Cinematic Populism

Cinematic populism may be defined as the modalities through which cinema as an institution codes certain cinematic practices and aesthetics as belonging to the “people,” appraises it positively, and addresses and appeals to this people directly and in opposition to perceived dominant force(s). The rise of the film stars in Indian politics has received considerable scholarly attention. This entry provides a survey of key studies of cinematic populism in Indian cinema. It traces the cinematic populism of the twentieth century around the figure of the male star and proceeds to delineate the populisms of the twenty-first century occasioned by the arrival of new technologies.