Parivaar aur Parampara (Family and Tradition): Cultural Issues in Contemporary Indian Film and TV Narratives

CASI Seminar
Dr. Shoma Munshi
Fellow, and International Representative (New Delhi), International Institute of Asian Studies
Annenberg School for Communication, Room 500, 3620 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Film and TV narratives in India are embedded within contradictions of social and economic inequalities on the one hand alongside a vast array of goods and services available in an increasingly liberalized economy on the other. The urban middle class are cosmopolitan ‘global’ citizens, with a marked pride in ‘Indian-ness’. Witness to increasing crime and corruption; they are equally fascinated by the myriad possibilities of desire and consumption. The most commonly accessed and visible navigation of these competing discourses occurs on the popular visual media situated at the heart of an impressive culture industry.

This paper is based on fieldwork over the past two years in the media industries as well as ethnographic research, against the backdrop of an increasing recognition of India as a global player in the opening years of the twenty-first century. It examines the space of family, conjugality and family values in contemporary popular film and TV narratives; and explores the urban dilemmas around futuristic aspirations on the one hand and cultural apprehensions on the other.

The Nand & Jeet Khemka Distinguished Lecture Series is an endowed public program of the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI). Launched in the 2007-08 academic year, and made possible through the generous support of the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation, the series brings renowned India specialists to the Penn community and serves as a critical forum for analyzing and understanding the complex economic, political, social, and cultural changes that the world’s largest democracy is experiencing, as well as the challenges that lie ahead.
The Saluja Global Fellows Program has been made possible by the generous gift from Vishal Saluja ENG’89 W’89. CASI was excited to launch the program during the 2022–23 academic year, coinciding with the Center’s 30th Anniversary. This new program enables CASI to invite eminent leaders and rising experts on contemporary India preferably from the fields of media, culture, law, and contemporary history to be in residence for one to two weeks at CASI.