Muslim Women in the Hindi Movie Haider: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Hindi cinema, with its versatility of subjects, is among the top film industries in the world. It has touched on a variety of topics in its productions. From very domestic to social and from local to global, everything gets a certain treatment in Bollywood. Among those is the adaptation of the literary work. Shakespeare, an Elizabethan dramatis, with his remarkable contribution to literature, especially drama, could never remain unexplored by the Hindi film makers. "Haider" has served as one of the exemplary adaptations of Hamlet with regard to its social, political, and cinematographic context. Set in the Muslim and conflict-ridden society of Kashmir, it rendered it more significant. Amongst other important themes, one can find a depiction of Muslim society in general and that of a Muslim woman in particular. To study the portrayal of Muslim women in the movie, Fairclough’s 3D model of critical discourse analysis has been employed to analyses the character of Ghazala, the hero’s mother. The findings of the study reveal that Muslim women have been portrayed as immoral, disloyal, and insincere family members.