Body, masculinity and the male hero in Hindi cinema

The male body in the Hindi cinema much like its female counterpart, is malleable and ductile, amenable to the hegemonic concerns. The article posits that Hindi cinema has normatively presented idealized male bodies which are symbolically aligned with the changing aspirations of the nation: enervated...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSocial semiotics Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 225 - 253
Main Author Mubarki, Meraj Ahmed
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 14.03.2020
Taylor & Francis LLC
Subjects
Bombay cinema
Colonialism
Hegemony
Hindi cinema
Human body
male body
male hero
Males
Masculinity
Motion pictures
Socialism
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Summary:The male body in the Hindi cinema much like its female counterpart, is malleable and ductile, amenable to the hegemonic concerns. The article posits that Hindi cinema has normatively presented idealized male bodies which are symbolically aligned with the changing aspirations of the nation: enervated, lean male bodies as stark reminder of the Mahatma Gandhi's idealized body in the colonial era; well-fed bodies raised on the "promise of socialist plenty" of the Nehruvian era; bulky, muscular bodies as shaped and demanded by the discourse of Hindutva.
ISSN:1035-0330
1470-1219
DOI:10.1080/10350330.2018.1547497