Bollywood as a work of (postmodern) art: the cinema of Sanjay Leela Bhansali

This paper draws on postmodern film theory (particularly Fredric Jameson’s concept of depthlessness, Jean Baudrillard’s work on hyperrealism, and Scott Lash’s study of figural aesthetics) in order to challenge the way in which popular Indian cinema aesthetics have traditionally been evaluated and defined. Mapping a concise history of Indian film criticism, I expose a tendency in this critical literature to devalue the form and style of more popular Indian films in favour of serious realist texts, thus projecting an image of Indian film which better conforms to values assigned by Western tastes and models of “good” world cinema. In order to undo this collective censure of Bollywood films, I offer an analysis of contemporary Bollywood which reveals its inherent postmodern traits. As a case study, I analyse the formal style of the films of popular director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, with particular reference to his 2002 film Devdas . By drawing parallels between the films’ own aesthetics and the form and style of ancient Indian miniature paintings (visual barrage, layered image compositions, colour saturation, amplification) I explain how Bollywood conveys a style and meaning akin to postmodern art. Furthermore, building on Laura Mark’s work on synaesthesia, I explain how Bhansali’s films employ a sensory palate which elicits a unique emotional response from their intended audience, yet are evaluated as flawed or amateur filmmaking and often condemned as ‘vulgar excess’. Bhansali’s films are reframed as prime examples of a significant postmodern movement emerging from within mainstream Indian cinema. Indian film educators are urged to rethink the way we traditionally assign value to Bollywood texts. Postmodern theory can help illuminate the complexity behind the style and form of even the most populist examples of Indian cinema, thus avoiding the mistake of simply dismissing these films as “crass mindless entertainment”.