Gender and Sexuality in Diaspora: A Deliberation on 21st Century Bollywood.

Abstract

Gender and sexuality plays an integral role in Bollywood where the scopophilic pleasures of the spectators are much catered for its wide viewership, creative appeal and transnational marketing. Over the years, there occurred a wide variety of progressive advancements and technological innovations in the Indian film industry. The initial years of the 21^st century witnessed a considerable increase in representations of the diasporic Indians and of the West in many movies. Though the depiction of foreign locations and life in exile, such movies provide the diaspora a glimpse back into their homeland which aids them cope with the sense of loss caused by dislocation from the culture and tradition of the homeland. This paper attempts to analyse this trend in Bollywood with the aid of well renowned movies like, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge(1995), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham(2001), Dostana(2008), among others, with prime focus on the altering representations of gender and sexuality.