Shah Rukh Khan and Global Bollywood September 30th - October 2nd 2010 - International Conference
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International Conference
Shah Rukh Khan
and Global Bollywood
September 30th – October 2nd 2010
IMPRINT
MASN - Austria (Moving Anthropology Social Network)
Sozial- und kulturanthropologisches Kompetenzzentrum und Vernetzungsbüro
International Conference
Shah Rukh Khan
ZVR: 401123252
Mail: info@masn-austria.org
Web: http://www.masn-austria.org
and Global Bollywood
Institut für Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie
Universitätsstraße 7
1010 Wien
September 30th – October 2nd 2010
Sincere thanks are given to our
PARTNERS & SPONSORS
PARTNERS
MASN - Austria (Moving Anthropology Social Network)
Museum of Ethnology
SPONSORS
University of Vienna:
Rectorate of the University of Vienna: Office for International Relations
Faculty of Social Sciences
Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies
Department of European Ethnology
Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies
BMWF – Federal Ministry of Science and Research
ÖFG – Österreichische Forschungsgemeinschaft (Austrian Research Community)
Stadt Wien MA 7 – Vienna City Administration
Embassy of India
Additional Sponsors Catering:
Ströck
Fair Trade
CONTENT
CONTENT
The Don´s World. Designing the Milieu of SRK | Aradhana Seth 29
Imprint 2
Kesariya Balam – Love Knows no Limits (Film) | Sandeep Kumar 30
Welcome Note 6
Message of the President 8 WORKSHOP Stardom and Globalisation | October 2nd
Opening Lecture | The Worlds of Shah Rukh Khan | Nasreen Munni Kabir 9 Shah Rukh Khan and his Leading Ladies: Star Images and Globalisation | Robert Rintoull 30
My Own Private Shah Rukh Khan: Chasing an Image | Arya Amir 32
PLENARY SESSION 1 | September 30th
Star Gazing via Documentary: Shah Rukh Khan’s Stardom
Key note | Unthinking SRK and Global Bollywood: 33
in The Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan Khan | Priyadarshini Shanker
from Film Studies to Rasa Theory to New Media Assemblages | Rajinder Dudrah 10
Outing the King: Global Bollywood and its Muslim Closet | Huma Dar 34
My Name is Khan and I’m a Star.
The making of a movie star in 2000s Bollywood | Ashish Rajadhyaksha 11 At Home in the World? Shah Rukh Khan
and the Politics of Trans/National Belonging | Sunera Thobani 35
WORKSHOP Reception and Fandom | October 1st Shah Rukh Khan’s pioneer role in introducing new production, distribution
“Thank you, Shah Rukh Khan!” Reconsidering Audience Studies: and marketing techniques in globalised Bollywood | Györgyi Vajdovich 36
the Reception of Bollywood in Germany | Dagmar Brunow 12
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW 37
Hyperlinked: Shah Rukh Khan in the Affective Spaces of Russian Online Fandom
Sudha Rajagopalan 13
WORKSHOP Religion and Film | October 2nd
Bollywood ITALIA: Blogging Shah Rukh Khan in Italy | Monia Acciari 14
“My Name Is Khan” and “Brand SRK”:
Dollywood: The Pleasures of Playing with Mini Khan | Bernhard Fuchs 15 Interrogating the Limits of Bollywood Superstardom | Sreya Mitra 41
Shah Rukh Khan – Raj Kapoor Reloaded? The Brand that is Shah Rukh Khan | Omemma Gillani 42
Similarities and Differences of two Reception Contexts | Florian Krauss 16
Shah Rukh Khan’s Reinvention of the Muslim Hero in “My Name is Khan” | Jaspreet Gill 43
WORKSHOP Song and Dance | October 1st Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham: Reinventing the Ayodhya Kanda of the Ramayana | Arno Krimmer 44
Global Bollywood and the Dance Performances of Shah Rukh Khan | Ann David 17 “And I Love Hinduism Also“. Shah Rukh Khan:
A Muslim Voice for Interreligious Peace in India | Adelheid Herrmann-Pfandt 45
Dreaming of Shah Rukh Khan? Dancing to a Bollywood Beat in Prague | Sangita Shresthova 18
Dancing Bollywood: Peruvian Youngsters and Shah Rukh Khan | Petra Hirzer 19 WORKSHOP Performing Gender (Part 2) | October 2nd
Bollywood Music as Multikulti Scene in a Mixed Diaspora | Silvia Martinez Garcia 20 Performing Femininity through Bollywood Dance in Bavaria | Sandra Chatterjee 46
Lyrics in Main Hoon Na: Shah Rukh Khan and Javed Akhtar | Alaka Chudal 21 Accounting for the Camp Cult Appropriation of Male Film Stars in India | Charlie Henniker 47
Camp, Kitsch and Khan: SRK and the Global Dispersal of Postmodernity | Meheli Sen 48
WORKSHOP Performing Gender (Part 1) | October 1st
SRK, Karan Johar and the creation of ‘Bollywood’: Beyond diasporic boundaries PLENARY SESSION 3 |October 2nd
Kamala Ganesh & Kanchana Mahadevan 22
Intermediality and Bollywood Stardom | Amy Villarejo 49
Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh – Reflections on Masculinities, Movies
and Matrimony from Rampur, India | Shrayana Bhattacharya 23 Shah Rukh Khan, Participatory Audiences, and the Internet | Elke Mader 50
Reinventing East Indian Masculinity: Female Shah Rukh Khan Fans in Trinidad
and the Idea of a Globalized ‘Indianness’ | Hanna Klien 24 EXHIBITION
Curator: Mira Lau 51
SCREENING AND ART PRESENTATION
Mr. Khan Vienna Loves You (Documentary) | Mehru Jaffer Hasnain 25 RESEARCH NETWORK MEETING | October 2th
26 Euro-Bollywood. Indian Cinema in European Contexts | Rajinder Dudrah, Bernhard Fuchs 52
The Light in the Dark (Exhibition) | Anna Mandel
PLENARY SESSION 2 | October 1st Biographical Shortnotes 55
Shah Rukh Khan and Hindi Cinematic Melodrama of the Baroque Kind | Anustup Basu 27 Notes 66
Shah Rukh Khan: A Journey of Conquering Human Hearts Across Continents | Zawahir Siddique 28 Team 70
WELCOME NOTE
WELCOME NOTE
Welcome from the Organisers
and the Conference Committee
In recent years popular Hindi Cinema – “Bollywood” - has conquered new audiences The conference brings together scholars from various fields of study in the arts, hu-
all over the world and established itself as highly successful mainstream cinema. The manities, and social sciences to confer about a wide range of topics concerning the
circulation of Indian Cinema in a globalized world has also become focus of academic global cultural phenomenon Shah Rukh Khan. Its topics relate to general questions
research from a wide range of disciplines and theoretical perspectives. In this line of about stardom as a way to create meaning in a media-centred world. The actor and
international research the conference is dedicated to a variety of topics that embrace his work are discussed in connection with issues of stardom, globalisation, post colo-
films and audiences as well as diverse cultural practises and performances. Further- nialism, and inter religious relations; in regard to his position in the realm of polyme-
more, the role of Information and Communication Technologies in these processes dia production and consumption on the internet; in relation to performing gender
has emerged as a new point of interest, in particular in regard to the study of par- and sexuality, as well as in connection with local cultural performances of Bollywood
ticipant audiences and fan cultures. The overarching framework is the relationship of music and dance. Furthermore, distinguished representatives of the world of art and
Bollywood with postcolonialism, global flows, and transcultural processes that shape cinema will share their points of view on cultural productions in connection with
cinematic contexts and audience receptions today. Bollywood has changed the Shah Rukh Khan and Global Bollywood.
Western view of India: it is almost synonymous with a modern, globalized India and
has arrived in the West not only as a cinematic wave, but also as a lifestyle. Studies on The organisers and the conference committee promise you many new insights, pro-
Hindi Cinema as an intercultural cluster of practices and meanings have also been a ductive exchange with other scholars and a pleasant stay in Vienna!
focus of interdisciplinary research as well as teaching at the University of Vienna for
several years.
The conference in Vienna is unique as it focuses on the significance of Shah Rukh Khan
as the central icon for the new dynamics of global Bollywood. Shah Rukh Khan has
the reputation of holding the largest audience in the contemporary world of cinema
comprising people from diverse places and cultural backgrounds. He has special ap-
peal to large parts of the Indian Diaspora as well as to non South Asian audiences,
particularly in Europe. Thus, in recent years Shah Rukh Khan films have developed
into cult media that form the basis of a very active fan culture like in German speak-
ing countries.
6 7
OPENING LECTURE | SEPTEMBER 30th
NASREEN MUNNI KABIR
LONDON
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, FILM STUDIES
The Worlds of Shah Rukh Khan
Stars have never been as popular as they are today. Though Hollywood has largely
dominated the world of entertainment, it came as a surprise to the West in the early
2000s, that millions of people were interested in an altogether different kind of cin-
ema – Indian film – and the stars of that cinema had far greater appeal for audienc-
es from diverse religious, social and political worlds than ever imagined. Every de-
cade, India has had its leading actors, but since the mid-nineties it is Shah Rukh Khan
(SRK) who has emerged as India’s most popular star. Aided by the Net and his active
Tweets, his fame continues to intensify and spread. Today his following rivals Beatle-
mania at its height.
As a documentary director/producer, Nasreen Munni Kabir made two films (The In-
ner and the Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan), which aimed to observe SRK up-close
during his Temptations, 2004 as it toured the UK, and twelve North American cities,
ending in Toronto, Canada. SRK has defined for his generation (and it seems the next
generation too) – the perfect fantasy of the Indian hero and in real life, he has come
to enjoy a far bigger place in the collective psyche than his screen characters. But
unusually this love works two-way. One of the many striking things about SRK is his
admission of his addiction to stardom: “I’m very clear about loving stardom. I love
people loving me. If I’m not going to be in that situation, I’ll just be with myself. I will
not be able to come out of the four walls of my house and the crowd not screaming. I
don’t think I’ll be able to do that.”
The discussion in this paper will center around what this most charismatic star means
to his fans and the psychology of a man caught in the eye of an adoring storm.
9
PLENARY SESSION 1 | SEPTEMBER 30th
PLENARY SESSION 1 | SEPTEMBER 30th
RAJINDER DUDRAH ASHISH RAJADHYAKSHA
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER CSCS (CENTRE FOR STUDIES IN CULTURE AND SOCIETY) BANGALORE
DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA, HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT SENIOR FELLOW
Key note
Unthinking SRK and Global Bollywood: from Film MY NAME IS KHAN AND I’M A STAR
Studies to Rasa Theory to New Media Assemblages The Making of a Movie Star in 2000s Bollywood
The rise of the study of Bollywood (contemporary popular Hindi cinema from India) The role and purpose of stardom has changed in the Indian cinema over the de-
over the past ten or more years has raised a number of questions for researchers in- cades. Shah Rukh Khan is perhaps India’s leading example of what we might call 21st
terested in this growing phenomenon. This paper will offer an overview of the recent century stardom. Given that Khan is primarily a movie star, it is striking to note how
academic history of the growth of this field as it has engaged with issues informed little, comparatively speaking, he depends on the cinema to define himself. Khan is
by scholars who have invariably worked with classical Western screen theory and In- as much a television star as he is a sports icon, a design clothes horse as much as a
dian narratives; Indian tropes and cultural theory; and more recently a turn to new brand ambassador.
media studies, globalization and assemblages. An assessment of the field will allow Which perhaps makes it an interesting question as to what the role of the cinema
us to possibly answer the following questions towards a critical study of SRK and now plays in his persona. And that question, once we have asked it, throws up very
Global Bollywood Cinema: What is “Bollywood” as nomenclature and object of study? strange answers: specifically if we see Kal Ho Na Ho and My Name is Khan.
How and in what ways has this area been pursued, namely from across work in film, Both are in many ways new-gen films that incorporate everything that Khan stands
media and cultural studies? What are the recent and emerging trends in the study for as a star, but both films have a curiously orthodox core that the rest of Khan’s per-
of this cinema that offer further useful research agendas for scholars, practitioners sona would be hard pressed to admit to. Both are, almost in a way, political films in
and students working in film and media studies across local and transnational con- an extraordinarily old fashioned sense of the term. Kal Ho Na Ho argues for individual
texts? How might answers to these questions help us to productively articulate the autonomy that would have been conventional in the era of Amol Palekar, while My
relationship/s between SRK and Global Bollywood? Name is Khan wraps around its neoliberal sentimentality a startlingly conventional
core.
Once again, Shah Rukh Khan, film star, brings our attention back to 2000s Bollywood
and asks what the cinema, an astonishingly small economy within the larger flash
and glitz of globalized India, is doing in a place like India.
10 11
WORKSHOP RECEPTION AND FANDOM | OCTOBER 1st
WORKSHOP RECEPTION AND FANDOM | OCTOBER 1st
DAGMAR BRUNOW SUDHA RAJAGOPALAN
UNIVERSITY OF HALMSTAD UTRECHT UNIVERSITY, MEDIA AND CULTURE STUDIES
FILM STUDIES, PHD CANDIDATE AT HAMBURG UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AFFILIATE
LECTURER IN FILM STUDIES AT HALMSTAD UNIVERSITY
“Thank you, Shah Rukh Khan!” Reconsidering Audience Hyperlinked: Shah Rukh Khan
Studies: the Reception of Bollywood in Germany in the Affective Spaces of Russian Online Fandom
In my paper I suggest that the German reception of Bollywood allows us to compli- In contemporary Russia, Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) has a devoted following of fans who
cate common notions prevalent in audience studies. On the one hand it points at the call themselves Sharumanki, a portmanteau blending the two words “Shah Rukh” and
need for the analysis of specific national audiences (Larkin 2003), on the other hand “maniaki” (Russian for “fanatics”). This paper, situated in the stream of scholarship on
it shows that the distinction between Indian and diasporic NRI-audiences is not suf- online fandom, explores the manner in which SRK’s star status is constructed in the
ficient. While Bollywood overseas has often been analysed in terms of diasporic mar- lively fan spaces of the Russian-language internet (Runet) and examines what this re-
keting (Mishra 2002, Iordanova 2002), studies of the reception of Bollywood focus on veals about Russian fan identity in the process.
diasporic audiences, on NRIs, on identity and belonging (Gillespie 1995, Cunning- Dispersed geographically, Russian fans meet in online communities, where SRK’s ce-
ham/Sinclair 2001, Mishra 2002). Bollywood in Germany, however, cannot be con- lebrity is very actively sustained and promoted through their practices of download-
ceptualised with notions of homeland, nostalgia and belonging, at least not when ing, translating and sharing of knowledge and the production of star-related arte-
it comes to the White German audiences. The German reception also shows that facts. Sharumanki post readings of Shah Rukh’s films, showcase their connoisseurship
Straubhaar’s notion of “cultural proximity“ (1991/2007) should be reconsidered. about Indian cinema and its stars, make pronouncements on how the star has helped
Therefore, the aim of this paper is twofold: first, to point out the stages of the Ger- them through personal crises and create Shah Rukh-centred digital art and fan po-
man reception and second, to complicate the current methodological and theoreti- etry. They not only co-construct SRK’s celebrity but also inscribe their personal/col-
cal perspective prevalent in audience and reception studies. In order to highlight lective selves into the star narrative. In doing so, they perform their own identity as a
the industrial context, it could be useful to examine how physical spaces like cities distinctive subculture that must alone do the work of sustaining Shah Rukh’s transna-
shape the reception of cultural products. While the German research most often tional stardom in Russia.
foregrounds Bollywood as a mainstream phenomenon centred around the star per-
sona of Shah Rukh Khan, it is important to note that Bollywood in Germany should
be perceived as a cultural practice having entered the mainstream via an art-house
and camp circuit. Presenting a case study of the reception of Bollywood in Hamburg
I will argue that the German example shows how diasporic audiences cannot be ho-
mogenized. Therefore, this perspective could de-essentialise notions of migrant and
diasporic audiences, in a tradition outlined by Stuart Hall (1990), Ien Ang (1991), Paul
Gilroy (1993a) and Gayatri Gopinath (2005) and rather focus on communities united
by consent instead of descent.
12 13
WORKSHOP RECEPTION AND FANDOM | OCTOBER 1st
WORKSHOP RECEPTION AND FANDOM | OCTOBER 1st
MONIA ACCIARI BERNHARD FUCHS
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA
FACULTY OF DRAMA EUROPEAN ETHNOLOGY
PHD CANDIDATE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Bollywood ITALIA: Blogging Shah Rukh Khan in Italy Dollywood: The Pleasures of Playing with Mini Khan
This paper intends to carry forward the study on the impact of Bollywood in Italy. My Merchandising products (besides marketing of film music) are almost absent from
PhD project at the University of Manchester explored the cultural and aesthetic im- the Indian film industry – there have been only few attempts to link movies with the
plications of the relationship between Italy and India on and off the screens of Italy toy industry. In 2006 a glamorous launch of a “Bollywood legends” doll series took
following the 90s boom of Bollywood in Europe. My previous study charted two spe- place in Harrods in London and the Marriot Hotel in Mumbai. The dolls represent
cific areas of dissemination: social and through the media, specifically television and Priyanka Chopra, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, and Shah Rukh Khan. The concept has been
cinema partially neglecting new media, “on-line” communities, cybersociety and on- developed by UK based entrepreneur Shameen Jivraj. This product is distributed
line cultural formation as associated to fandom. for a global market and targeted towards all age groups and intended to be a toy
Italy experienced its own (re)discovery of Bollywood through an interrogation on for children and a collector’s item for adults. Although the economic success of this
the cultural factors which were “delivering” the Indian cinematographic industry in series was rather limited it became an important feature of Bollywood fan culture.
the rest of Europe. Albeit remaining outside the “maniac” circuits of imitation and re- The dolls’ reception by children remains invisible for media ethnography. On the
production, Italy began contemplating both mutual cultural exchanges of the past other hand adult Shah Rukh Khan Fans present their practices in Cyberspace. The
and historical similarities, uncovering dynamics for the two countries to communi- paper analyses this field of cultural creativity in the intersection of Material-, Visual-,
cate and establish a “zone of aesthetic contact”. Terms such as Bollywood, India and and Cyber-Culture, the innovative combination of entertainment industries, cinema
its cultural-aesthetic paraphernalia have been embodied in Kabir Bedi and his San- and doll-art: “Dollywood” (a poetic term created in this milieu). As the haptic aspect
dokan since the 1970s and essentialised as exotic stereotypes within a common cul- of merchandise is lacking in Indian cinema culture active audiences in the West use
tural memory. After 40 years, Sandokan has left the scenes to the new ‘hero’ of global this medium for signifying practices. Playing with the star-doll became a unique fea-
Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan who, by populating fan blogs continuously presents the ture of Shah Rukh Khan fan cultures: A “Mini Khan” is sent around the world, strength-
idea of postcolonial globalised India. My attention will be devoted specifically to the ening international networks by travelling from one fan to the other. Creative fans
blog Bollywood ITALIA a “remarkable artefact of the web” in Italy. Bollywood ITALIA tailor clothes, re-enact scenes, make photos, describe and discuss their work in on-
brings about new perspectives on Shah Rukh Khan as new gateway of Bollywood line texts. Such activities combine intensification of internal communication with the
abroad. The question that this paper aims to answer is: does Shah Rukh Khan become hope of gaining recognition by Shah Rukh Khan himself. The star becomes accessible
part of new global semiotic productivities and narrativities through the space of Bol- via the doll. Even the imagination (or rather illusion) of controlling the star is made
lywood ITALIA? possible by this artefact.
14 15
WORKSHOP SONG AND DANCE | OCTOBER 1ST
WORKSHOP RECEPTION AND FANDOM | OCTOBER 1st
FLORIAN KRAUSS ANN R. DAVID
FILM & TELEVISION ACADEMY POTSDAM-BABELSBERG ROEHAMPTON UNIVERSITY LONDON
FILM STUDIES DANCE STUDIES
PHD CANDIDATE PRINCIPAL LECTURER
Shah Rukh Khan – Raj Kapoor reloaded? Global Bollywood
Similarities and Differences of two Reception Contexts and the dance performances of Shah Rukh Khan
My paper aims at broadening the perspective on Shah Rukh Khan and Bollywood in This paper examines the construction of global culture and the wide-ranging appeal
Germany by looking at the former circulation of Hindi films in Western and Eastern of film stars such as Shah Rukh Khan through a selection of the Bollywood films of the
Germany in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I argue that there are important links be- 1990s and the new millennium. Using an analysis of Khan’s appearance in the dance
tween that context to today’s reception. sequences in Dil Se (1998), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Asoka (2001) and Om Shanti
It is widely unknown that Hindi films have been shown in German cinemas long be- Om (2007), I question how the Bollywood dancing body is constructed and how ap-
fore the era of “King Khan”. Awara (1951) was screened in the GDR as Der Vagabund peal and desire are managed and controlled for global consumption. Drawing on
and in Western Germany under the title Awara – Der Vagabund von Bombay. Besides, ethnographic fieldwork carried out in Bollywood dance classes, I analyse the effect
at least in the GDR some more Hindi classics have been distributed officially: Shree of Khan’s performances on both male and female audiences and dancers and seek to
420 (1955) as Der Prinz von Piplinagar, Jagte Raho (1956) as Unter dem Mantel der draw some conclusions about the mixed discourses at play in his films as well as the
Nacht and Do Bigha Zamin Shambhu (1953) as Shambhu. potential ability to cross prescribed and perceived boundaries. How is the diaspor-
By analysing newspaper articles from the late 1950s and early 1960s I elaborate on ic imagination fed through his films? Is there a “double” exoticism at play here? The
parallels towards recent perspectives on Bollywood and Shah Rukh Khan. The reviews paper attempts to unpick the “local negotiations of historically shifting relations of
and the film selection indicate that Raj Kapoor has been of particular importance. image production and consumption” in the complex context of Bollywood film and
Correspondingly, the German media mostly focuses on one particular star – Khan’s performances and asks whether he is now perceived as the personification of
Shah Rukh Khan – when it comes to Indian cinema nowadays. The articles from the Bollywood itself.
1950s and 1960s particularly deal with one film – the global blockbuster Awara. There
is a parallel to today´s media reception of Indian cinema: Very few Shah Rukh Khan
films have dominated the Bollywood circulation in Germany since the early 2000s
and functioned as prototypes.
Similar to the contemporary “Bollywood discourse” reviews on Awara give the im-
pression that India cinema is less sophisticated than its Western counterparts and
less “realistic”. But the GDR press partly appraised a “critical realism”, too. Some articles
interpret Awara or even more general Indian cinema in a “socialist” way. Such read-
ings were obviously linked with the historical and political context but maybe also
with the star persona shaping the idea of Indian cinema at that time: Raj Kapoor. He
plays the poor “little man” in various films and may have encouraged another view on
Indian cinema than Shah Rukh Khan and his rich “Raj and Rahuls”.
16 17
WORKSHOP SONG AND DANCE | OCTOBER 1ST
WORKSHOP SONG AND DANCE | OCTOBER 1ST
SANGITA SHRESTHOVA PETRA HIRZER
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND PRAG UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA
COMPARATIVE MEDIA STUDIES SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
FILMMAKER, CHOREOGRAPHER, DANCER PHD CANDIDATE
Dreaming of Shah Rukh Khan? Dancing Bollywood:
Dancing to a Bollywood Beat in Prague Peruvian Youngsters and Shah Rukh Khan
Today, Bollywood dance, a colloquial term used to describe choreography inspired Bollywood’s great popularity is not limited to India or the Indian diaspora. As a global
by song-and-dance sequences in Hindi films, is fast becoming a global phenomenon phenomenon of media reception Bollywood literally has no borders. In Peru diversi-
in urban centers from Los Angeles, Mumbai, Kathmandu, London, to Prague. Driven fied fan cultures in connection with Indian Popular Cinema comprise several levels of
by enthusiasm expressed by Indian and non-Indian audiences to experience chore- social practices and raise a lot of questions in regard to globalization, media studies
ography contained in Hindi films, Bollywood dance has now emerged as a popular, and gender issues. How does the audience identify with topics, characters and mean-
lucrative, and recognized movement category. In Mumbai, the globally savvy film ings presented in Hindi-Films? Is Shah Rukh Khan, sometimes described as a modern
industry increasingly caters to diasporic tastes in hopes of capturing much coveted god of India, the key-component within this framework of transcultural reception of
overseas markets. In the United States, staged interpretations of Bollywood film song Indian Cinema?
and dance sequences dominate annual cultural shows organized by South Asian The paper is based on ethnographic fieldwork in Peru and lays special emphases on
associations on college campuses. In the United Kingdom, Bollywood dance now the analysis of local Bollywood fan-communities. On the one hand, it will discuss the
competes with Indian classical in representing an imagined India to the broader pub- perception of Shah Rukh Khan and the content of respective movies. On the other
lic. Recently, Bollywood dance also emerged as a recognized movement category in hand, it will describe the performative dimension of fan culture, in particular “Bolly-
the Czech Republic, where these dance classes are generally taught by teachers only wood-Dancing” that has become a global phenomenon in itself. In Peru, members
marginally connected to the Hindi film dance industry. of local fan-communities frequently meet to dance to the beat of Hindi-Films. Their
This growing popularity of Bollywood dance in a country with a relatively small choreographies are inspired by the song-and-dance sequences in the movies but
South Asian diasporic population and negligible Hindi film distribution structures also incorporate Latin American dances like Salsa or Cumbia. The paper will discuss
raises many questions. Does Bollywood dance in performance in the Czech Repub- the practice of dancing Bollywood in Peru as a localized global phenomenon and
lic express a new found multicultural post-communist tolerance of diversity? Does thereby focus on processes of acquisition, adaptation, and hybridity.
it provide continuity to Hindi film distribution structures in Eastern Europe that pre-
date current globalization efforts? Or are we witnessing a renewed Orientalized per-
formance of exotic fantasies? In this presentation, the dances performed at the ama-
teur Bollywood dance competition organized by the Prague Bollywood Festival in
2010 become an entry point into examining Bollywood dance in the Czech Republic.
Drawing on comparative analyses of Bollywood dance around the world, I approach
live Bollywood dances as sites of remediated and performed Hindi film reception that
challenge conventional understandings of production and consumption, reality and
fantasy, embodiment and migration.
18 19WORKSHOP SONG AND DANCE | OCTOBER 1ST
WORKSHOP SONG AND DANCE | OCTOBER 1ST
SILVIA MARTINEZ GARCIA ALAKA CHUDAL
ESMUC BARCELONA UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA
MUSICOLOGY DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OF SOUTH ASIAN, TIBET & BUDDHISM STUDIES
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT
Bollywood Music Lyrics in “Main Hoon Na”:
as Multikulti Scene in a Mixed Diaspora Shah Rukh Khan and Javed Akhtar
Countries that are not traditional destinations for immigrants allow new diaspo- Main Hoon Na (2004) starts and ends with two dramatic action sequences, but the
ras to develop their own cultural practices in a relative flexible way. Less visibility as heart of it is pure, complete and cheerful Bollywood entertainment. Director Farah
immigrant community could mean less hostility from the host society and fewer Khan pays careful attention to all the details – comedy, action, melodrama, costumes,
pre-established clichés. This situation gives new citizens the opportunity to manage songs (with Javed Akhtar’s lyrics and Anu Malik’s music), and the playful choreogra-
alternative strategies to negotiate their integration. phy with Shah Rukh Khan at the centre. Despite the highly political background story
Starting from these assumptions and looking at the Bollywood scene in Spain, my (Indo-Pakistani hostilities, peace negotiations, terrorist attacks etc.) the songs contin-
paper is focused on: 1) the way in which musical practices provide situations to ne- ue to be popular for their seemingly apolitical lyrics: for example the opening song,
gotiate concepts like “modern”, “traditional”, “own”, “authentic”, etc.; 2) how this prac- with the entire college cast out dancing, the title song Maĩ hū nā, Shah Rukh Khan
tices became for young Pakistanis an alternative way to display ethnicity and build with Susmita Sen in Tumhẽ Jo Maine Dekhā, the party song Gorī Gorī and finally the
their public image; and 3) the raising multikulti scene built around Bollywood dance qawwālī (Sufi devotional tune) Tumse Milke Dil Kā Jo Hāl, as a pop song in plastic
classes, parties and performances. Just a few years ago, Barcelona was included in a look. This paper will analyze the different poetic dimensions of the song lyrics in the
Shah Rukh Khan’s Tour and, at the same time, an informal and particular market has film, and highlight the role of Javed Akhtar as a major voice of SRK.
been growing and disseminating through neighbourhoods with a clear majority of
immigrant population coming from Asia. A discreet distribution net of video-clips,
films and music nests in telephone calling centres, food stores, hairdressing salons,
and all kind of stores managed by and oriented to migrants. Since that, Bollywood
provides both local bands and public a succesfull dance music sometimes performed
as an alternative sound to the cliché exploited by the World Music industry. My
research tries to explain how Bollywood offers them catchy rhythms and sophisti-
cated productions aimed at the body and touched by an exotic Orientalism and a
certain sense of global modernity.
20 21WORKSHOP PERFORMING GENDER (PART 1) | OCTOBER 1st
WORKSHOP PERFORMING GENDER (PART 1) | OCTOBER 1st
KAMALA GANESH KANCHANA MAHADEVAN SHRAYANA BHATTACHARYA
UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY
PROFESSOR READER
Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh –
SRK, Karan Johar and the Creation of “Bollywood” – Reflections on Masculinities, Movies
Beyond Diasporic Boundaries and Matrimony from Rampur, India
The emergence of the term “Bollywood” to denote the Hindi film industry has loosely It is the attempt of this paper to explore the idealised notions of masculinity embed-
coincided with a transformation of its iconic vocabulary from an emphasis on the ded in male iconography, seen through the eyes of poor female home based embroi-
macho, violent and angry young man to a more soft and meterosexual hero oper- dery workers in rural Uttar Pradesh, India. Conversations suggest that the creation
ating amidst the emotional landscape of romantic and family relationships. This of the notional ideal male relies heavily on Indian film and Shah Rukh Khan appears
change has also marked the “crossover” moment when Bollywood films have gone as a constant benchmark by which masculinity is defined by the single and married
global, with serious competition being given to viewers in India by diasporic as well women interviewed. Paid work allows these women the space, social networks and
as non-Indian audiences abroad. financial resources to access their favourite movie star and their preferred form of en-
If the roles and persona of SRK are the symbols of this transformatory moment, tertainment – a new phenomenon viewed with suspicion by elders and male mem-
then Karan Johar best exemplifies the producer and director who has enabled it. Jo- bers of the community. The paper shall highlight how such interaction with film icons
har has become known for exploring the Indian family through a technically skilled through greater dispersion of communication technologies results in women making
treatment, with the conventional accoutrements of Bollywood glamour in terms of consistent attempts to incorporate expectations and understanding of “maleness/
song, dance, costume, location, etc. while simultaneously interrogating the “givens” mardangi” in their fathers, brothers and husbands; and explores why SRK emerges as
of traditional Indian “family values”. Thus via a conventional glossy surface, he has an ideal male for the community of women interviewed.
conveyed what are in the Indian context startling and radical interpretations. He has During field work conducted between August 2006 and September 2007 in Rampur
softened and sugar coated his messages through the medium of SRK’s persona, his for a project associated with social protection for home based workers, initiated by
charisma and his popularity. Karan Johar and SRK – the glossy radical and the quint- UNIFEM, SEWA and ISST in Uttar Pradesh, 22 semi structured interviews with women
essential meterosexual – share a strong professional and personal bond even though engaged in appliqué work and a district survey of 175 households provide further
each has worked with others. insights into women’s conception of the masculine and the role Indian film stars such
The paper explores the dynamics and synergy of their work together and its signifi- as Shah Rukh Khan play in the creation and vocalisation of these concepts and expec-
cance in the creation of global Bollywood. tations within lived experiences of community and marital relations.
22 23SCREENING AND ART PRESENTATION | OCTOBER 1ST
WORKSHOP PERFORMING GENDER (PART 1) | OCTOBER 1st
HANNA KLIEN MEHRU JAFFER HASNAIN
UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA, WRITER, LECTURER
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA, WEBSTER UNIVERSITY
PHD CANDIDATE
Reinventing East Indian Masculinity:
Female Shah Rukh Khan Fans in Trinidad
and the Idea of a Globalized “Indianness” Mr. Khan Vienna Loves You (Documentary)
This paper is based on a reception study of Hindi films in Trinidad and focuses on the Date of Completion: July, 2010
role Shah Rukh Khan plays in the renegotiation of female identities in the younger Language: English, German and Hindi (with English subtitles)
generations of the Indo-Trinidadian community. The actor is often seen as “mediat- Duration: 45 minutes
ing signifier”, bridging the local and the global as well as diaspora and homeland in
the context of NRI and Indian audiences. As Hindi films have always been a primary In 2005 after RTL II, a German television channel, aired the first Bollywood film star-
identity marker of East Indians (a term used to differentiate between Trinidadians of ring Shah Rukh Khan it opened a whole new world to viewers in central Europe. Many
Indian ancestry and others) in Trinidad and were used to imagine the ‘homeland’, it is found the sights and sound of India incredible on screen but for others it was love at
not surprising that the younger generation draws on the big star of contemporary In- first sight with Shah Rukh Khan, Mumbai’s biggest matinee idol.
dian film as a symbol of a globalized and modern “Indianness’” It is especially young Mr. Khan Vienna Loves You is an intimate journey into the home and heart of those in
women who use the star image as well as contemporary Hindi film in general, to re- love with Shah Rukh Khan in the Austrian capital. This independent documentary brings
negotiate existing gendered identities. Shah Rukh Khan fans also known as Shah Rukhis under one roof to talk about their re-
To understand the new notions of East Indian masculinity constructed by female au- spective fascination with the Indian actor. They come from diverse walks of life but are
diences in Trinidad, it is important to give an overview of the existing male gender united in admiration for their favourite Bollywood movie star from another continent
roles. It is mainly in opposition to male stereotypes such as the wife-beating alcoholic, and culture. Similar to fans of a football team or of a rock star, Shah Rukhis are show-
the penny-pinching businessman or the idle Chutney singer that young women cased laying the foundation of a thriving subculture in the very heart of Europe.
form ideas of what they desire in a man. Mostly, the evolving ideal corresponds with Mr. Khan Vienna Loves You gives insight into a world of love created by Shah Rukhis for
the urge to be liberated from patriarchal repression. However, this does not mean themselves. The documentary is an invitation by some fans into their apartment that
embracing Western ideas of femininity, feminism and emancipation. The female are converted into museums, displaying memorabilia collected over half a decade.
identities these women seek to establish clearly mark their East Indian origin, when Travel with Shah Rukhis across continents in the hope of a hug from Shah Rukh Khan
long nourished images of “Indian” traditions are applied and at the same time con- and a photograph with him. Party with Shah Rukhis, listen to them emote of the time
solidated with values of a consumption oriented, global culture. Consequently, ideas when Shah Rukh Khan spent three days in Vienna during the 2008 world cup football
and images of marriage, love, family life and sexuality allow valid conclusions as to tournament and participate in discussions about the academic research in progress
what this new “Indianness” might be. on Shah Rukh Khan at the University of Vienna.
This is the story of dozens of fans of Shah Rukh Khan. More importantly the docu-
mentary is about love for a movie star who fills the life of his fans with the colourful
culture of India.
24 25SCREENING AND ART PRESENTATION | OCTOBER 1ST
PLENARY SESSION 2 | OCTOBER 1ST
ANNA MANDEL ANUSTUP BASU
GERMAN SCULPTRESS AND PAINTER UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH: ENGLISH AND CINEMA STUDIES
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Shah Rukh Khan and Hindi Cinematic Melodrama
The Light in the Dark of the Baroque Kind
Before I knew anything about Hindi cinema my paintings were movement turned This paper theorizes the Shah Rukh Khan phenomenon of the early nineties as “ba-
into colour, floating colour, depth and light, like my sculptures are movement turned roque” entity that transformed certain melodramatic structures of the post-inde-
into form. pendence classical Hindi film. I am proposing “baroque” here in the Benjaminian
Then I found a different kind of light: sense, as expression of unremitted desire. In early signature films like Baazigar/The
I saw “Veer Zaara” and my world changed. From then on in my paintings fragments Player (Abbas Mastaan, 1992) and Darr/Fear (Yash Chopra, 1992) the Khan persona
of some stories emerge amidst the colours. For some beholders the stories are read- was a schizophrenic rewriting of the conventional Hindi cinema hero that went with
able, for others not. the irreverent winds of globalisation. The charisma and allure of Khan thus lay in its
Painting on canvas or beech wood I try to transfer something told in the medium of harboring and schizoid display of desires (for women, for money) that could not be
light and movement into the solid medium of paints. named in an erstwhile patriarchal order defined, from competing directions, by a
Not only to keep the displayed emotions, but to let them become one’s own. parsimonious Gandhian anti-modern agrarianism and a “protected” Nehruvian indus-
The presentation will talk about the evocation of emotions, the colours of voices, trial socialism. The spectacle generated by the cinematic assembling of the faithful
about movement and its transformation into light. wife, the psychotic villain, and a mise-en-scene of transnational consumerism, tour-
ism and lifestyle in Darr therefore remains an obstinate expression of unremitted de-
sire. That is, a perverse, but much more “enticing” spectacle of consuming the female
in the high tides of globalisation. This body of affects can neither be mitigated nor
absolved by a formal coming together of the subject, unity, and law when the vil-
lain receives his terminal punishment. They leave a powerful residue in death, potent
enough to blast the continuums of the very protectionist totalities (the welfare state,
the feudal joint family) that kill the charismatic wrong doer. The obsession in Darr is
that forbidden delirium that precedes the arrival of a planetary neo-liberal order. It is
a stylized, hyperbolic presentation of a new credo of individualism that had already
made its historical entry in an opened out India. Khan’s orphan persona’s psychosis is
an ensemble of male desires for money, recognition, goods, women, and power that
are retailed and yet to be named. He is fascinating precisely because between the
stammer in Khan’s acting and the dying smile of the maniacal stalker, he has already
announced the irresistible arrival of a community of sons that are demanding a new
covenant from the fathers of old: the Nehruvian state, as well as the agrarian feudal
class. In doing so, it demands a new sacred name for what was the profane.
26 27PLENARY SESSION 2 | OCTOBER 1ST
PLENARY SESSION 2 | OCTOBER 1ST
ZAWAHIR SIDDIQUE ARADHANA SETH
MS RAMAIAH INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, BANGALORE VIENNA
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR PRODUCTION DESIGNER, ART DIRECTOR, FILMMAKER
Shah Rukh Khan: A Journey of Conquering The Don’s World:
Human Hearts Across Continents Designing the Milieu of Shah Rukh Khan
The glory Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) has achieved in over two decades is a mystery that Production Design is the art of envisioning and manifesting the context in which
his critics and fans find difficult to explain. With a single minded determination he characters come to life on the silver screen. Expected to simultaneously build the
has achieved one victory across continents: conquest of human hearts. persona, the style, and the characters that inhabit the design, as well as literally fade
This paper attempts to explore different layers of SRK’s enigmatic personality. into the background so that the story, action and stars can occupy the foreground,
As a middle class Indian Muslim, SRK followed the path of Dara Shikoh, believing Production Design is an art that has morphed over time in Indian Cinema.
in cultural synthesis. He married a Hindu and encouraged his children to learn the Using the marker of the film Don, first produced in the 1970s with India’s then super-
message of Bhagwat Gita, Quran and Bible. His clean personal life only added to the star, Amitabh Bachchan, and then remade post-2000 with India’s current reigning su-
glamour of his stardom. perstar Shah Rukh Khan, we will explore the changes in stage architecture from Don
As a successful businessman, his business acumen and people management skills are (1978) to Don (2006).
essential lessons for any business school worldwide. The presentation is centered on the creation of the world that surrounds
As a producer, his uncompromising commitment to portray himself as a creative pro- Shah Rukh Khan’s contemporary Don. The creation of his headquarters, his home and
ducer and not a commercial producer attributes to his success in making movies like the design choices that inhabit his world will be discussed, as will the choices made
Asoka and Phir Bhi Dil He Hindustani embedded with powerful social messages de- to contrast the good, working class Vijay character, and a discerning Don, as conver-
spite commercial setbacks. sant with the value of stolen world art as he is with guns.
As an actor, SRK dared to redefine the landscape of acting lessons. His success came Of particular interest is the interplay between Shah Rukh Khan’s global superstar im-
from connecting to his audience and the camera was only a mere medium in his mis- age and the design of the Don character in the 2006 film which presents a global-
sion. It is not a coincidence that he is known to be the “powerhouse of energy” in the ized, slickly produced 21st century India. Don of the 1970s tacks between the streets
industry. He used his energy, emotional connectivity, and mesmerizing voice as three of Churchgate and the Filmistan sets of Bombay, generating a character rooted in the
indispensible ingredients of his acting skills. His fans are not concerned about con- visual life of the city. The present-day Don exhibits an ease in moving between the
ventional acting skills as long as they feel he can connect and energize. Champs Elysees in Paris, the Cable Car in Lagkawi, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lum-
As the Brand Icon of India, SRK has also managed to connect with the masses pur, as well as returning to the streets of Mumbai, and singing on the sets of Film
through his favorite medium: television. Daniel Goleman’s ground breaking book on City. The film in a sense becomes a microcosm of global Bollywood and the increas-
emotional intelligence creating waves in the 1990s coincided with the journey of a ingly far flung reaches of Shah Rukh Khan’s cosmopolitan, globe-trotting existence
successful icon whose emotional intelligence is unparalleled. and popularity.
28 29SCREENING | OCTOBER 1ST
WORKSHOP STARDOM AND GLOBALISATION | OCTOBER 2nd
SANDEEP KUMAR ROBERT RINTOULL
VIENNA COPENHAGEN UNIVERSITY
DIRECTOR DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, GERMAN AND ROMANCE LANGUAGES
PHD CANDIDATE
Kesariya Balam – Love Knows no Limits Shah Rukh Khan and his Leading Ladies:
(2010, Austria/India) Star Images and Globalisation
Billed as the first Austrian Bollywood film, this is Vienna Bollywood-style, reflecting This paper will focus on globalisation and SRK’s star image, viewed predominantly
the opulence and splendour of the city, and its kitsch. Indian born Director Sandeep through the eyes of his leading heroines: Kajol, Ashwairya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, Preity
Kumar has done a Raj Kapoor of sorts by being producer, director and lead actor of Zinta and Rani Mukherjee, in films such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Devdas, Kabhi Alvida
a film titled “Kesariya Balam”. The storyline of “Kesariya Balam” is also of typical Bol- Naa Kehna, Veer Zaara and Khabie Khushi Khabie Gham. In this paper, I will discuss
lywood style with separation and reincarnation added as twists. The movie has cross- how the role of the traditional Indian woman both affirms SRK’s super-star status, and
references to Shah Rukh Khan and films like Om Shanti Om, Aaja Nachale, Dhoom etc. helps to act as an acceptable transformative bridge for transcultural processes with-
The filmmaker also happens to be Shah Rukh Khan’s schoolmate. in the strict demarcations of Hindu and Moslem socio-religious traditions. Through
This is Sandeep Kumar’s first feature film, but he has won several awards for short relevant examples from the aforementioned films, I will argue that without the star
films made by him in the past. This feature film is getting rave reviews in Austria and presence of these extraordinarily talented women, and their ability to translate mo-
the Austrian newspaper headlines term the film as “Indian Magic in Vienna” and “Love dernity and tradition for both an Indian (home) audience and an overseas diaspora
Without Borders”. This acceptance for Bollywood movies seems to be the trend in audience, SRK’s ability to cross East/West global barriers would be far less effective.
Austria which will just continue to grow in the future.
Kesariya Balam is a non-commercial venture dedicated to increase awareness of Bol-
lywood style films in German speaking Europe.
30 31WORKSHOP STARDOM AND GLOBALISATION | OCTOBER 2nd
WORKSHOP STARDOM AND GLOBALISATION | OCTOBER 2nd
ARYA AMIR PRIYADARSHINI SHANKER
UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
THEATRE AND FILM STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF CINEMA STUDIES
PHD CANDIDATE PHD CANDIDATE
Star Gazing via Documentary: Shah Rukh Khan’s
My Own Private Shah Rukh Khan: Chasing an Image Stardom in The Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan
Bombay films do not just reflect, but also engage self-confidently in the public In closely examining the second part of the documentary film The Inner/Outer
discourse about a star´s image/text. By the predominantly narrative reading of World of Shah Rukh Khan (Nasreen Munni Kabir, 2005), namely The Outer World of
Om Shanti Om (2007, dir. Farah Khan) and Billu Barber (2009, dir. Priyadarshan) – Shah Rukh Khan, this paper proposes to demonstrate how the documentary film can
Shah Rukh Khan starring in both films – I try to examine the elements within these serve as a meaningful and contradictory though somewhat paradoxical cultural text
films that constitute in particular Shah Rukh Khan´s image construction, star text ne- for the construction of the star image. The documentary film (beyond the obvious list
gotiation, respectively. of media texts that participate in the subsidiary forms of star circulation) is a much
In regards to star text construction the two aforementioned films are particularly in- ignored and under-studied text within star studies and this paper aspires to make a
teresting, because both films pick this topic – though in different ways – plot-wise modest intervention in this regard.
up. Intertextuality and self-referentiality being prominent features of Bombay films The paper attempts to ask how does the documentary film The Outer World of
in general, in these films they are deployed in a distinguished way to reinforce Shah Rukh Khan inflect Shah Rukh Khan’s stardom? Briefly taking into account the
Shah Rukh Khan´s star text. By approximating the structured polysemy in the sense terms of the analysis, star and stardom, in the field of cinema studies, the paper pri-
of Richard Dwyer of his image and by taking a closer look at how these two films ap- marily argues that the dynamism of Kabir’s film lies in attempting to articulate the in-
proach and present the star text, I will show the range of possibilities that films them- stability and the contradictions inherent in the star image of Shah Rukh Khan through
selves have to construct such a star text, thus the means of films themselves to high- showcasing the “on-stage” and “off-stage” schism amidst the chaos of a public-perfor-
light the star text. The focus is hereby to provide an insight into the relation of the mance, the stage show.
formal presentation of the star text in the film to the star text in the diegesis of the The paper further argues that in doing so the documentary while recognizing the
film. This focus will be additionally, but just broadly, informed by reception research duality of the star image, as sustained by a public-private contrast, also reverses it.
on Bombay film audience and meta-fictional communication, e.g. discussions in fan More broadly, I ask what do we gain by including the discussion of the documentary
magazines, reviews etc., which shape the construction process of a star text as well. within the range of cultural and media texts that we already acknowledge as valid
Furthermore, by suggesting that the star text is a main “arena“ in which filmic and tools for analysis of the star image within star studies? Further, does the introduc-
non-filmic/diegetic and non-diegetic elements condense, I argue that it is here that tion of the documentary form within star studies enable us to complicate the terms
they reach the potential to become evident and readable. Given the line of inquiry, of the debate around stars and stardom? Finally the paper examines the paradox of
Richard Dyer´s seminal work will be used as the point of departure to stimulate ques- the documentary under discussion. With the involvement of “Hyphen Films”, “Chan-
tions of Bombay films mediation of the star text. nel 4”, “Red Chillies Entertainment” and “Eros International” the film itself covertly par-
ticipates in the creation and the circulation of the star image that it intends to de-
construct thus serving as an attendant star text to be consumed by the Bollywood
enthusiast at home and abroad.
32 33WORKSHOP STARDOM AND GLOBALISATION | OCTOBER 2nd
WORKSHOP STARDOM AND GLOBALISATION | OCTOBER 2nd
HUMA DAR SUNERA THOBANI
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF SOUTH & SOUTH EAST ASIANSTUDIES CENTRE FOR WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES
PHD CANDIDATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Outing the King: At Home in the World? Shah Rukh Khan
Global Bollywood and its Muslim Closet and the Politics of Trans-/National Belonging
This paper proposes that the very significant film, My Name is Khan (Dir: Karan Jo- In 1997, India celebrated the 50th Anniversary of its independence from British rule.
har, 2010), a star vehicle for Shah Rukh Khan, although narratively based mostly in Subhash Ghai’s Pardes, a patriotic film featuring the hugely successful song, “I love
the USA, has to be understood and theorized within and around the framework of My India”, was released in concurrence with the national(ist) celebrations held around
Shah Rukh Khan’s star narrative and the determining context of the Indian political the country. An instant hit in India, the film was also very successful abroad, espe-
scene along with that in the USA; global Bollywood emerging from Urdu-Hindi film cially in the US. One year later, Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se, a critique of the violence that
industry, and its transnational circuits of production, distribution, and consumption; underpins the Indian nation-state, was released. This film failed to do well in India,
and the global flow of these circuits of desire. Even prior to the Indian Partition in but received critical acclaim abroad and became the first Indian film to appear in the
1947, most Muslim artists had what Sa’adat Hasan Manto (1912–1955) mockingly top 10 box office charts in the UK. Shah Rukh Khan, the reigning Bollywood superstar,
called “shuddified” or Hinduized names – Dilip Kumar for Yusuf Khan, Madhubala starred in both films.
for Mumtaz Begum Jahan Dehlavi (1933–1969), Meena Kumari for Mahjabeen Bano This paper examines what Pardes and Dil Se reveal about the fraught politics of na-
(1932–1972) etc. At the contemporary moment, the biggest stars of the Urdu-Hin- tion, gender, transnationalism and diaspora in a globalizing world. Beginning with
di film industry in India are Khans: Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir, Saif Ali et al. It might a contextualization of the two films in their postcolonial location, the paper follows
therefore be tempting to conclude that there is indeed a level playing field. The ker- with an examination of the films’ markers of national belonging; representation of
fuffle around the film My Name is Khan however, provides ample evidence that the the ideal of “Indian” manliness in national and transnational spaces; and identification
playing field is far from level: the “Muslim name” carries a bonus – a fetishistic attrac- of particular forms of violence as corrupting of “Indian” values. The paper ends with a
tion – as well as an onus, and the two are intimately intertwined. discussion of the convergences and divergences in the two films’ constructions of the
In the era of permanent war, of declared and undeclared wars, on people, practices, heroic Indian male and the respectable Indian woman. Given that Shah Rukh Khan,
faith tradition, and languages, My Name is Khan, with all its transnational baggage, the “Indian” hero of both films, is a Muslim, and is read as such by many of his audi-
manages to depict with some sincerity, those deemed dispensable, less grievable, ences, the paper pays particular attention to the complex relation of the Muslim sub-
more precarious, inherently threatening; those whose racialization is produced and ject to the postcolonial Indian nation-state.
naturalized through the ethics (or lack thereof ) of war.
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