Bhadralok Masculinities in Rituparno Ghosh’s Cinema

Grounded in a theoretical framework of masculinity studies, this book examines the films of Rituparno Ghosh and offers a novel analysis of the portrayal of men in cinema. Through Ghosh’s work, this book investigates the depiction of men, masculinities, and their intersections with the institutions of class, caste, state, media, age, and family dynamics. The authors examine contemporary performances of bhadralok masculinity in select cinematic texts through the theoretical frameworks of salaryman masculinity, gendered spaces of the 1990s neoliberal Kolkata, fatherhood, and masculine ideas of aging and disability. With careful analysis, this book challenges the monolithic ideas of masculine identity in cinema and challenges the film industry to modernize its portrayal of men.