Date of Award
Winter 3-19-2018
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Media and Cinema Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Luisela Alvaray
Second Advisor
Dr. Michael DeAngelis
Abstract
Few studies have examined how the changing landscape of cultural production in India shapes the negotiation of religious and national identities onscreen in an increasingly integrated media environment. This dissertation explores the representation and reception of three crossover stars in India: Ali Zafar, Fawad Khan, and Mahira Khan. These stars embody a new global imaginary for Pakistan that contradicts the ghettoized depictions of Pakistan as a terrorist state that continue to be perpetuated in both India and the West. What does it mean to be a Pakistani star in India, and which ‘identity’ takes precedence in popular discourse – national or religious, if any such distinction can be made? Pakistani crossover stars blur audiovisual boundaries between India, Pakistan and the West that problematize these questions of identity on multiple levels, a process mediated by globalization. At the same time, they expose conflicts over identity and belonging in an age when political nationalisms and global capitalism are colliding at an unprecedented rate.
Recommended Citation
Khdair, Dina, "Globalizing Pakistani Identity Across The Border: The Politics of Crossover Stardom in the Hindi Film Industry" (2018). College of Communication Master of Arts Theses. 31.
https://via.library.depaul.edu/cmnt/31