Cultural imaginaries of science: A brief history of Indian science-fiction cinema

Abstract

This article aims to trace a history of Indian science-fiction (SF) cinema linking it with the scientific and technological milieu of the post-independence nation state. The tropes and themes that operate in Indian SF cinema across various regional film industries are juxtaposed against the sociocultural and political backdrop of the nation as well as against the historical trajectory of Indian science and technology (S&T) that manifested under the patronage of the nation state at the time of the films' release. The article foregrounds the underlying issues and anxieties that inform SF tropes and themes in Indian cinema and grant uniqueness and legitimacy to Indian SF films. Thereby, the article hopes to establish that Indian SF cinema is not just a derivative of western genres of SF, but works by its own logic.In this article I attempt to trace a history of Indian science-fiction (SF) cinema and, while doing so, foreground its uniqueness by highlighting the interconnectedness between post-independence India, its engagement with science and technology (S&T) and cinematic SF imaginaries. Recognizing and observing the co-evolution of these three entities challenges the notion that Indian SF films are simply an imitation of western SF. I classify Indian SF films into four phases, unravelling the social, cultural, political and scientific concerns

Contributions of Science Fiction to Thinking up (Im)possible Future Societies: Medical Students’ Genetic Imaginary

“…However, the hegemony of American culture is resisted in contexts that are dominated by other social, cultural and civilizational realities, such as Indian fiction cinema. Sometimes dubbed as an import of the "Western" science fiction genre, Indian science fiction is strongly marked by the uniqueness of its own history, namely its independence in 1947, its subsequent involvement with science and technology programs and its own imaginary fictional scientific studies (Lakkad, 2014). This brought about film narratives that gave rise to a new syntax leading to globalization in the new millennium, of Hindu nationalism and Brahmanism through the combination of Hindu traditions and myths and cutting-edge technologies (Basu, 2011).…”

“…This brought about film narratives that gave rise to a new syntax leading to globalization in the new millennium, of Hindu nationalism and Brahmanism through the combination of Hindu traditions and myths and cutting-edge technologies (Basu, 2011). Generally, from the 1950s onwards, the Indian science fiction film repertoire mainly includes alien encounters, time travel, space adventures and travels, religious motives, visual representations of scientists and the harmful effects of the misuse of science and technology (Lakkad, 2014).…”