ABSTRACT
‘Reckoning postterrorism in Hindi cinema’ identifies postterrorist cinema’s exceptionally ‘possibility-disclosing’ role and character as its most important accomplishment. Located at the heart of the ever-mutating problematic narrative of cultural subversion and state exceptionalism in a state-culture nexus, postterrorist cinema interrogates the construction of the nation-state and national identity, making it simultaneously the best spokesman for the nation-state and also its harshest critic. Going beyond the limited Muslim/non-Muslim binary, this cinema is characterized by a relentless ‘moral’ tension in the representation and perception of religious belief. Characterized by an enigmatic combination of fiction and fact, postterrorist cinema submits both auteur and typical mainstream masala responses. This cinema is experimental and increasingly sophisticated and techno-savvy, matching an increasingly mature audience. With no catharsis or permanent solution in sight, postterrorist discourse continues to build up an archive and a clear-cut genre of the postterrorist film.
