Christopher CoonProfessor ShingaviUGS 303 Bollywood India and AfterFebruary 27, 2014Research paperIn the post-independence era of Indian cinema, nothing has been discussed and/or debated beyond the ban on kissing in films. Although there was no formal ban on kissing, it was based primarily on an "unwritten rule" that since kissing was considered a sign of Westernness (i.e. in Hollywood films) , allowing it in Bollywood films would dissolve Indian culture. However, author Madhava Prasad argues that kissing was banned not due to presumed censorship of Western codes, but rather due to the need to consolidate the ideologies of the extended family and/or clan. In other words, Prasad believes that the kissing ban is intended to protect the extended family and that the "preservation of Indian culture" rationale has just been invented to justify the ban. Personally, I argue that Prasad's argument is correct and I intend to expand on it using the Bollywood film Waqt. To begin, Prasad states that there are several ways films negotiate the ban on kissing on screen, the first being to "enact the ban itself." » An example of this would be when lovers approach for a kiss and suddenly the camera fades away and prevents, not the kiss itself, but the viewer from seeing it happen. The second way to negotiate the ban, according to Prasad, is to “thematize the ban as a cultural truth and duty” (Prasad 80). Prasad believes that doing so would inscribe the ban into the content represented, rather than treating it as a political act of restriction (Prasad 90). Prasad's third and final way of negotiating the kissing ban is ...... middle of paper ...... relationships, rather than the couple themselves. For example, if a couple kissed in a movie, many viewers would suddenly believe that the couple's relationship is much more important than any other family relationship. This is why the director does not allow Ravi and Meena to kiss in Waqt as he wanted to emphasize that although the couple may have strong feelings for each other, the overall objective of the film which ultimately involves family reunion is much more important. This is why many Bollywood films end with the family and/or couple joining the extended family rather than leaving it. Finally, in Bollywood films like Waqt, the extended family represents a marker of stability and ritual (Muzumdar 212). It is the only source of identity for some individuals and, as most people know, without identity you simply cannot survive...