Colloquium Modern South Asian Languages and Literatures Representations of Women in Bollywood Films of the 1990s and 2000s

This presentation explores the intersections of myth, gender, nationalism and politics in Hindi films of the 1990s and 2000s by means of analyzing several popular films of the time. My talk will focus on representations of women in Bollywood Films of the 1990s and 2000s, and the ways in which the mythological material has been reworked in order to assert traditional or alternative role models for women. 

Diana Dimitrova is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Professor of South Asian Traditions and Cultures at the University of Montreal. She holds a doctorate in Modern Indology, Classical Indology, and English and American Studies from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Prior to her current role, she taught at the University of Frankfurt, Emory University, Loyola University Chicago, and Michigan State University. Her expertise includes Hinduism, Sikh traditions, Buddhism, and South Asian cultural studies, particularly in drama, theatre, and Hindi cinema. Dr. Dimitrova is proficient in Hindi-Urdu, Sanskrit, and Classical Hindi.She has authored several significant works, including Cultural Identity and Hindi Plays (2023) and Hinduism and Hindi Theatre (2016). Additionally, she has edited volumes on various aspects of South Asian traditions. Professor Dimitrova teaches courses on Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and supervises M.A. and Ph.D. theses focused on India and the South Asian diaspora.