Mutations in popular Hindi cinema a case study of production and consumption of 21st century blockbusters of Aamir Khan

Abstract

The present research project strives to undertake an analysis of Aamir Khan s blockbuster films of the new century Lagaan(2001), 3 Idiots (2009), PK (2014), Dangal(2016), Secret Superstar (2017) - to establish what constitutes his films and what the subsequent findings reveal about the process of cinematic production and cinematic viewing in popular Hindi cinema. Within the blockbuster phenomenon, the gridlock of economics, production process, and aesthetic choices are closely linked with consumption patterns. Hence, the films shall be analyzed based on their production model, aesthetic design, and celebrity quotient. Though other films will also be referenced in the project, a case study of Aamir Khan s films will be used as a springboard to gain insights into the current blockbuster phenomenon and the wider array of politics of popular Hindi cinema in order to map the mutations manifested in these films. In the cinematic space, a mutation becomes a changed way of representing, expressing, and subverting cinematic narratives by marking sites of evolution and adaptation through processes of translating, contemporizing, and developing a new language to convey the evolving zeitgeist of a changing nation and its people. In these blockbusters, there are discernable absences of certain elements known to be conventionally indispensable to commercial hits which create space for certain other presences . This presence of absences creates and caters to a whole new cultural narrative. Hence, these films represent a changing blockbuster phenomenon in popular Hindi cinema, the aspects of which can be found within the form, style, and production strategy of the film. This research study incorporates a case study that is based on the implementation of literary theories on film text. It is an analysis of the fusion of social realism and entertainment value and offers the inside into the aesthetic zeitgeist and production strategies that can be applied to understand the celebrity culture created by the films of Amir Khan.