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Reel Versus Real: Innterracial Relationships

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Reel Versus Real: Innterracial Relationships REEL VERSUS REAL: INNTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORA by Kasima Jennet Ali A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL December 2017 Copyright 2017 by Kasima Jennet Ali ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to my committee members for all of their wonderful guidance, patience and support during the process of producing this manuscript. I truly appreciate my thesis chair, Dr. Susan Reilly, for her steadfast belief in my ability to accomplish this achievement. I am grateful to my committee members Dr. Nanetta Durnell-Uwechue and Dr. Deandre Poole for their transparency, interest and advice about this project. I would also like to thank my family for being there whenever I needed them and for being so endlessly loving and encouraging. This would not have been possible without the support of my family, friends, and professors. iv ABSTRACT Author: Kasima Jennet Ali Title: Reel versus Real: Interracial Relationships within the South Asian Diaspora Thesis Advisor: Dr. Susan Reilly Degree: Master of Arts Year: 2017 This study analyzes the reactions of interracial relationships within the South Asian Diaspora via film and literature focused on the United States and England. The films examined are Mississippi Masala (1992) and Bend It Like Beckham (2002), and the literature-utilized focuses on cultural identity, interracial dating, the importance of marriage, the Indian community, and gender roles focused on women within the diaspora. The films used encourage the idea of interracial relationships as acceptable and give South Asian women the confidence to be more independent. The intention of this research is to analyze the importance of cultural blending, independence, heritage, and traditional values. The focus behind this research is to understand the battle of traditional versus modern roles for women in the South Asian diaspora, and how independence can be viewed as a form of dishonoring and humiliating their families when they step outside of the cultural box. v REEL VERSUS REAL: INTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORA FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 Question/Research .......................................................................................................... 4 Literature Review ........................................................................................................... 5 MISSISSIPPI MASALA (1992) ....................................................................................... 13 Kinnu and Mina ............................................................................................................ 18 Jay and Mina ................................................................................................................. 20 Anil and Mina ............................................................................................................... 23 Harry and Mina ............................................................................................................. 26 Alicia and Mina ............................................................................................................ 27 Demetrius and Mina ...................................................................................................... 28 BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (2002) ................................................................................ 31 Sukhi and Jess ............................................................................................................... 35 Mohaan and Jess ........................................................................................................... 39 Pinky and Jess ............................................................................................................... 42 Tony and Jess ................................................................................................................ 46 Jules and Jess ................................................................................................................ 51 Joe and Jess ................................................................................................................... 57 vi DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................... 63 Parents ........................................................................................................................... 65 Siblings ......................................................................................................................... 68 Mina and Jess ................................................................................................................ 70 Boyfriends ..................................................................................................................... 73 Friends .......................................................................................................................... 75 Competitors ................................................................................................................... 76 Parental Struggle ........................................................................................................... 77 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 80 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 93 vii FIGURES Figure 1 Mississippi Masala Character Relationships Analyzed in Conjunction with the Protagonist ............................................................................................................ 17 Figure 2 Bend it like Beckham Character Relationships Analyzed in Conjunction with the Protagonist .................................................................................................... 34 Figure 3 Mississippi Masala Character Connection Chart ............................................... 64 Figure 4 Bend it like Beckham Character Connection Chart ........................................... 64 viii INTRODUCTION North America, specifically the United States of America is commonly known a culturally diverse country. For many ethnic groups, fusing with what is known, as mainstream culture is acceptable, however, that is not the case for all families. Many of these children growing up in the U.S. feel the need to uphold their parents’ traditional values and because of this they are stuck between the want to be like their peers and the neccessity to please their parents. Due to this predicament, the situation can become critical when it comes to dating and marriage. This subject is of interest to me because I am an Asian Indian- American woman. I was born in the United States, but my parents came from Trinidad, and generations before them came from India. Currently, my family lives in the United States. Growing up, I have always known about the Trinidadian culture and I have also traveled there, however, I have not experienced the Indian culture directly. Nevertheless, I am able to connect with the dreams and aspirations of young female characters within Bollywood films. Typically, the female protagonists or heroines of older Bollywood movies, young Indian girls, are expected to be sheltered by their families. In slightly modern, but still older films, the girls go to school, and dream about the future that awaits them, the future that they will create for themselves. But once they are married, that puts an end to their plans, unless they wanted to be a housewife. Many marry for the sake of their families, because it is appropriate for the family to think about the kind of in-laws 1 that they want. Because of this, women are trained from a young age with the mentality that it is of utmost importance to live to please their family members and their in-laws. Unfortunately, if they decide to branch out and stray from the path laid out for them by attempting to live for themselves and going on a new adventure in hopes of finding true love, then they are faced with the backlash from their families and communities. There is the constant threat of dishonoring and humiliating the family in the eyes of society. Fortunately, I am able to recognize my own family’s cultural heritage through Bollywood movies, and unlike these film heroines, my family has always encouraged me to get a proper education and pursue a career of my own choice. The issue of identity is very important to me, because I am a Trinidadian Indian- American woman. The identity of Asian Indian-American women is extremely interesting because although women may seem somewhat restricted by their traditional culture, within the American culture they seem to be free and independent. Does this occur because we try to blend our cultural heritage into the freedom we are given? Is this an actual possibility? How does our cultural heritage affect our forms of expression as well as their demeanor? Are we free to choose what we can wear? Do t women like me, feel attracted to people of varying cultural backgrounds? Are we allowed to even think that we can? Can we control
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