (2014). Calendar Girls [Motion Picture]. India: Hi-5 Entertainments LLP.
Basu, S. (n.d.). An introduction to theory of representation. Retrieved from epgpathshala: http://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/ahl.php?csrno=456
Chatterjee, S. (2015, September 25). NDTV MOVIES. Retrieved June 28, 2016, from www.movies.ndtv.com: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie-reviews/calendar-girls-movie-review-1178
Das, S. M. (2015, September 25). Times of India. Retrieved June 28, 2016, from www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/Calendar-Girls/movie-review/49104811.cms?tabtype=spoiler
Derrida, J. (1981). Positions. (A. Bass, Trans.) London: Athlone Press.
Derrida, J. (1981). Positions. London: Athlone Press.
Derrida, J. (1991). Letter to a Japanese Friend. (P. Kamuf, Ed., & D. W. Benjamin, Trans.)
Dwyer, R. (2014). Bollywood’s India: Hindi Cinema as a Guide to Contemporary India. London: Reaktion Books Ltd.
Gupta, S. (2015, September 26). Indain Express. Retrieved June 28, 2016, from www.indianexpress.com: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/calendar-girls-movie-review/
Ibáñez, G., & García Rueda, J. (n.d.). Deconstructing films: New ways to teach cinema using hypermedia tools. Madriad, Spain: Carlos III University of Madriad.
Kaushal, S. (2014, October 5). hindustantimes. Retrieved June 2016, from hindiustantimes.com: http://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/movie-review-haider-is-a-rare-bollywood-gem-you-shouldn-t-miss/story-O4Q9jluqYxj0ixIA35CyAM.html
Laird, J. (1942, July). Reality. Mind, LI(203), 244-258.
Modak, P., & Roy, S. (2016). Studying Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider : A Third World Reading of Shakespeare’s Magnum opus. Daath Voyage: An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in English, 1(Special issue), 159. Retrieved June 2016, from www.daathvoyagejournal.com
Mumbai Mirror. (2015, September 25). Retrieved June 28, 2016, from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/Calendar-Girls/movie-review/49104811.cms?tabtype=spoiler
Pandey, V. (2014, October 7). BBC. Retrieved June 2016, from BBC news: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-29502393
Parciack, R. (2016). Popular Hindi Cinema: Aesthetic formations of the seen and unseen. Routledge.
Paul, S. (2015, September 9). MapsofIndia. Retrieved June 12, 2017, from http://www.mapsofindia.com: http://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/history/history-of-indian-cinema
Pillai, P. (2015, September 24). Indian Express. Retrieved June 28, 2016, from www.indianexpress.com: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/madhur-bhandarkar-how-not-to-make-women-centric-films/
Reynolds, J. (n.d.). Internet Encyclopedia of philosophy. Retrieved June 23, 2016, from www.iep.utm.edu: http://www.iep.utm.edu/derrida/
Royle, N. (n.d.). What is Deconstruction?
Vishal Bhardwaj, S. R. (Producer), & Bhardwaj, V. (Director). (2014). Haider [Motion Picture]. India.
Wikipedia. (2016, June 9). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 23, 2016, from www.wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperreality
Wright, N. S. (2009). Bollywood Eclipsed: The Postmodern Aesthetics, Scholarly Appeal and Remaking of Contemporary Popular Indian Cinema. University of Sussex.

Harinath Kumar is a reseach scholar at the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India. His research interest is in Film studies and media research.
Prof. Govind Ji Pandey is a professor at Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India. His research interest is in Film studies and electronic media.