Masters Thesis: How de-colonialism of India is presented in British and Indian movies
Author
Hoffmann, Oliver Verhein
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-12-06
Abstract
This thesis examines how the decolonization of India is portrayed differently in British and Indian cinema through a comparative analysis of the films Viceroy’s House (2017) and Sardar Udham (2021). Drawing on postcolonial theory, media representation and metahistory – including the work of scholars such as Edward Said, Homi K. Bhabha, Stuart Hall and Hayden White – it explores how the two films construct narratives about colonialism, nationalism and India’s path to independence. The study finds that Viceroy’s House, produced in Britain, focuses on political and administrative elites, humanizes British actors, and presents a relatively harmonious, elite-centred depiction of the transfer of power, whereas Sardar Udham, produced in India, emphasizes emotional intensity, grief and anger over British colonial brutality, particularly in its portrayal of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Both films are assessed as historically inaccurate, illustrating Hayden White’s argument that historical accounts are inevitably shaped as narrative constructions. The thesis argues that Sardar Udham functions as a contemporary example of decolonized or “third” cinema, foregrounding the perspective of the colonized and challenging the more reconciliatory and Western-oriented colonial narrative of Viceroy’s House. In doing so, the analysis highlights how cinema both reflects and shapes public understandings of the colonial past, national identity, and power relations between Britain and India.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan afkolonisering af Indien fremstilles forskelligt i britisk og indisk filmkunst gennem en komparativ analyse af Viceroy’s House (2017) og Sardar Udham (2021). Med udgangspunkt i postkolonial teori, medie- og repræsentationsteori samt metahistorie – herunder bidrag fra blandt andre Edward Said, Homi K. Bhabha, Stuart Hall og Hayden White – analyseres, hvordan de to film konstruerer fortællinger om kolonialisme, nationalisme og Indiens vej mod uafhængighed. Specialet viser, at Viceroy’s House, produceret i Storbritannien, fokuserer på politiske og administrative eliter, humaniserer britiske aktører og tilbyder en relativt harmonisk og elitært præget skildring af magtoverdragelsen, mens Sardar Udham, produceret i Indien, betoner følelsesmæssig intensitet, sorg og vrede over britisk kolonial brutalitet, særligt i sin fremstilling af Jallianwala Bagh-massakren. Begge film vurderes som historisk upræcise og illustrerer Hayden Whites pointe om, at historiske fremstillinger uundgåeligt er narrativt konstruerede. Specialet argumenterer for, at Sardar Udham fungerer som et nutidigt eksempel på en dekoloniseret eller „tredje“ cinema, der giver stemme til de koloniseredes perspektiv og udfordrer den mere forsonende og vestligt prægede koloniale fortælling i Viceroy’s House. Dermed synliggør analysen, hvordan filmmediet både afspejler og former forståelser af kolonial fortid, national identitet og magtrelationer mellem Storbritannien og Indien.
[This abstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]