Research News Last updated 08 July
A groundbreaking new book by a 探花直播 (BCU) researcher is calling for Bollywood to rethink its portrayal of certain castes in Indian culture.
Dalit Representations in Popular Hindi Cinema, by Dr Vishal Chauhan, is one of the first academic books to investigate the portrayal of the Dalits in popular Hindi cinema also known as Bollywood.
Indian society continues to follow a hierarchical caste system, with Dalits at the bottom. The group make up around聽22% of India鈥檚 population but are still referred to as 鈥渦ntouchables鈥�.
Traditionally, they have been segregated from the upper castes, do not get equal access to education or jobs, and are often victims of exploitation, abuse and violence.
A 2012 survey found that .
According to the National Crime Records Bureau of India,聽
鈥淒alits have been struggling against caste discrimination and violence for many years,鈥� said Dr Chauhan, from BCU鈥檚 School of English and Media.
鈥淭he dominant castes employ various strategies to justify caste hierarchy and its distinctions, including through media and cinema.鈥�
Hindi cinema remains a powerful and influential cultural medium in India.
- In 2019, ,
- In 2023,聽 - with Hollywood films accounting for just 9%.
Dr Chauhan says popular Hindi cinema still being used to reinforce stereotypes.
鈥淒alits are still represented in negative ways such as being intellectually inferior or relying on those in higher castes,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to expose the links between entertainment and power structures that defend and justify caste hierarchies and discrimination to campaign for better and more diverse representations and a more equal society.鈥�