The Neoliberal Self in Bollywood

This book focuses on the neoliberal self, which, far from being a stable marker of urban, liberal, millennial Indian identity, has a schizophrenic quality, replete with contradictions and oppositions, that belies the narrative of progress and prosperity that has marked mainstream cultural discourse in India. 15 b&w illus. Namrata Rele Sathe investigates the impact of unchecked expansion of neoliberal values in India, using popular films and culture as the focal point. The book explores the concept of the neoliberal self, which, contrary to being a stable marker of modern Indian identity, reveals a contradictory and fragmented nature. The identity commonly seen in mainstream Indian culture struggles to uphold its image of self-promotion, optimism and belief in progress and prosperity. Highlighting the instability and fragmentation of this neoliberal identity, Rele Sathe reveals the underlying feelings of insecurity and inherent inequality imposed by neoliberal systems. The analysis is explicitly political and incorporates theories from feminist media studies, popular culture analysis and film studies to critique Hindi cinema produced in the past two decades. Rele Sathe also examines peripheral elements such as film stars, urban spaces, web series, YouTube videos and social media content as part of the analysis. This book explores the consequences of unbridled expansion of neoliberal values within India through the lens of popular film and culture. The focus of the book is the neoliberal self, which, far from being a stable marker of urban, liberal, millennial Indian identity, has a schizophrenic quality, one that is replete with contradictions and oppositions, unable to sustain the weight of its own need for self-promotion, optimism and belief in a narrative of progress and prosperity that has marked mainstream cultural discourse in India. The unstable and schizophrenic neoliberal identity that is the concern of this book, however, belies this narrative and lays bare the sense of precarity and inherent inequality that neoliberal regimes confer upon their subjects. The analysis is explicitly political and draws upon theories of feminist media studies, popular culture analyses and film studies to critique mainstream Hindi cinema texts produced in the last two decades. Rele Sathe also examines a variety of other peripheral ‘texts’ in her analysis, such as the film star, the urban space, web series, YouTube videos and social media content.