Abstract
This thesis seeks to augment previous scholarly research on Hindi film song through the presentation of a multivalent approach to thoroughly understanding and interpreting Hindi film song sequences. In a case study of the song sequence “Pardā Haı̃ Pardā” ("There Is a Veil,"? from Manmohan Desai's 1977 film Amar Akbar Anthony), the three essential elements of these sequences (on-screen visuals, text, and music) are connected to the context of South Asian history and culture to demonstrate how scholarly approaches to music, film, and cultural studies can be united to create a more interdisciplinary approach to analysis. The approach also incorporates principles of semiotics: in the case of “Pardā Haı̃ Pardā” the symbol of the veil alludes to the themes of contested spaces and tradition and modernity. Such a study offers a form of rebuttal to the argument that song sequences are "disposable": it uncovers and draws attention to elements within the sequence that communicate meaningful cultural themes through particular musical, formal, and symbolic structures.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Type | Thesis |
| Publisher | ProQuest LLC |
| Number of pages | 216 |
| State | Published - Nov 1 2015 |