Abstract
Kashmir is a bone of contention and flash point between India and Pakistan. It is a domestic and foreign policy matter for India on which Indian filmmakers have produced films as well. As Indian cinema has evolved into a gigantic and impactful industry, it is quite significant to know how Bollywood presented this longstanding issue to its huge audience. In this paper, transition in Indian perspective is explored through content analysis of total nine Bollywood films released from 1992 to 2015 in the post1989 scenario of Kashmiris’ resistance. In these selected films, portrayal of Kashmiri, Pakistani and Indian characters and treatment of Kashmir issue are studied. Results reveal that portrayal of characters is one dimensional and dominant with one positive or negative characteristic. But, a weak and irregular transition in Indian perspective about Kashmir issue is observed. In earlier films, resistance of Kashmiri people was merely depicted as terrorism but in later movies sufferings of Kashmiri people are also shown.
Keyword(s)
Exploring Transition, Indian Perspective, Kashmir Issue, Mainstream Cinema