AP/HIST3799 3.0 M: History of India through Bollywood
Offered by: HIST
Session
Winter 2026
Term
W
Format
LECT
Instructor
Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite
The course centers on how Indian history has been represented in popular Hindi films since 1947 and the social and cultural dynamics that both shape and are, in turn, produced by these representations. It introduces students to major political, economic and social transformations in 20th century India, and analyses how these developments are reflected in popular cinema. In viewing Bollywood as a site of cultural production, the course traces the crucial role of Hindi cinema in framing popular understandings of the past and present and examines how these cinematic narratives are informed by India's postcolonial histories.
Course Start Up
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This course examines the cultural history of India through the lens of popular Hindi cinema. It focuses on how Indian history has been represented in popular Hindi films since 1947 and how these representations both shape and are, in turn, produced by broader social and cultural dynamics. Through this, the course introduces students to major political, economic and social transformations in 20th century India, and analyses how these developments are reflected in popular cinema. In viewing Bollywood as a site of cultural production, the course traces the crucial role of Hindi cinema in framing popular understandings of the past and present and examines how these cinematic narratives are informed by India’s postcolonial histories. In particular, it considers the multiple ways in which the idea of India (and its attendant politics, aspirations and fears) are articulated in mainstream Hindi film. While the course draws on Hindi films produced in India since the late 1940s, the historical moments depicted in the films themselves may range from the precolonial or colonial period to more contemporaneous times.
Tentative reading list: Ganti, Tejaswini. Bollywood: A guidebook to popular Hindi
cinema. Routledge, 2004
Films: Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenga, dir. Aditya Chopra, 1995
Tentative evaluation:
Participation: 20%
Reflective journal: 20%
Midterm: 20%
Presentation: 20%
Final exam: 20%
On completion of the course students will:
1. Gain an understanding of major historical developments in 20 century India
2. Be able to explain the significance of Bollywood as a lens to understand Indian history
3. Learn how to assess secondary literature and appreciate key concepts in the history and politics of Hindi films and of popular culture, more broadly.
4. Learn how to evaluate and interpret films as a historical source
5. Acquire skills in scholarly writing and argumentation through oral and written assignments
- Academic Honesty
- Student Rights and Responsibilities
- Religious Observance
- Grading Scheme and Feedback
- 20% Rule
No examinations or tests collectively worth more than 20% of the final grade in a course will be given during the final 14 calendar days of classes in a term. The exceptions to the rule are classes which regularly meet Friday evenings or on Saturday and/or Sunday at any time, and courses offered in the compressed summer terms. - Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities