Indian Cinema, Bollywood, Film Studies, South Asia, Media Research Papers (original) (raw)

In academic discussions, every time we talk of the adoption of the American Dream, we mostly assume a tone of disapproval and contempt, for, theoretically such a practice or rather phenomenon further strengthens and remarkably stabilizes the hegemonic control of the United States. Even if we begrudge globalization and censoriously name it neoimperialism, the common people are hardly critical of such a project. There’s no denial of the fact that subsequent to the economic liberalization, the standards of living have been raised. The common people, observes Gurcharan Das, “will any day put up with Coca-Cola and KFC if it means two square meals, a decent home and a job.” Cinema and television serials have since then acted as powerful stimulus to act accordingly, and have successfully created for Indians a new set of values, a new cultural icon in the clean-shaven, metrosexual hero in branded clothes, riding expensive cars and motorbikes, yet firmly rooted in traditions. Shah Rukh Khan or King Khan as he is nowadays widely known has had a significant contribution to the construction of this new image. Young India has extensively identified with or coveted to identify with this image, the emergence and concretization of which seemed increasingly commensurate with the changing nature of Indian economy and culture. An examination of some of Khan’s cult films, say from Darr to Rab Ne Banadi Jodi, would uncover a trajectory the dreams of young India has taken over a decade and a half. In doing so, the paper would also trace the gradual decline of this cultural icon perhaps best realized in the termination of his contract with Pepsi a few months back, and his dire need at this flagging point of his career, to simultaneously deconstruct (Rab Ne Banadi Jodi) and reconstruct (Billu) his image in the popular imagination. A later segment of the paper would focus primarily on Rab Ne Banadi Jodi, its subversion of the image of Shah Rukh Khan, the hero, the new concept of romantic love, and its relation to the schizophrenic middle class and its crazy quest of the hidden God of (late) capitalism, better known as ‘good life’ in everyday parlance.