COLLECTION NAME:
Graduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
A Comparative study on the depiction of South Asian Ethnicities in big budget Western films
Creator:
Deva, Akhil
Subject:
Thesis (M.F.A.) -- Film and Television
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Film and Television
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
"This thesis discusses the ever-present stereotypical portrayal of South Asian ethnicity in
Big Budget Western feature films since the inception of cinema until recent times. Considering
the tropes of gender, occupation, speech, and class, a comparative study is devised on how these
tropes, when addressed to South Asian ethnicities, have manipulated the attitudes of American
citizens towards Indian and other South Asian ethnicities. Focusing on four films as case studies,
The Party (1968) by Blake Edwards, Slumdog Millionaire (2008) by Danny Boyle, which
succumb to the stereotypical portrayals, in contrast to Mississippi Masala (1991) by Mira Nair,
Harold and Kumar go to White Castle (2004) by Danny Leiner, which broke through the
stereotypical representation of South Asian ethnicities."
Big Budget Western feature films since the inception of cinema until recent times. Considering
the tropes of gender, occupation, speech, and class, a comparative study is devised on how these
tropes, when addressed to South Asian ethnicities, have manipulated the attitudes of American
citizens towards Indian and other South Asian ethnicities. Focusing on four films as case studies,
The Party (1968) by Blake Edwards, Slumdog Millionaire (2008) by Danny Boyle, which
succumb to the stereotypical portrayals, in contrast to Mississippi Masala (1991) by Mira Nair,
Harold and Kumar go to White Castle (2004) by Danny Leiner, which broke through the
stereotypical representation of South Asian ethnicities."
Abstract:
*Includes the short film "Distant," directed by the author, which tells the story of a young illegal Indian immigrant in America and the cultural, economic, and personal challenges he faces as he dreams of returning to India and the dying mother he longs for
Abstract:
*Keywords: race, cinema, stereotype, ethnicity, India, Hollywood, film, South Asian
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia : Savannah College of Art and Design (Atlanta)
Date:
2019-11
Format:
PDF : 23 pages + 1 film (approximately 19 min.) : MP4, sound, color