Promising Practices Teaching India with Popular Feature Films A Guide for High School and College Teachers Gowri Parameswaran Introduction organized to fight for their independence ladder by instituting the quota system in and they finally succeeded in 1947. higher education and government positions. Popular films tell us a lot about the Before the British left, they divided However, life for most Shudras and Dalits culture where they are seen and enjoyed the sub-continent into two nations, ac- (the untouchables) is still oppressive. even though they may not reflect “reality” ceding to some Muslim demands for their in the way that academics may want to own country by creating Pakistan. Since The Arts portray a country. Popular films get at the its independence India has burgeoned into deepest longings and fears of their viewer- The Indian subcontinent has a rich the second most populous country and the tradition of both the fine and perform- ship and their biggest hopes for the future. largest democracy on earth. Teaching India through popular films ing arts. There have been a number of influences on Indian sculpture, painting, is particularly important because that Cultural Information country is the largest producer of films in architecture, dance, drama, and writing. the world and claims some of the largest India is an extremely diverse country Some of the earliest and most profound markets for films. with a high degree of cultural continuity as influences have been Buddhist. The char- This article lists and describes some well as syncretism. The Indian constitution acteristic Buddhist rock-cut sculptures popular feature films that teachers can recognizes 22 Indian languages and there were later imitated by Hindus and Jains. use to talk about India and their general are over 1600 dialects spoken by people in In the south, mural paintings by the Chola themes. All of the films are quite appropri- India. Hindi is spoken by a larger propor- and the Chera kings survive. ate for a high school or higher education tion of the population than the other lan- The various musical styles of India audience, and all but one of them been guages, while Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, have often borrowed from each other. made in India by Indian directors. and Telugu are all considered classical Classical Indian music can be broadly languages. categorized into the northern Hindusthani A Short Introduction to India Indian food is characterized by its and the southern Carnatic styles. There complicated use of many spices that vary are innumerable folk styles of music that India is the second most populous regionally. Rice is eaten in the south while have become popular with music compos- country on earth and is the world’s largest wheat is the staple in the north. Pulses ers in the film industry. democracy. Its written history spans many and vegetable protein are the predominant Indian dancing has a very long history thousands of years from the Indus Valley source of protein in the diet and dairy prod- with many different styles dominating in Civilization, of which the earliest evidence ucts, especially in the form of yogurt (or different regions of the country. During dates back 9,000 years. All of the world’s curds), are an integral part of most meals. the British rule, public dancing was pro- major religions are represented in India, hibited and there was a significant decline with Hinduism being the most prominent. Caste in the performance of Indian dances. Since The other significant organized religions The Indian caste system has played India’s independence, the government has include Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, a dominant role in community life, not encouraged the development of both folk Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and Sikhism. just among Hindus but also among and classical dancing styles, with eight The various dynasties that have ruled members of other religions. Caste is an styles being designated as classical. These large regions in India include the Mau- important consideration when marriages are: Bharatnatyam (Tamilnadu), Odissi ryas and the Guptas in the north and the are arranged and during communal cel- (Orissa), Kathak (North India with Mu- Chalukyas, Cholas, and the Vijaynagar ebrations. Historically, the major castes ghal influences), Kathakali (Kerala), Mo- empires in the south. Later, the Mughal across the subcontinent have included hiniattam (Kerala), Kuchipudi (Andhra), rulers from central Asia conquered much the Brahmins (priests and teachers), the Manipuri (Manipur) and Sathriya (As- of India, followed by the British Empire. Kshatriyas (warriors and kings), Vaishyas sam). Besides these, there are a multitude From the middle of the 1800s, Indians (the merchants), and the Shudras (menial of folk dances that have thrilled both urban workers). The untouchables were outside and rural Indians alike. Gowri Parameswaran is an associate professor of the caste system and performed chores and chair of the Department of Educational Studies involving ‘unclean’ objects. The Indian Film Industry in the School of Education Since independence, the government at the State University of New York at New Paltz, India produces more films than any has made a concerted effort to deliver jus- other country and there are more people New Paltz, New York. tice to those on the lower rungs of the caste MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION 52 Promising Practices watching Indian commercial films than General Cultural Themes Dharm (Duty) the number watching Hollywood films. and Popular Films Language: Hindi In fact, every three months, a population Themes: Caste and religious issues, equivalent to the entire population of India The following are some films that gender and social class (1.3 billion), watch Indian films. are entertaining but also teach students Indian films had their origins in the about Indian culture, history, and current The film is set in Varanasi (Benares), late 1800s and developed rapidly in the concerns. Most of them have been made in one of the holiest pilgrimage destinations first few decades of the 20th century. The the last ten years; some are older but have for Hindus. The wife of a poor but very early inspirations for Indian films were been included because they have been con- orthodox Brahmin priest finds a baby boy the India mega-epics, Ramayana and sidered cinematic milestones. Since India who has been abandoned by a Muslim Mahabharatha. The characteristics of even makes several hundred films a year it is woman. The wife decides to hide the reli- current Indian films borrow heavily from hard to have an exhaustive list of all the gious origins of the baby and brings him the classics, using side-stories and parallel great films that have been made. However, home since they do not have a son. The narratives along with comic relief, all in- the list included for this article covers a priest showers his love on the boy, only terwoven into the main plot of the feature wide variety of subject matter. The films later discovering the truth that his wife film. Indian films have been influenced by are as follows: has tried to hide from him. He decides to the varied dance traditions in the sub-con- undergo a very rigorous penance for the tinent. Like ancient Sanskrit plays, almost Mirch Masala (Chilli-Spice) religious infraction of touching a Muslim. all commercially successful films have Language: Hindi In the midst of his torturous penance, the catchy song and dance sequences, typically Themes: Gender, Rural life in India boy returns to seek refuge from religious used to depict emotional themes. fanatics who are attempting to murder Set in colonial India, the film explores In the last couple of decades, Holly- him. The events that follow lead the Brah- gender relationships in a small village in wood has influenced Indian popular films min priest to realize that devotion to his western India. The ‘Subedar’ or the chief in terms of both their themes and film- deity involves humanity and compassion law-enforcement office for the British making style. Technology from the west towards all human beings. government demands beautiful Sonbai has been freely adopted in Indian movies entertain him sexually. Sonbai runs for and today India has been a popular des- Firaaq (Separation/Quest) shelter into a spice factory that employs tination for Hollywood producers to send many of the women in the village. The Language: Hindi their films for editing and finishing. Subedar chases her into the factory while Themes: The Gujarat riots of 2006, Hindu Muslim conflict Why Use Indian Films To Teach About India the women in the village, fed up with the constant torture from men in power, decide The film follows the lives of several In spite of the extraordinary number to collectively face the Subedar and his people and families in the eastern state of of films made within India, few get recogni- henchmen. The colors are beautiful in the Gujerat who were all involved in a bloody tion or are distributed in the West. Some film and the story is gripping. communal riot in 2006 between the major- of them are watched outside of India, but ity Hindu community and the minority mostly by Indians living in the West. Most Mr. And Mrs. Iyer Muslim community. The film is based films set in India that Westerners watch Language: Hindi and English on real life narratives from about a 1000 are made by Non-resident Indians with Themes: Caste and Religious conflict, people who were involved in the riots. The the aim to please the Western artistic and prejudice, gender, and romance film depicts the conflicts and traumas that cultural sensibilities. Most Indians do not both the aggressors and the victims face in watch these films. The film garnered a number of awards the years following the riots.