Citation

Mezey JH. S. Asian Popul. Cult. 2018; 16(1): 29-49.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/14746689.2018.1455844

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The politically charged narrative of Mani Ratnam's 1998 thriller Dil Se focuses upon center-state tensions in India, as well on the conscription of women into the violence of those tensions as combatants and victims. By examining a series of interlinked questions about the film's narrative gaps, references to historical events, and female protagonist, I argue that Ratnam, through his adoption of a Bollywood idiom, attempts to fashion a visual and narrative vocabulary that addresses the appropriation of the female body as agent and object of state and insurgent violence, resulting in a series of cinematic compromises. Ultimately, although Dil Se's critique of the militarized Indian state does not fully sketch out India's political landscape or emphasize women's political agency, Ratnam's film acknowledges the destructive potential of ignoring such narratives that, for now, cannot be contained within a cinematic frame. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Language: en

Keywords

India; Bollywood; Center-state relations; Dil Se; female suicide terrorism; Mani Ratnam