Institute of Communication Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
Abstract
Studies on city and cinema have become a major field of research.This article tries to focus on the representation of the city Kochi inKerala, and Malayalam films. Kochi being a port city has been thepoint where people around the globe arrived to develop traderelations with India. However, curiously enough, the city stillappears to cradle the western influence in nostalgic manner andalso seems to cherish it through many newly organized events andcustoms. Kochi has also been attributed a status as the center ofmany underworld activities by the tinsel town and films over thelast decade have celebrated to a phenomenal level. This articlecritically analyzes the representation of Kochi in a few selectedmovies like Big B, Chappa Kurishu, and Chotta Mumbai. Big Bfocuses entirely on the corrupted city life, crimes and revenge whileChappa Kurishu tries to juxtapose the lives of an upper-class and alower-class representative. On the other hand, Chhotta Mumbai is astory told in a lighter vein about the lives of small time goons in thestreet old Chhotta Mumbai in Fort Kochi. This image of the coloniesis constructed by the dominant institutions of our society. Themedia thus reproduced the viewpoints of dominant institutions notas one among a number of alternative perspectives, but as thecentral and 'obvious' or 'natural' perspective
