Reimagining Regional Cinema In India: Thematic Analysis Of Film Posters In The Punjabi Cinema

Abstract

The early years of Indian Cinema meant lesser budgets and lesser resources. Therefore the filmmakers drew their own posters. However, the art of handpainted Posters died a slow death. Graduating towards the times of 1970s, cinema goers continued to be lured by posters of Films. The Films by that time were being represented through posters created by professional graphic designers with the help of softwares. This trend continues to evolve as we find ourselves at the threshold of Artificial Intelligence (AI)1. This paper explores the journey of the evolution of these posters in Punjabi Cinema, in particular. Though it has not been untouched by Hindi Cinema, streamlining Cinema like this dives deep into the lesser researched contours of Punjabi Cinema.

Semiotics (Berger, 2018) as a tool for qualitative content analysis has been used for the purpose of this study. This has been analysed in decoding hidden meanings in Punjabi Film Posters in terms of pictorial description, color schemes, title texts, images etc. It also explores the tightrope that Film as an art has treaded because of events like the Partition and Militancy in the state. This paper analyses the recent trends in Punjabi Cinema in terms of the content of the film which has a direct effect on its Film Posters. But like all technological trends, it will be interesting to see how AI will challenge the traditional form of storytelling through images in hindsight. Either way, AI is here to unravel unprecedented avenues for Indian Film Poster Designing and Punjabi Cinema can take cues from the former.

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