Dalit Representation in Popular Hindi Cinema

This book explores the dynamics of caste in Bollywood and popular Hindi cinema through an examination of the representation of Dalits since the 1930s.

Drawing on critical textual analysis and historical analyses of a number of key films, the author argues that popular Hindi cinema corroborates in the construction, naturalisation, and dissemination of Dalit stereotypes in line with the dominant culture, on the one hand, and ignores the Dalit history of struggle against caste discrimination, on the other hand. The book maps the evolution of Dalit representation from the 1930s to the 2000s. In doing so, it addresses the continuity and shifts in their portrayals and explores the linkages between the cinematic representation of Dalits and real- world power structures.

This book will be of interest to scholars and students working in film studies, film history, cultural politics, sociology, and cultural studies.

Vishal Chauhan is an Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Previously, he worked as an Associate Professor of History at PGDAV College, University of Delhi. His research focuses on the intersectionalities of Dalit representations, cultural politics and power discourses. He is currently a recipient of a prestigious Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship for his postdoctoral project ’De-coding Dalit Representation in OTT Web Series and Amongst Its Audience’ (2025-2028), which is based at Birmingham City University, UK.