| Abstract [eng] |
The title of this Master Thesis is „Representation of India’s Partition in Indian Cinema: Aspects of Cultural Trauma and Collective Memory. It examines four movies directed by Indian directors: Mysore Shrinivas Sathyu „Garam Hawa“ (1973), Govind Nihalani “Tamas” (1987), Anil Sharma „Gadar: Ek Prem Katha“ (2001) and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra „Bhaag Milkha Bhaag“ (2013). The main research question asks how the partition trauma is portrayed in cinematography and how this representation contributes towards the construction of collective memory of Indian Partition that happened in 1947. Using the interdisciplinary theoretical framework, which combines historical perspective, Cultural Trauma and Collective Memory theories, concepts of subaltern identity and imagined communities, it was concluded that the traumatic event of Indian Partition is remembered selectively, emphasizing the loss of relatives, loss of home and homeland, witnessing extreme violence, eroding personal and collective identities, hatred towards the people of another religion, opposition to those who remain on the other side of the border, as well as haunting memories. Although these trauma representations repeat and partially overlap in all the films, the film narratives in which these memories are incorporated allow to derive quite different meanings and inscribe different ideas into the collective memory of partition. The first two movies were created closer the timing of the historic events and thus, try to focus on the realistic portrayal of the situation rather than its elaboration: deteriorating muslim situation in partitioned India in “Garam Hawa” and wild communal violence that can’t be clearly attributed to any specific group (“Tamas”). This reconstructs the memory without proposing any further interpretation. However, “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha” carries a rather extreme nationalistic message and portrays muslims of Pakistan in a demonized manner that can easily be extended to the muslims of India. “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” also follows a nationalistic discourse, yet it carries a message of seeking friendship between the countries and the nations, yet with India being superior to Pakistan, as portrayed the triumph of Milkha Singh over Pakistani sportsman. |
