Bollywood Stars, Families, and Influence

This unit examines the roles of star personas, family dynasties, and cultural contexts in shaping Bollywood film texts, production practices, and audience reception. Students will synthesize case studies of actors, iconic films, genre conventions, and industry practices to prepare for applied analysis and production tasks.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how star personas, family lineages, and celebrity branding (e.g., Irrfan Khan, the Roshans, Madhuri Dixit, Bipasha Basu) influence narrative expectations, marketing, and audience reception in Bollywood films by citing specific examples from the unit.
• Evaluate representations of gender, class, and national identity across selected films and figures (e.g., Mughal-E-Azam, Swades, Gully Boy, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.) and determine whether they reinforce or challenge cultural stereotypes.
• Apply knowledge of industry practices—such as dubbing, pageantry pipelines, and genre conventions—to develop a concise production or promotional strategy for a contemporary Bollywood project informed by unit case studies.
• Demonstrate research and communication skills by producing and presenting a multimedia profile that integrates biographical, historical, and critical perspectives on a chosen Bollywood artist or film, using primary and secondary sources.