ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the visible presence of Sikhs through the cinematic lens. It examines the evolution and factors responsible for changing facets of Sikh identity in the cinematic medium, with a focus on how the visible presence of Sikhs coincides with their growing economic, social, and cultural dominance in India as well as the diaspora. The appearance of Sikhs in Hollywood and Bollywood is examined in the context of contemporary events such as 9/11, globalization, and the emergence of a visible diaspora. The Sikh projection in contrasting terms is analyzed in terms of the pre-liberalization phase till 2001, followed by the opening of the economy and the parallel rise and dominance of the Sikh diaspora. The quest for Sikh identity in the complex world of Panjabi cinema is also highlighted and interpreted through the prisms of the partition and the post-militancy phase coinciding with the decline and revival of Punjabi cinema.
