BEYOND THE SCREEN: ANALYSING BOLLYWOOD'S DEPICTION OF NORTHEAST INDIA AND THE PROSPECTS FOR CINE-TOURISM

Abstract

Films and movies offer a window into other places, broadening our knowledge and fueling our desire to explore the world. Tourism is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing industries. The convergence of two disciplines, ‘Cinema’ and ‘Tourism’, leads to a new, specific discipline that studies the impact of cinema in promoting tourism within an economy. Films are one of the credible and reliable platforms to promote a host of items related to a tourist destination, like the destination itself, about the people, society, culture, religion, flora, fauna, and so on. The present paper attempts to understand the phenomenon by studying the mainstream cinema of India and its reflection on Northeast India, its people, and its topography. The realistic and positive portrayal of the region in mass media like movies is likely to minimise the racial divide and enhance the overall understanding of the region. It will further result in the inculcating of a positive image of the region in the world outside, which will conclusively bring an end to the socio-cultural gap between the Northeast and other parts of India. The paper examines the projection of Northeast India and its people and topography in Bollywood movies and explores the prospects of Cine-tourism in the region.