Mar 9, 2005
Bollywood Asia
If"India" as a geographically constitued entity was a colonial construction,"South Asia" is a post-colonial one. With the recent thawing of relationship between India and Pakistan, there is a lot of talk about the EU-ization of South Asia. Removal of trade and travel barriers across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal is not the only incentive for such daydreams. Just as important to those advocating such steps is the"unity" of a cultural and civilizational India that existed before nationalisms [and colonialism] created boundaries.
Ashis Nandy has a piece in the Times of India, Imagined Homeland: South Asia as Civilisation as against Nation State, that is worth peeking at. His basic argument is that"South Asia" is an empty geographical construction of the 70s and 80s that emerged because"India" was taken over by the Indian nation-state. The insecurities of regional nationalisms has"allowed the Indian state to hijack the right to the Indic civilisation, forcing other states in the region to seek new bases for their political cultures and disown crucial aspects of their cultural selves." This, Nandy writes, has given Islam to Pakistan, Hinduism to India and Buddhism to Srilanka.
But, the"empty" category of South Asia is being filled by low[brow] cultural producers of knowledge: the Bollywood cinema. The cinema imagines a post-national reality wherein Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshi can imagine an inclusive space free from the"jingoistic politicians".
Nandy should watch more movies. It seems odd to disassociate Bollywood from the state appartus since cinema relies so heavily on the state for its very existence. It also seems naive to imagine that Bollywood can produce narratives in stark contradiction to the national ones. Right now, there are many movies proclaiming the unity of Indian and Pakistani people, such as the recent Veer Zaara. But the same Bollywood cinema fanned the flames of jingoism during the"heat" of 1998-2002. Movies like Indian and Mission Kashmir cannot possibly have fermented any" cross-national trust". Or see the plight of Meera - the Pakistani actress who smooched on-screen in India and invited death threats in Pakistan. I can see the appeal of a Bollywood culture that unites the inhabitants of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. I can alse see how deeply quixotic such a sentiment is.
Still, Nandy's hope of cross-national exchanges is a laudable one. With the Pakistani cricket team currently visiting India, there is bound to be a great level of enthusiasm and participation in the idea of"South Asia".
Ashis Nandy has a piece in the Times of India, Imagined Homeland: South Asia as Civilisation as against Nation State, that is worth peeking at. His basic argument is that"South Asia" is an empty geographical construction of the 70s and 80s that emerged because"India" was taken over by the Indian nation-state. The insecurities of regional nationalisms has"allowed the Indian state to hijack the right to the Indic civilisation, forcing other states in the region to seek new bases for their political cultures and disown crucial aspects of their cultural selves." This, Nandy writes, has given Islam to Pakistan, Hinduism to India and Buddhism to Srilanka.
But, the"empty" category of South Asia is being filled by low[brow] cultural producers of knowledge: the Bollywood cinema. The cinema imagines a post-national reality wherein Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshi can imagine an inclusive space free from the"jingoistic politicians".
Nandy should watch more movies. It seems odd to disassociate Bollywood from the state appartus since cinema relies so heavily on the state for its very existence. It also seems naive to imagine that Bollywood can produce narratives in stark contradiction to the national ones. Right now, there are many movies proclaiming the unity of Indian and Pakistani people, such as the recent Veer Zaara. But the same Bollywood cinema fanned the flames of jingoism during the"heat" of 1998-2002. Movies like Indian and Mission Kashmir cannot possibly have fermented any" cross-national trust". Or see the plight of Meera - the Pakistani actress who smooched on-screen in India and invited death threats in Pakistan. I can see the appeal of a Bollywood culture that unites the inhabitants of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. I can alse see how deeply quixotic such a sentiment is.
Still, Nandy's hope of cross-national exchanges is a laudable one. With the Pakistani cricket team currently visiting India, there is bound to be a great level of enthusiasm and participation in the idea of"South Asia".