Film
literature and culture
Presented by Rinkal jani
(Student
of Master of Arts, Sem-3)
MK
Bhavnagar University, Gujarat, India
Connect
no; 8735860517
Sub: Films, literature and Culture
Aims of presenting this paper
1 1)
Representation of society, culture,
literature in film through language
2 2)
Breaking of gender stereotypes
Pursue a broadly inter disciplinary course of study focusing
on the comparative analysis of film in its relationship to literature, society
as well as culture and its aesthetic traditions. Film and literature are two
mediums one literary the other performative. Which use language and image in
order to capture the lived reality of cultural construct . Films are cultural
artifacts created by specific cultures. Literature is considered as the mere
reflection or mirror of the society, as well Films are also considered as
visual X-ray image of the society. Indian film makers like satyajit ray, Mrinal
sen,, shyam benegal, have seamlessly transformed the words on the dialogue on
screen. This paper focus upon the adaptation of literature in Indian cinema and
how literature is being visualize by film and its impact upon audience and
literature readers. Indian filmmakers are always in search of to show some new
story, new society, or its tradition and culture through the film. They are in
search of presenting something new and different in film. Writers are trying to
capturing the issues are surrounding
them, past- present socio-political issue
like Indian independent movement, or Indian emergency era, partition of
Pakistan and India, or some social issues like child marriage system, and all others. Cultural tradition like
‘street play” like “Bhavai”, “Akhyan” which are representing Gujarati tradition. This paper try to find out that through film how this
tradition, or various socio-political issue is presented.
How society and
culture reflects in the film?
As we know India
is nation which has numerous varieties of culture and language. The prominent
language in India besides English and Hindi are Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu,
and Guajarati or many others. Language is a powerful tool in representing and
structuring the world. Language is very essential source of society through
which one community or society is built up. It also can help to construct
identity of human, its stereotypes, identities and human relationship.
Stereotypes like Gender inequality, marginalizes identity of women and third
gender. In this context of Gender and inequality Language and hegemony is also
important part to study here. Language is control by the power. Now a day these
stereotypes are also on the way of changing.
What do we mean by “culture”?
Culture is very
vast term to define. When we talk about “culture” we often mean intellectual
and creative products, including literature, music, drama, and painting.
Another use of “culture” is to describe the beliefs and practices of another
society, particularly where these are seen as closely linked with tradition or
religion. But culture is more than that. Culture is part of the fabric of every
society, including our own. It shapes “the way things are done” and our
understanding of why this should be so. This more comprehensive approach is
proposed in the definition of culture adopted at the World Conference on
Cultural Policies (Mexico, 1982) and used in ongoing discussions on culture and
development: “Culture… is… the whole complex of distinctive spiritual,
material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or a
social group. It includes not only arts and letters, but also modes of life,
the fundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and
beliefs.”
What do we mean by Indian culture?
The
culture of India is one of the oldest and unique. In India, there is amazing
cultural diversity throughout the country. Indian culture is a composite
mixture of varying styles and influences.
Dr Raj Kumar has define the Indian culture in his essay on “Indian Culture”, that
Inadia’s culture has been enriched by successive waves of migration on which
were absorbed into the indian way of life. It is this veriety which is a
special hallmark of India. Its physical, religious and racial variety is an
immense as it linguistic diversity. Underneath this diversity lies the
continuity of Indian civilization and
social structure from the very earliest times until the present day. There is
perhaps no phenomenon as complex as culture. In a manner of speaking, culture
is everything in particular society. Indian culture is no easy composition of
verifying styles and influences.
The word “Culture” has broad range of
meaning or including the things for studies. It is depend upon us that how we
looks at culture and what we consider or rather including in to the culture. It
has not narrow space for definition. Culture is not only a matter of music,
art, dance, and cinema, for marriage
customs, death rites, patterns of pilgrimage to holy elites, modes of raising
children, treatments of elders, and innumerable other aspects of everyday life
are stitched into the meaning of culture.
Apart from that, The concept of
culture is very complicated, and the word has many meanings.[1] The
word 'culture' is most commonly used in three ways.
·
Excellence
of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as high culture.
On this ground of society or its behavior,
belief we can include few more things that not only tradition and customs are
culture but how society behaves with other human is also a part of culture. In
Indian society there are so many positive- negative aspects we find like Gender
stereotypes, Marginalization of two identity one is women and second is Third
Gender, (LGBT) (Hijar,Kinner),lesbian relationship, cultural hegemony, Hybridity
of culture, Male Dominance, hegemony of language, Identity crises, poverty,
bloody partition of India-Pakistan, and etc. This all can also being a part of
Indian culture, or part of Indian society.
Literature and Indian culture
Literature
is literary form and film is form of performance to represent culture. Its not
easy to
Decide
if film and literature represent the culture or film and literature creates
such culture.
Drama
was the form of literature and with the development of technology drama has
been
turned
in to film. But after seeing the popularity of film it has become separated
field like
Literature
. Film is not only for entertainment but it also represents culture of
particular
There
are different kinds of films which represent reality like third cinema,
parallel cinema
etc.
which suggest reality but they have different way of presentation. Literature
and film are
always
shaped by people and its depends on their attitude towards the society.
Literature is
like
water, Film plays the role of fire and culture is the earth for society. Deepa
Mehta’s
trilogy
of films- Earth, Water and Fire describe these three elements clearly. It
represents
film,
Literature and culture with the help of camera. Culture provides raw material
for
Film
and literature become successful when it can represent catharsis so that people
can feel
such
bond with the film and literature. Film adaption is like amalgamation of all
these three
elements.
With help of few film adaption we can understand it clearly. Beginning time of
the
film
shows that novel or any short stories were raw material for any of the film. It
is a
continuous
process and one cannot decide the beginning point of this cycle. Culture is
lifeblood
to the literature.
Human
behaviour, social norms and value made culture, Language made literature and
performance
made film. Whenever one has tried to compare film and fiction they always
come
to the conclusion that both are totally different form of the literature so
they have their
“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with
inspiration or fuels your imagination.” – Jim Jarmusch.
Adapting a novel into a
two-hour movie is a big challenge in itself as sometimes, accommodating the
story to fit in the time length messes up the whole essence of the original art It is said that
literature is Mirror or x-ray image of the society, whatever happens in the
society it is captured by the writer of that present time. Literature is mere
worded version of the any particular society. Some of Indian writer who very
well depict the history of Indian culture, in his/novel or any of the writing. The writer
like R.k Narayan, Raja Rao, Mulkraj Anand, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra
chattopadhyay, Amrita pritam and like many other Indian others or writer who
reflects the Indian way of living life, Indian society, regional life of Indian,
poor or middle class people of India, Tagore who also recreates the Bengal in his writing.
Global impact of Indian culture
with India movie.
Culture and society has deeply
influence over the indian cinema. Such as Satyajit ray’, Deepa Meheta, ketant
Meheta they are very well re-present the indian culture or indian people’s way
of living life on the cinema. They are given visual pictrues of indian
different cultures like keten Meheta in his film ‘Mirch masala” very well
depict the Guajarati culture, or their small business on chilli factory or Gujarati
costumes, their customs everything is depicted very well. It is movie in which
a female has to fight against the power oppressor, sonbai a female protagonist ,Male
dominance over the village. Gujrati film “Bhavni Bhavai” , its represent the
old ancient Guajarati culture of street play.
Literature and culture with Deepa
meheta’s trilogy
When we talk about Indian culture at that
Deepa meheta’s trilogy of Fire,water and Earth is being prominent. Because this
trilogy includes all the aspects of what we call culture as the way of living
life of people and their tradition . Manju
Jadidka, who wrote about film that,Deepa Mehta is an acclaimed Indo-Canadian script writer and film
director. She challenges conservative social mores and attempts to rewrite
history, representing 'her' story instead of 'his'. Mehta has been a
controversial figure ever since 1998 when her film Fire was banned in India for its explicit portrayal of lesbianism.
Her next film Earth
spoke of the Partition of
India and how it affected the lives of women. With her third film Water, Mehta again ran into trouble with
fundamentalists when she tried to focus on the shabby treatment meted out to
widows by traditional Hindu society. Deepa Mehta's 'Elemental Trilogy'
Fire, Earth and Water. Focusing on the film texts, it examines the silent
spaces in-between the signifiers and tunes into the unheard voices that
patriarchy has been deaf to. It also studies the impact of Mehta's work,
critically analyzing the hostile reception accorded to her work, and the
by-and-large-favorable response of the female section of the society.
Contents: Desire in Another Language: The Politics of Fire Engendering History:
1947 Earth Abandoned by the Riverside: Water Beyond National Boundaries Deepa
Mehta: On a Personal Note Bibliogra. Ms Mehta’s
trilogy first explored the taboo of female homosexuality in Fire, The film raised issues such as homosexuality and feminism in
the traditional backward thought of the Indian patriarchal society. This film
was quite a shock to the Indian audiences and was widely opposed by various
political parties and religious groups. But this film went on to receive the
honor of the best film in many women international film festivals around the
globe.
then the taboo of religious extremism in Earth. Based on the novel, Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa, Earth
depicts the plight of people during the time of India’s independence and
partition in 1947. The film is from the point of view of a young Parsi girl,
Lenny. Lenny is from a rich family, who hopes to remain neutral on the rising
tensions between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. Shanta is a beautiful Hindu woman
and Lenny’s ayah. Both Dil Navaz, the ice-candy wala and Hassan, the masseur
are Muslims and in love with Shanta. All of them are in a unified group of
people from various religions, most of whom are servants in Lenny’s house. But
what happens when the ties of friendship are broken by war is brilliantly
described in this film. This film is considered to be one of the best stories
of deceit and betrayal. What does it feel to be rejected; both by your love and
by your country are superbly shown in this film and that too, from the point of
view of a little girl in Lahore. Now comes Water, The
third and last in the elements trilogy, this film was the most successful one
amongst the three. This film won enormous awards and is considered to be one of
the most successful Hindi Films. The film asked the basic questions as to
whether we should blindly follow the words of our ancient Vedas and Upanishads,
according to which a widow were to always be chastised and be made felt guilty
of their husbands’ death each and every second they live on this earth.
Deepa Mehta herself admits that all these
films were very difficult to be made, as all these films were highly
controversial and faced oppositions from various political parties and
religious groups. Water, for example had to be shot in Sri Lanka and that too
under the name, River Moon, due to widespread demonstrations against the film
in India. which
attacks the taboo of social humiliation of women. Let’s hope that Ms Mehta’s
movies make a difference.
Gender bias language in Film
Gender stereotypes are the mind sets of the society
practiced years after years. Men and women are assigned gender roles according
to these already set patterns. As a result of practicing these gender
stereotypes, women are assigned weaker position as compared to men. Indian
society is highly patriarchal society, in which men dominance over women, and
also dominance over third gender. Gender stereotype are not only for girls or
women but also is about third gender community who has also as marginalized as
women. There many Bollywood movie we can see that there is many dialogue which
indicates this bias language. For example, Here are some quotes from famous films which might have been declared
blockbusters, but certain dialogues or lyrics definitely proved that Bollywood
has always reinforced gender stereotypes in India.
Famous dialogue from film
“Mard” in which “Mard ko kabhi dard nahi hota”, its indicates the strength of m (kumar) (meheta) (k. meheta)ale so what about
female? Ther is another song lyrics from “Khandan” movie “Tum hi meri pooja,
tumhi mera mandir,tumhi meri pooja” its indicates the subjugation of female in
front of male. As well a dialogue from movie “Benam badsha” that “aurat ki izat pe agar ek bar dag lag
gaya to kabhi nahi dhul sakta hei” so what about the male? Isn’t they have any
worry about their izzat? As well third gender is also find problem, they are
marginalize, in tv serial Shakti stitvaki a female protagonist has humiliating
by this word, “Kinnar ka koi ghar , koi mazhab nahi hota,” isn’t they are
human? So like this the language of india is patriarchal or bias.
Conclusion:
Indian culture is well propagated by means of the
Indian films featured across different parts of the world. Indians are settled
in different parts of the world and with their charm, Indian movies are also
travelling across the globe.
There are many movies giving the special note of
the Indian culture and its importance. The pride and honour of our culture has
been well expressed by the various actors and actresses of the film industry.
Media is the fastest means of communication and movies have a long term impact
on people in comparison to any other form. With such a crucial role to play,
Indian cinema has spread its charm worldwide.
The latest movies of the Indian film industry
have definitely created a setback to the values of the Indian culture. The film
industry has become more focussed towards attracting the young age group, with
their silly tactics of featuring the romantic stories in an unedited manner.
Some of the movies definitely are going much out of the values of Indian
culture. It would be better if we can refine those movies as well to retain the
charm of our culture and prestige forever. ol Language is also a part of
culture and its also play a pivotal role in to shaping of society. Film,
literature and culture are inter connected traits which is equally important in
to the shaping of society and nation.
