The multicultural traveller : representations of Indian female identity in Gurinder Chadha's Bend it like Beckham and Bride and prejudice.

Abstract

This paper explores the construction of multicultural identities in the postcolonial world in relation to nonresident Indian women depicted in mainstream cinema. The dissertation traces the distorted representation of Indian women from its colonial and diasporic origins to its contemporary neo-colonial evolution. The analysis of two films, directed by Gurinder Chadha, Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Bride and Prejudice (2004), speaks back to Indian women‟s agency and ownership of multicultural identities. These film texts were chosen as they are both contemporary examples of Indian class, gender and culture in relation to the postmodern concept of multicultural societies. The films are products of formerly colonised people commenting on issues of class, gender and power as seen in Indian diasporic communities in England and the USA.