The impact of modernization on the representation of Indian traditional culture: The golden age of Indian cinema

The Golden Age of popular Indian cinema 1945-1965 produced a great number of films. These films had a great impact not only in India but globally too. These films, rich in melodramatic elements, were intricately linked to colonial discourse at various levels. The qualities of melodrama, a modern form, have contributed to the construction of a Western discourse in films. The aim of this study is to examine how modernization shaped the representations of traditional culture during the golden age. For this purpose, the study, which was based on a qualitative research perspective, utilized thematic approach and critical discourse analysis method. Four films Awara (Kapoor, 1951), Shree 420 (Kapoor, 1955), Mother India (Khan, 1957) and Mughal-e-Azam (Asif, 1960) were selected through purposive sampling method were descriptively analyzed in terms of narrative and cinematographic elements. The findings were interpreted under two main themes: Elimination of religious elements and representation of cultural change. The analysis revealed a decline in religious references within these films, with religious representations lacking an organic connection to the overall narrative. Besides religious values were conveyed through more secular themes' characteristic of the melodramatic framework. The cultural shifts brought about by modernization were depicted through surface-level interpretations, reinforcing traditional values within the moral universe shaped by melodramatic elements. Ultimately, the study suggests that representations of traditional culture in Golden Age films were influenced by a Western perspective aligned with a modernist vision.