![]() It seems that in the past 10 or so years, it has been difficult to find a film in which the Muslim aspect of a main character’s identity was simply just an aspect of their identity, as was the colour of their hair. And when they are seen, they seem to fit into certain roles. So where is the Muslim heroine today? From what I’ve seen, things don’t look so good for the Muslim heroine in Hindi films.ĭespite Muslims being the largest religious minority group in India and having a large presence in the Hindi film industry, strong Muslim characters are rarely seen. For analyses of the role of Muslims in Hindi films throughout Hindi film history see, and. Apart from the typical reciting of Urdu poetry, the main characters were simply main characters who just happened to be Muslim, including the heroine. In fact, some of the greatest hits of the decade revolved around Muslims characters but whose Muslim-ness was just a feature of their character as opposed to central to the storyline. In the black and white days of the ’50s, when a great number of the top Hindi film actresses were Muslim, the Muslim heroine could be seen every now and then. Over the decades, this particular character has changed. There was a time, a while ago, when one would see strong Muslim women characters in Hindi films. From the use of Urdu dialogues and lyrics written by Muslim writers and lyricists, to Muslim music directors, directors, producers, and of course male and female actors, Muslims have always been a part of the industry. The influence and presence of Muslims in Hindi films is indisputable. It is this last point which leads me to ask the question: What happened to the Muslim heroine in Hindi films? However, I have always known this to be a problematic connection, for a number of reasons: 1) I was born in Canada so have never actually lived in South Asia, making the connection distant and the culture often irrelevant to my own realities, 2) I’m Pakistani, not Indian (the cultures are very similar but not the same – again, a little irrelevancy here) and 3) I’m Muslim and the majority of characters in Hindi films are Hindu, despite the large number of Muslims in not only India, but also the Hindi film industry. We're going to take a look at Muslim based serials on Indian TV so far. Muslim based are seeing more limelight at present with Qubool Hai and Beintehaa. The role of Arjun in BR Chopra's mythological TV serial 'Mahabharat'. As a South Asian who grew up in Canada, Hindi films (aka Bollywood films) were always a way to stay connected to the my South Asian heritage.Ĭheck out the Muslim actors in Bollywood along with names of Muslim. I have been wanting to write about this for a looooong time. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |