Part 1
The author of the chapter "Hinduism," located in the Routledge Companion to Religion and Film, edited by John Lyden, is Rachel Dwyer. Following acquiring her BA in Sanskrit at SOAS, she pursued and had an MPhil in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology at the University of Oxford, which paved the way for the author to acquire a Ph.D. research at SOAS in General lyrics of Dayaram (Dwyer, 2021). Professor Rachel Dwyer taught undergraduates and postgraduates courses related to cinema, literature, and culture of Indian cinema. Equally, she supervised Ph.D. research on the same as she operated as Professor Emerita and Professorial Research Associate in the SSAI (SOAS South Asia Institute) at SOAS University of London (Dwyer, 2021). Dwyer's publications focus on Hindu cinema and other elements that relate to the culture and literature.
Part 2
In the mentioned chapter, Dwyer breaks down Indian cinema, Bollywood, and Hinduism depicting the two main categories of "mythologicals" and "devotionals," leading to the depiction of modern Hindu cinema. The exhibition affirms her argument that Hindu films gradually evolved in considered themes depicted in the movies subject to the explored concepts. Modern consumers opt for other themes that are not religious or morally driven, altering the general landscape of such media productions. However, the author expresses the belief that emerging social groups might restore objectivity in Hindu films by considering the cultural history and their past to facilitate the revival of high-grade religious movies.
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Part 3
Some of the essential primary sources that Dwyer uses include "Raja Harischandra" and "Jai Dakshineshwar Kaali Maa." The former was a founding film in Indian cinema premiering the mythological theme that is unique to India and earned the nation's film industry prominence due to establishing the connection between religion and film that persists from then till today (Lyden, 2009, p. 144). On the other hand, the latter is a film that depicts gentrification, emphasizing attributes such as loving devotion while rejecting tantric accompanied by non-vegetarian forms of worship (Lyden, 2009, p. 151). The secondary sources include Mukhopadhyay's "The Perception of the 'Medieval' in Indian Popular Films: 1920s–1960s" and the author's "All You Want is Money, All You Need is Love: Sex and Romance in Modern India." The former explains the devotional genre and its connection to the past presentation of historical figures instead of divine characters (Lyden, 2009, p. 145). On the other hand, the latter source explains the change in modern Hindu cinema facilitated by the emerging middle class after India's economic liberalization, leading to changes in the industry (Lyden, 2009, p. 151).
Part 4
I generally agree with the author concerning the evolution of Hindu films and the hope for future trends to consider readopting past attributes that made the industry a dominant force. The author demonstrates a changing Hindu cinema environment considering the religious themes factored in their films. Indeed, some past films detailed a depiction of the Hindu culture, which vastly included religion and family. Most films involved the theme of an antagonist against a protagonist whereby good overcomes evil. Such themes made the Hindu films gain their dominance, with Bollywood becoming a force to reckon. I enjoyed such films made very memorable, especially by the thematic songs used to expand the drama within the movies. I equally watched other films involving gratification for specific individuals within the community, which converges with the evolution of Hindu film from "mythological" to "devotional." The author rightfully suggests that the modern world transformed the religiosity displayed in Hindu films. In some of the movies I watched recently, some fail to depict anything concerning the Hindu culture or religion, instead produce films that seem westernized in the explored concepts. I believe films that we will soon see Hindu cinema releasing films that are high-grade religious movies considering such factors establish the authenticity of Hindu cinema.
References
Dwyer, R. (2021). “Professor Rachel Dwyer.” http://racheldwyer.com/
Lyden, J. (Ed.). (2009). The Routledge companion to religion and film . Routledge, pp. 141-161.
