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INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type o f computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afreet reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. 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KATHAK IN HINDI FILMS by Lori Clark submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Performing Arts Chair: Naima Prevots Valerie Morris ActingJDean of the College (i -XOcA-rru M?- Date • 1997 American University Washington, D.C. 20016 f g | iHBBICiJI UVHXBSITY LIBRAS? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1387019 Copyright 1998 by Clark, Lori All rights reserved. UMI Microform 1387019 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. KATHAK IN HINDI FILMS BY Lori Clark ABSTRACT This thesis describes the use and importance of Kathak, North Indian classical dance, in commercial Hindi films. There is little information available on or analysis of dance in Hindi films, although it is an integral part of every commercial film. No other thesis has been written on the topic. This thesis establishes dance-related film genres and supplies relevant historical data. The influence of dance on women’s role in film is also discussed. An appendix including film synopses, song and dance descriptions, and other relevant details is included as an aid to the reader. The research is based on primary source materials, particularly the author’s interviews of film personalities and film viewing. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Francine Berkowitz of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., and Pradeep Mahendiratta of the American Institute of Indian studies, New Delhi, for the generous grant that allowed Cristel Stevens and me to successfully complete our respective research projects. Cristel and I have been working on these subjects both together and independently for a very long time, and I would like to thank her for being my Didi. I want to thank all the people from the film industry who were so generous, accommodating, and respectful during my stay in India this past summer (1996), especially Shashi Kapoor, Moon Moon Sen, Amitabh Bachchan, and Boney Kapoor. I would also like to thank my professor, Naima Prevots, for her support, patience, and advice with not only this project, but with all of them over the years. I want to thank my husband Abdulrahman(S), a true hero, for bravely watching Hindi films with me. He said it was torture, but I know that he really loved it and will continue to enjoy many Hindi films with me in the future. After all, they never end. I would like to thank Anju for faithfully keeping me abreast of happenings in India and for her undying friendship. I want to thank another friend, Veronique, for checking on me every morning and every night, and for always being there. Thank you Maria for suffering through several Hindi films for me. I am also indebted to my Guru, Bansi Lai, iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. for teaching me Kathak dance for so many years. I owe a great debt of gratitude to my friend Shahnaz for her patience during grueling hours of editing. Without her help and encouragement, this thesis might not have been completed. Thank you! Most importantly, I must thank my parents for bringing me into this incarnation so that I could complete this work. I could not have done it alone and neither could they. My father accompanied me to watch my first Hindi film, Milan, (incidentally, a film with a reincarnation theme), when I was a teenager and valiantly sat through all three hours worth -- no subtitles -- and even re-enacted portions of the film at home. He accompanied me to a concert of Hindi film stars and brought me to Hindu temples so that I could dance Kathak — all this from a man who worked for J. Edgar Hoover. For this, I am sure that I owe some sort of karmic debt that I will repay in my next life. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This thesis explores the way in which Kathak, North Indian classical dance, is used and how it influences dance in commercial Hindi films. India's film industry is the largest in the world, producing over 800 films a year in various Indian languages. The number of films made in Hindi surpasses the number of films made in any other single Indian language, and these films are popular worldwide. Hindi films are the main form of popular entertainment throughout India, and film culture pervades important aspects of everyday life. Major cities are littered with colorful, larger-than-life film billboards that promise the populace a temporary escape from life's tribulations. The three-hour-long Hindi film extravaganzas are full o f melodrama, fantasy, comedy, tragedy, romance, and, most importantly, song and dance. These films are often unduly criticized by intellectuals for their shallowness and for promoting denigrating images of women, especially through their suggestive song and dance numbers. This thesis is the only study devoted exclusively to the subject of Kathak in Hindi films. Because of the lack of written material on film dance, the author has drawn extensively from primary source material, including films and interviews conducted 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 during the summer o f 1996 through a grant horn the Smithsonian Institution and American Institute for Indian studies. The author has also drawn on her own observations and experiences from living in India as a student o f Kathak dance and Hindi language, as well as from many years of avid Hindi film viewing. The recent literature published on Indian cinema has been useful and informative. The second chapter discusses India's ancient theatrical tradition, the importance of music and dance to that tradition, and how Indian classical dance is related to and perhaps bom of Indian classical and folk theatre. There is also analysis o f Hindi film, as a logical extension of India's long-standing theatrical conventions that include music and dance as part of drama. The third chapter describes the phenomenon of the Hindi film and its importance in Indian society, highlighting some of the debates that surround it. The fourth chapter describes the linguistic development of the subcontinent, the dominance of North Indian culture and the conflict that has arisen from this in the context of film and dance. Chapter five defines Hindi film genres as analyzed by the author for this study and the relationship of dance and music to these genres. Chapter six explores the role of women and dance in Hindi films. The history of women's participation in film, the actress as courtesan, and the roles they play on screen and real-life are discussed with regard to Indian society's complex perception of women. An analysis of Kathak dance's history and technique is given in chapter seven to aid the reader in understanding its use in film. Chapter eight discusses the influence of Kathak on the various styles of dance Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 commonly employed in Hindi films. Chapter nine discusses the use o f Kathak dance in Hindi films. An appendix of individual film analyses is provided as a reference to the reader and as a guide for further study. The films in the appendix were selected based upon popularity, dance content, and availability. The selection is meant to give a cross-section o f genres, stars, directors, and other artists. However, given the vast numbers of Hindi films made, it was necessary to limit the list and the author regrets any omissions. Not every film cited in the text is included in the appendix.