Postcolonial studies and bollywood

Helloo my dear readers...

In this blog I would like to talk about one movement Postcolonialism. And one intresting thing is that I would like to see this term in different way means in this blog we should see postcolonial in bollywood.

So let's start...

Watching movies for entertainment and watching movies for study purposes is a very different task. Because the way we are watching it indicates our thinking ability to see any particular matter. So in this blog I'm going to discuss postcolonialism in two Bollywood movies. The first is "Lagaan" and the second is "Rang De Basanti". So let's discuss about it. 

Before understand postcolonialism in movie we have to clear our concept of what postcolonialism is?

Firstly We talk about this movement :-

Postcolonialism:-

Postcolonialism is the historical period or state of affairs representing the aftermath of Western colonialism; the term can also be used to describe the concurrent project to reclaim and rethink the history and agency of people subordinated under various forms of imperialism. Postcolonialism signals a possible future of overcoming colonialism, yet new forms of domination or subordination can come in the wake of such changes, including new forms of global empire. Postcolonialism should not be confused with the claim that the world we live in now is actually devoid of colonialism.

"Postcolonialism... involves a studied engagement with the experience of colonialism and its past and present effects"

So let's have a look at Postcolonial elements in both movies. 

1) Lagaan

2)Rang de Basanti

1) Lagaan:-

Lagaan (transl. Agricultural tax), released internationally as Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language epic musical sports film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, and produced by and starring Aamir Khan, along with debutant Gracy Singh and British actors Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in supporting roles. Made on a then-unprecedented budget of ₹250 million[2] (US$5.32 million),[3] the movie was the maiden project from Aamir Khan Productions and was shot in villages near Bhuj.

The film is set in 1893, during the late Victorian period of India's colonial British Raj. The story revolves around a small village in Central India, whose inhabitants, burdened by high taxes, and several years of drought, find themselves in an extraordinary situation as an arrogant British army officer challenges them to a game of cricket, as a wager to avoid paying the taxes they owe. The narrative spins around this situation as the villagers face the arduous task of learning a game that is alien to them and playing for a result that will change their village's destiny.

Lagaan released on 15 June 2001, clashing with Gadar: Ek Prem Katha starring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel. Lagaan received widespread critical acclaim and awards at international film festivals, as well as many Indian film awards. It became the third Indian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film after Mother India (1957) and Salaam Bombay! (1988).

Postcolonial study of the film :-

In this above picture  we can see that the people are growing seeds in their farm, with their hard work and the benefits taken by the King and British people. They have to give them Lagaan. It shows how British people are plundering them. 

Here we can say that indian king meet Elizabeth and speck with him in Hindi but she can not understand hindi language.here we can say that they British people most of don't know our language but our people speak English very well. This language is the also a part of postcolonialism.

In this movie we can say that British officer put a one deal with king and said if they eat meat Than he talk with other king to less a text. But king said that

" I cannot betray my religion for my duty." 

Here we can see that how British people try to control indian people.

In the movie we can see that white people have their own way of looking at Indian people. They think that we are only their servants. We were born to be slaves. As well as Indian people have their own way of looking at lower caste people. The upper class people think that they are our servants. They are untouchables. So this conflict is seen in the movie. 

The other thing which is pivotal is the character of Lakha and the character of Elizabeth. We can think that we all are good and all Britishers are bad. But it is not so, because there are some good people and things in Britishers and there are bad people and things in Indians also. Like Lakha, he helped the Britishers because he was jealous of Bhuvan.

2) Rang de Basanti:-

The film follows a British film student traveling to India to document the story of five freedom fighters of the Indian revolutionary movement. She befriends and casts five young men in the film, which inspires them to fight against the corruption of their own government. It features an ensemble cast consisting of Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Atul Kulkarni, Soha Ali Khan, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor and British actress Alice Patten. The film was shot primarily in New Delhi.

The film was released globally on 26 January 2006, the Republic Day of India. Upon release, the film broke all opening box office records in India, becoming the country's highest-grossing film in its opening weekend and holding the highest opening-day collections for a Bollywood film. It received critical acclaim, winning the National Film Award for Best Popular Film, and being nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2007 BAFTA Awards. Rang De Basanti was chosen as India's official entry for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category, though it did not ultimately yield a nomination for either award. A. R. Rahman's soundtrack, which earned positive reviews, had two of its tracks considered for an Academy Award nomination. In India, Rang De Basanti won Best Movie at the Filmfare Awards.

Postcolonial study of the film :-

when Sue has come to India, at the airport all taxi drivers encircle her with excitement. It shows Indian mindset and impact toward white people. If we go out of country that we find that they don't behave like this. This call postcolonialism.

Violence and separation of power is shown in the movie as a postcolonial element. In our country out political situation is very bad. All are currepted people and in movie we can see that when ajay died in plane crush that government blame him infact of accept their mistake. This is shown our government's decision.

in this movie we cann see that When the students are shot at a radio station. The authorities proved them as terrorists ! They said that they are the terrorists and they were shot now the public are safe. But we know the real story, that they are not terrorists, they are true students. Even they want to awaken all people to what is going wrong with all people. But they choose a path of violence. 

 One is that Specking style and sense of sue is amazing.

when Sue speaks Hindi, DJ is shocked, because he thinks that white people can not speak and understand Hindi. This is a single story in our mind also. We think the white people can not speak our language. 

The education topic is also a pivotal element of postcolonialism here. Karan's father wants Karan to study in foreign. This is our mindset that foreign countries have the best education systems. It is quite true also, but India also has the best education system also.

Thank you...

Sunday Reding:- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Helloo readers...

This blog is the part of my thinking activity in classroom. In this blog I would like to talk about the famous Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. And ponder some points and gave my rivew on that.

Let's throw some light on her Life.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:-

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, (born September 15, 1977, Enugu, Nigeria), Nigerian author whose work drew extensively on the Biafran war in Nigeria during the late 1960s.

In 1998 Adichie’s play For Love of Biafra was published in Nigeria. She later dismissed it as “an awfully melodramatic play,” but it was among the earliest works in which she explored the war in the late 1960s between Nigeria and its secessionist Biafra republic. She later wrote several short stories about that conflict, which would become the subject of her highly successful novel Half of a Yellow Sun (2006). As a student at Eastern Connecticut State University, she began writing her first novel, Purple Hibiscus (2003). Set in Nigeria, it is the coming-of-age story of Kambili, a 15-year-old whose family is wealthy and well respected but who is terrorized by her fanatically religious father. Purple Hibiscus garnered the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize in 2005 for Best First Book (Africa) and that year’s Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book (overall). It was also short-listed for the 2004 Orange Prize (later called the Orange Broadband Prize and now the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction).

Adichie’s nonfiction included We Should All Be Feminists (2014), an essay adapted from a speech she gave at a TEDx talk in 2012; parts of the speech were also featured in Beyoncé’s song “Flawless” (2013). Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions was published in 2017. Following the death of her father, Adichie wrote Notes on Grief (2021), in which she mourned his passing and celebrated his life.

1. Did the first talk help you in understanding of postcolonialism?

Yes, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's first talk helped use In understanding postmodernism. In her talk we can easily find the aspects of postcolonial criticism. Adichie's talk is about how Americans consider African people. In her talk we came to know about four critical aspects.

She talks about Cross-cultural interaction.

1)Identity 

2)Language

3)Hybridity and lots of things. 

In this video she talks about the power which narrates the story and condition also the mind of people. she says that single story will create a archetype and archetypes are dangerous because they are incomplete.

However, she says that when we reject a single story when we realized that there is not a single story but we regain a kind of paradise.

2. Are the arguments in the seconds talk convincing?

Yes the arguments in this video whatever she takes his concerning. In this video she talks about feminism. She mentioned one incident from one hotel. She walking alone in and one waiter consider her as sex worker. She felt angry. Then she talked about in Nigeria how women were treated. She talked a lot about how men were superior and women considered inferior.

Meanwhile, she differs one quote By Simone De Beauvoir '' one is not born rather becomes a woman''. she says that gender differential is worst things.

3. What did you like about the third talk?

The third talk I like the most is her satire on one lady who pronounced her name incorrectly. 

A few years ago, I spoke at an event in London. The English woman who was to introduce me had written my name phonetically on a piece of paper. And backstage she held on tightly to this paper while repeating the pronunciation over and over. I could tell, she was very eager to get it right.

And then she went on to the stage and gave a lovely introduction and ended with the words “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Chimichanga.”

I told — I told this story at a dinner party shortly afterwards. And one of the guests seemed very annoyed that I was laughing about it. “That was so insulting”, he said, “that English woman could have tried harder.”

But the truth is she did try very hard. In fact, she ended up calling me a fried burrito because she had tried very hard and then ended up with an utterly human mistake that was the result of anxiety.

4. Are these talks bringing any significant change in your way of looking at literature and life ?

Yes,these talks bring changes in my way of looking at literature. its Change my view that I always believe that literature is always for reading and listening but after hearing this lady it's change my mind toward the literature. If we look around us than literature is everywhere.

Thank you...

Thinking activity:-Shashi Tharoor: Dark Era and Reparation From British Raj

Hello readers...

This is the blog of my thinking activity in classroom. In this blog I would like to ponder some points which is given by our professor Dilip sir and try to gave my interpretation. 

In this blog I would like to talk about the famous writer Shashi Tharoor and his famous work"An Era off Darkness".

Click here to more information about the task.

Firstly we throw some light on writer:-

Shashi Tharoor:-

Shashi Tharoor he was born 9 March 1956.He is an Indian politician, writer and a former career international diplomat who is currently serving as Member of Parliament, LokSabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009.At the age of 22, he was the youngest person at the time to receive such an honor from the Fletcher School. 

                   Tharoor began his political career by joining the Indian National Congress and successfully represented the party from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala by winning in the Lok Sabha elections and becoming a Member of Parliament. Tharoor is an acclaimed writer, having authored 18 bestselling works of fiction and non-fiction since 1981, which are centered on India and its history, culture, film, politics, society, foreign policy, and more related themes.

               The UK edition rose to Number 1 in the London Evening Standard bestseller lists. Since then, he has published two other non-fiction books: Why I Am A Hindu (2018) and The Paradoxical Prime Minister (2018), both of which have been published in the Indian subcontinent by Aleph Book Company.

key arguments in Shashi Tharoor's book - An Era of Darkness:-

  In the his work " An Era of Darkness " Shashi Tharoor mostly doing arguments to established about British colonial rites whose violence experience for Indian society.

Here we can see that most off the his work represented on British exploitation of India so that he carried the day for Tharoor in an Oxford debate not too long ago.

He know about the Indian people and society.Thus he explain very well about the situation.

           In Tharoor an era of darkness for India which suffered through wars, made man famines,racism,deportation..etc. 

So here Tharoor's debate became popular.

 We very well know that British government everything was doing for increased own wealth from India but they gave us new more things.He try to explain this idea by his view.

He also famous as a for debate.

Write critique on both the films with reference to postcolonial insights.

The black Prince:-

The Black Prince is a 2017 international historical drama film directed by Kavi Raz and featuring the acting debut of Satinder Sartaaj. It tells the story of Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire and the Punjab area, and his relationship with Queen Victoria.

The Black Prince is an emotional drama based on the true story of the last king of Punjab, Maharajah Duleep Singh, starring musician and poet, Satinder Sartaaj. ... Amidst political turmoil at the height of the British Empire, Duleep Singh was sent to Britain, where Queen Victoria took him under her wing.

 We learn one thing is that the oppressed will always come to a point when they will rise against oppression and their voices will be heard. I think this film offers that perspective, that the right voice needs to be heard.

Victoria and Abdul:-

The movie is based on a true story about Queen Victoria that wasn't even told until 2010, when journalist Shrabani Basu published “Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant.” Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) is lonely, sad and tired.He teaches the empress of India about the Koran and instructs her in Urdu, and the two become close. Upon Victoria’s death in 1901, a group of royals evict Abdul and his family from their house on the grounds of Windsor Castle, burn letters from the queen and set about erasing Abdul from existence.

Erasure is a grievous sin, and shedding light on stories that have long been in darkness is at least a partial atonement. “Victoria & Abdul” not only sheds light on the long-forgotten relationship, it bathes it in a loving, golden glow that shimmers with nothing but warmth and kindness.

In this both movie we find postcolonial insights.

Summarise Ngugi Wa Thiongo's views in 'Introduction: Towards the Universal Language of Struggle' - from 'Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature'.

Colonize and Decolonization the Mind is a collection of essays about language and its constructive role in national culture, history, and identity. The book, which advocates for linguistic decolonization, is one of Ngũgĩ’s best-known and most-cited non-fiction publications, helping to cement him as a pre-eminent voice theorizing the “language debate” in post-colonial studies.By his view we can try to understand about the colonize person.

     In other idea about it we can see in African society struggle a lot for liberate their economy, politics and culture. We know that Africa still living as obviously economic and political despite. In Africa mostly people speak in English, french, Portuguese.This is a very useful for better understanding.

Thank you...