Cinema as a Cultural Mirror: Representation
of Society, Identity and Change in Contemporary Films
Dr. V. Vijaya Reka
Assistant Professor (SG) / English
Pavendar Bharathidasan College of Engineering and
Technology
SRM Bharathidasan Campus
Mathur, Pudukkottai
Tamil
Nadu,
India
Abstract: Media and cinema seem to be one of the most important in
the production of cultural narrative construction; in cultural narrative
construction the society constructs its own narrative, values, conflicts, and
aspirations. Cinema is a text of cultures and not only entertainment, because
it reflects society realities and it is also from it that ideas and perceptions
of identity and community are developed. Today's films, especially in the
interconnection of globalization and digitalization, have multiplied themes
related to the social justice, gender, caste, regional identity and cultural
change. This paper's intention is to explore culture reflected in cinema and
examines the representation of society in the films of the present time and how
cinema might bring about cultural changes and form of identities. It is
informed by cultural studies theory, namely Stuart Hall's theory of
representation, and Raymond Williams' concept of culture as a social process,
with regard to the selected films: Article 15 (23, 24 and 25 too), Jai Bhim,
The Great Indian Kitchen, Kantara and 12th Fail. The research method employed
is the method of text analysis by qualitative approach and film text analysis
that involves analysis of a film narrative, characters, symbols and cultural practices
that are found in the films. It is studied and proposed that the new film can
be regarded as two things; the film has already incorporated the
characteristics of the culture, and in the digital age, it has been proposed
that the film would be a strong means of producing social consciousness. The
results suggest a growing call into question of dominant narratives, greater
visibility of marginalized groups and change of traditional structures in the
face of increasing identity experiences manifested in a variety of ways through
film in the modern era. Cinema thus is not only a mirror of the culture, but
also a great medium for cultural dialogue and social change. According to Hall
(1997), representation is not a simple reflection of reality but a process of
constructing meaning. This study examines cinema as a cultural mirror and
explores how films influence cultural understanding. This study is
intended to provide an insight into the theme of the cinema and consider its
links with culture, identity and representation. It further examines the
cultural change facets within the framework of Indian cinema.
Keywords: Cinema, Cultural
Representation, Identity, Social Change, Contemporary Indian Films
1.
Introduction
Cinema
is today a meaningful cultural event in today's society. Since then, the movies
have influenced others' ideas of history, society, speculation of
relationships, and identity. Cinema plays a crucial role in culture, and serves
as unique, multi-sensory and language-based medium of communication compare to
other communication ways. It's not just a piece of fiction – it's a film.
Reflects social, political and cultural circumstances of its time of
manufacture. The clothing worn by the character equals the social values and
issues they face, their language, their environment and setting within which
they live is reflected in their dress. Cinema, then, seems to be a marker of
its culture, a culture that is a product of people's experiences as
communities. Therefore, cinema is a cultural document and the documentation of
their experiences as communities.
Culture
is not a static system, but is a dynamic process that is ongoing. These include
practices, identities and beliefs and traditions. Cinema is also a part of this
process, creating culture memory, and assigning new meanings to social life.
The situation between culture and the cinema has become more intricate in the
modern world. Films today are produced and watched all over the world, and, one
of the main reasons of its change in production and presentation is the use of
globalizations, migration, improvement in technology and digital media. Today
the world sees the diversity of the storytelling process of cinema, in which
various regions of the country, languages, communities etc. are represented.
Many
of these changes have occurred over the last few decades too, and this is
evidenced by the shift from idea of stereotype to that of realistic and more
encouraging imagery of various characters which were depicted in films. Many of
the recent movies focus on discrimination based on castes, gender issues,
social status and indigenous traditions and the environment. This aspect of
India's cultural change is well exemplified in the Indian cinema. Due to the
geographical and linguistic and cultural differences there are multiple social
realities across the various/filed films in India. Modern Indian films take a
step toward transcending the entertainment norm and to address the social
questions.
While
Jai Bhim and Article 15 highlight social injustice and inequality, The Great
Indian Kitchen takes up the theme of social inequality as it targets the role
and gender of the home. The films on Kantara are about culture, cultural
identity and cultural traditions; and those from 12th Fail show a reflection on
aspirations and problems in the field of education and social mobility. These
films would be called as the reflective of the real, but they are not. These
films are also the illustrations of the fact as film is not just a reflection
of the real. It additionally, affects the way in which various others equip
cultural practices and social connections. A film can reinforce or change
stereotypes or perceptions or can create meaning for the new, or can do all
three. Cinemas, therefore, are looked upon as mirror of culture in the present
research which focuses on the role of cinema as a mirror of the culture and how
it reflects the social conditions and how it expresses a part of identifying
and evolving within cultural framework.
2.
Literature Review
There
have been many studies of the cinema's relationship to culture in cultural
studies, media studies and film theory. Folk Literacy scholars have argued that
movies are precisely as uninfected as entertainment; they are cultural
materials for which meaning is created. Social/cultural dimension: Cinema and
Cultural representation (2.1)
Stuart
Hall's (1997) representation theory is an important theory for the
understanding of cinema. Hall claims that representation does not mirror
reality but rather it works as a means of constructing meanings. In the realm
of media, the film is one means of constructing an interpretation of the world
using images and narratives. Here, instead, films (and other media) are not
simply representations of social identities but constructions of them. There is
an impact of representation of characters on the audience understanding social
groups.
For
instance, the depiction of smaller communities in the modern films varies in
several respects from the characters in past stereotype films. Today's movies
tend to show lost characters complex and complex and emotionally realized.
2.1 Film as Social Practice
As
per Turner (2009) cinema should be incorporated into the social practice in
relationship with the cultural system. Films come out of specific history/s and
are therefore associated with particular cultural values.
Cinema
reflects:
• Social Values,
• Political Concerns,
• Cultural Traditions,
• Historical Experiences.
The
film is thus a product of art and culture. Individuals' identities are shaped
by film. Film affects the process of identity formation. Social interaction and
cultural experience are the ways in which identity is formed. Cultural
theorists portray identity as a process of being formed or re-constructed.
Today's
movies are covering the themes of identity, including:
• Individual Freedom,
• Community Belonging,
• Gender Roles,
• Cultural Traditions,
• Social Struggles.
Films
offer viewers the chance of recognizing other experiences as well as
re-thinking more commonly taken-for-granted beliefs.
2.2:
Indian Cinema and social change.
Films
have always had a great importance in the representation of social change in
India. Previous productions tended to explore more themes of family, love and
patriotism. But today's films have been made more inclusive and are featuring
social injustice, individual hardships, and cultural differences. The study of
the Indian cinema in recent times draws attention to the growing inclusion of
the marginalised and regional storylines of cinema. The Google generation is
driving the new storytelling ways through digital platforms.
3. Conceptual Framework: Cinema as Cultural Mirror Model
This
is a theoretical model which outlines the development of cinema from society
and how cinema influences society through cultural interpretation.
4.
Representation of Society in Contemporary Cinema: A Critical Analysis
Modern
cinema is constantly exposing the social situation of the twenty first century,
taking up modes that directly touch to human experiences. Today's directors
care more about dealing with everyday people, social issues, cultural
conflicts, and the notion of identity. The chosen films illustrate the way that
the cinema functions as a representational field of social reality and a
negotiation of cultural meanings.
4.1
Social Justice and Marginalized Identity: Jai Bhim (2021)
Jai
Bhim
showcases the connection between Social Justice, Human Rights and films in
Tamil. The film Jai Bhim is a representation of the film-Cinema, Social Justice
and Human Rights in Tamil. Based on true events that occurred with the ordeal
of an injustice faced by an individual of a tribal community in institutional
settings. This film educates on narrative of marginalized communities in a
movie format away from stereotype. In this movie, the marginalised communities
are portrayed away from their stereotype. Previous portrayals tended to portray
oppressed groups as passive victims. However, Jai Bhim depicts marginalised
people as humans with dignity, resistance and power.
The
film explores:
•
Institutional Discrimination
•
Social Exclusion
•
Struggle for Justice
•
Human Dignity.
The
emphasis of character representation is that one's identity might not only be
personal experiences but also related to social structure. The film illustrates
the impact of cultural systems on opportunities, recognition and experiences of
belonging. Given the cultural studies approach, the film disrupts the grain of
the dominant narratives, giving voice to the marginalized voices. It turns
cinema into a means for socially aware audience to be critical towards
inequality. The importance of Jai Bhim is that it is linking one's personal
suffering with social questions in general. What the film reflects is not
injustice as a personal but cultural/institutional issue.
4.2
Caste, Law, and Social Structure: Article 15 (2019)
In Article
15, caste discrimination and social inequality are examined with the help
of a criminal case. Through the film, the topic of social stratification and
its implications on interpersonal relations and justice in society will be
explored. The title itself is a reference to equality, as is encoded in the
constitution, and gives the law its social referential link.
The
film highlights:
●
Caste-Based
Discrimination,
●
Social
Privilege,
●
Inequality,
●
Ethical
Responsibility.
The
story embodies the difference of what it means to be in this world and what it
means to be in the Constitution. It provides insight to the ways that social
identities impact people's lived experiences. It also explores the role of the
privileged segments of society in the film. The journey of the protagonist is
an insight into some of the social inequalities that are concealed. Through
these stories, the cinema has already played a part in the discourse on justice
and equality in the culture in general. Films can elicit public involvement and
interest by framing social issues through an emotional story.
4.3 Gender, Domestic Space, and Cultural Expectations: The Great Indian Kitchen (2021)
=
Contemporary
film study of one of the most important is gender representation. The Great
Indian Kitchen is a Malayalam film that explores gender roles in home. The
movie primarily emphasizes on the normal life of a woman after her marriage. It
does not employ dramatic conflicts to show ordinary routines and activities
like cooking, cleaning and family work. This way, it becomes clear how cultural
expectations get normalised over time and on a daily basis.
The
film questions:
●
Unequal
Domestic Labour,
●
Patriarchal
Traditions,
●
Gender
Expectations,
●
Limitations
on Women’s Freedom.
The
kitchen becomes symbolic to the traditional culture and gender inequality. The
film illustrates with this symbolism the impact of social structures on
individual identity. Realism is what gives the film its importance. It
reengages audiences in a fresh perspective of common and accepted elements of
nature and culture.
4.4
Indigenous Culture and Tradition: Kantara (2022)
Kantara takes a different approach
to cultural representation, juxta paling the cultural history, local beliefs,
and the community/nature connection.
The
film discusses the relationships between:
●
Cultural
Rituals,
●
Ancestral
Knowledge,
●
Environment,
●
Community
Identity.
Local
traditions are represented, however, and this is an antipattern to allowing
traditional practices to be outdated by modernity. Instead, the film proposes
that the cultural patterns prevail in current identities. The narrative
accentuates the role of cultural memory. Rituals and folklore symbolically
become the ways of transmitting and maintaining a community's history and
collective identity. The movie also poses questions on the correlation between
development and cultural safeguard. It is a reflection of worries amongst
several communities disenfranchised by modernisation of their practices.
4.5
Education and Social Mobility: 12th Fail (2023)
12th
Fail is
an education trailblazer that can realize a personal growth and social
transformation. The movie concentrates on the problems of a gloomy youth from a
hard-up family attempting to get to the top.
The
film explores:
●
Dreams
And Aspirations,
●
Economic
Challenges,
●
Social
Mobility,
●
Determination.
In
place of merely academic performance, education is symbolized as a source of
hope and empowerment as a culture. The movie dispels notions of success being a
matter of privilege. Rather, it emphasizes the three factors, opportunity,
perseverance, and social support. This portrayal tells the story of the
changing attitudes in the modern age towards education and ambition within
modern society.
5.
Findings of the Study
The
analysis shows that there are some important findings:
1.
Cinema Reflects Social Realities
●
Modern
films depict true social problems such as inequality, discrimination of gender,
conflicts over culture, identity etc. issues.
●
The
Cinema is a tool to record culture as it reflects what happens to different
Communal groups.
2.
Cinema Shapes Cultural Understanding
●
Films are not
only an accurate depiction of reality but instruments that shape the interpretation
of an audience.
●
People and
groups (depictions) impact on how cultures are perceived.
3.
Contemporary Cinema Challenges Stereotypes
●
There is
increasing shift from traditional stereotyped characters in recent movies to a multiplicity
of characters that represent a variety of backgrounds and come across with
complexities.
●
The
representation of marginalised communities is visible and has more influence.
4.
Regional Cinema Preserves Cultural Diversity
●
The regions'
films play a vital role in promoting the preservation of local culture, local language,
local traditions, and local social life.
●
They question the
supremacy of a narrow cultural discourse.
5.
Cinema Functions as an Agent of Change
●
The film brings
in topics of social problems that can be discussed and a situation that creates
awareness about changing culture.
●
They have the
potential to shape the attitudes towards issues of equality and justice and identity.
6.
Discussion
The study
validates cinema's status as an ‘image of culture' and ‘producer of culture'.
The chosen picture(s) illustrate that film narratives are derived from social
realities but that they can also affect these social realities. The
shooting-as-a-cultural-mirror aspect of film appears to assume cultural
significance, given that it captures collective experiences. They observe
social situations and cultural activities, and record historical events. But
the role of cinema as a transformation is also the transformative role. Movies
offer a form of representation and voiceless voice for previously unrecognized
and unreported experiences. In the modern cinema, inclusiveness has set in.
Previously covering minor or disappearing topics, topics are now the main themes.
There has been a rise in regional film and digital platforms which have given
opportunities for multiple voices.
Today readers
and viewers do not only find stories in their familiar cultural context, but in
a variety of other contexts. Representation must be examined critically,
however, along with being shown. FILMS are produced by a person/s with a
specific point-of-view and so the representation always has an element of
interpretation. When it comes to cinema and stereotypes, you might think of the
possibility of breaking them but also you cannot hold possibility of
reproducing them. So, a viewer's need to critically watch a film, as a cultural
artifact and not a true reflection of reality.
7.
Conclusion
Cinema
continues to be one of the most potent forms of culture that can paint the
specifics of a society. Modern movies, as they are often referred to, show how
film can not only be an entertainer but also a place of cultural expression, of
social critique, as well as an environment of identity formation. Jai Bhim,
Article 15, The Great Indian Kitchen, Kantara, 12th Fail is an analysis of how
these films show different and conflicting aspects of society such as
inequalities, gender, tradition, education and cultural identity. These movies
demonstrate the double role celluloid plays. It challenges the assumption that
we should not question, it helps to create a change in social anatomy and it
highlights social realities. Cinema is still evolving as a medium for a
multitude of stories in a world where globalization and digital transformation
have become an integral part, both in the world of cinema and in society
itself. It helps to bring some communities to light and offers chances for new
cultural dialogues.
Cinema is
therefore a mirror of culture which reflects only society; but as well as
reflecting society, it helps to form it and its future.
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