Read more
This new history of partition and South Asian cinema is narrated through the careers of émigré film personnel, as well as through the distinctive genres and ancillary ventures that accompanied the aftershocks of partition. Moving beyond arguments about social contingency and political intent, the book suggests that the creative energies, production and subsequent circulation of popular cinema can offer fresh insights into partition. Pointing to regional connections across national boundaries, this book asserts that the cinemas of India and Pakistan must be explored in tandem to uncover the legacy of partition for the culture industries of the region, one that is not hewn out of national erasures. The leitmotifs of émigré personnel, gossip and satire in film print culture, the partisan repertoire of a theatre company, the film genres of the Muslim social, romantic comedies and charba (remakes), and the unruly film archives of postcolonial nation-states, when accessed through the lens of a divisive decolonization, reveal the parallaxes and confabulations of the 'national' on both sides.
List of contents
Introduction; 1. The All-India Ambitions of Lahore; Part I. The Secular Stance of Bombay: 2. 'Hindu Camera, Muslim Microphone': A Periodical and Two Memoirs; 3. The Stages of Partition: The Early Years of Prithvi Theatre; Part II. Between Bombay and Pakistan: 4. The Partition wish; 5. The Partition Romance; 6. The Partition Doppelgänger; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
About the author
Salma Siddique is a media historian and filmmaker by training. Born in Maiduguri, Nigeria, she grew up in Aligarh and New Delhi in India. She completed her PhD at University of Westminster, London and has been researching and teaching film and media in Germany since 2016.
Summary
This book will be of interest to students and scholars of South Asian history and popular culture. It examines partition's impact on cultural production, based on hard to access archives and collections situated in India, Pakistan, United Kingdom and the United States.
