ENVIRONMENTAL NARRATIVES IN HINDI CINEMA

Hindi movies influence the thinking of the people and reflect the life and thoughts of the society. The filmmakers choose subjects which attract the attention and entertain or enlighten the public. Environmental issues are less showcased on big screen. This is despite the fact there is huge ecological footprint of the Hindi cinema as the natural landscape like beaches, forests, picturesque mountains, are amongst the favorite locations to shoot. In the paper, an attempt has been made to explore the narratives in Hindi movies from environmental perspective. In recent times, the issues like water scarcity, disasters, pollution chemical release, etc. have been taken up by the filmmakers. The paper takes stock of the movies produced from the year 2000 to 2020 as during this period the consequences of environmental degradation became loud and clear. The study highlights that superficial, manipulated and forged ideas must not be presented in the movies which may do more harm than good to the state of environment.