“National cinema” in India: exploring myths and realities

Abstract

The idea of “national cinema” and its usage in common parlance in the world is not unknown as it often appears in academic and filmic discussions. However, its use especially in a multilingual country like India is questionable. India houses multiple film industries across different states distinguished by language and other features. But surprisingly, Hindi language cinema, or more popularly Bollywood, is referred to as the “national cinema of India.” This general conception of one language cinema (Hindi cinema) as the “national cinema of India,” both within the nation and outside, is grossly non-factual, unofficial, biased, and unfair. This commentary explores the misconception of Hindi cinema as the “national cinema of India” which is fluid in nature. It attempts to decipher popular arguments in the socio-political, and historical context of Indian cinema. The article tries to present arguments to counter the idea of one-language cinema (Hindi cinema) as the “national cinema of India,” and other languages cinema as regional cinema. It is under the milieu of language that the concept of national cinema and regional cinema in India needs to be analysed.