International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395 -0056

Volume: 02 Issue: 01 | Apr-2015 www.irjet.net osr p-ISSN: 2395-0072

Entertainment vs. Edutainment: Bollywood Movies as Pedagogical

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Abstract- Film as a popular media can play a produced that aim at exploiting and utilizing creativity for
substantial role in influencing the masses by not just educating the people. I have thus divided this role of media
bringing them face to face with the realities of life but in using entertainment as a source of edutainment under
also by making an impact on their way of thinking. three heads. As a pedagogical tool, films can be utilized in
Besides entertaining the masses, films have a strong three ways for enhancing classroom learning:
potential to transform the society by educating and  Films adaptations -- a tool for better
instructing the masses. comprehension
Indian cinema which is now a century old has recently  Films on education and
undergone a change and is fast emerging as a  Education in films
delightful medium of instruction. Recently many films
have been produced that aimed at exploiting and 1.1 Film Adaptations
utilizing creativity for educating the people. Films as In the first category are those movies which are adapted
the most popular media can directly influence the from the literary texts and are rich in visual content for
masses by making them see the world around them in that matter. Such movies can be used effectively not only
an artistic way and think positively and act in the literature and language classes but in other classes
proactively. According to experts, theatrical movies or too. Besides making understanding of a novel easier for
educational videos can complement the text, lectures, the literature students, such novels can also be used for
and discussions. discussion in a language class. After the movie, a follow up
The paper through examples drawn from the session on various aspects of the novel like plot,
Bollywood movies, attempts to throw light on certain characterization, can also be used for developing
strategies that can be employed to make films an analytical skills of the students. Further a presentation on
effective tool for classroom teaching. movie review can also lead to honing of the competence in
critical thinking and confidence building.
Key Words: Bollywood, Cinema, Education, Pedagogy Recently many plays of Shakespeare have been adapted by
the Bollywood as well as Hollywood producers, viz. She's
the man adapted from Twelfth Night, Omkara from
1. Introduction
Othello, Issaq from Romeo and Juliet and so on. Besides
In the 21st century one of the important roles being
these adaptations, a number of cinematic versions of
played by various sources of media includes facilitating
various literary texts are also there which further help the
communication channels among the masses. Today we
students in understanding a literary text more effectively
rely heavily on TV and Internet for remaining updated and
through visual presentation.
informed. In such a scenario the responsibility of these
sources gets doubled as their accountability towards the
Films contextualize books in a visible and audible
masses and society increases. Films as the most popular
atmosphere and invite us to discover the unsuspected ways
media can directly influence the masses by making them
of seeing and hearing things. A specific combination of
see the world around them in an artistic way and think
images and sounds can provide insights into the nature of
positively and act proactively. According to experts,
the deep- seated meanings that do not lend themselves
theatrical movies or educational videos can complement
easily to verbal exploration. The ideas mystified in symbols
the text, lectures, and discussions. One of the basic rules of
and the veiled references to different aspects of life that we
communication is redundancy that is, communicating the
once decoded in a particular way speak to us from a new
same point in a number of different ways. Movies provide
perspective and we learn to appreciate a literary text on a
a concrete way to present important information
different level, we begin to notice that many of its elements
(Anderson, 1992), sometimes in a way that grabs the class
gain a new life when interpreted in the context of the new
by their collective lapels and gives them a good shaking!”
medium’s specificity. (Marciniak, 63)
Indian cinema which is now a century old has recently
undergone a change and is fast emerging as a delightful
medium of instruction. Recently many films have been

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1.2 Films on education language but also in virtually learning a language through
Next category of films with pedagogical significance the lessons that form an essential part of the movie. The
includes movie with education as theme. Reflecting on the use of articles and modals are explained briefly yet
pedagogical significance of films in education Dr. Pietari creatively in the film through interactive tutorials. Even
Kaapa of the University of Nottingham has stated that, the method of evaluation gets featured in the movie
“cinema as both a popular form of entertainment and a through a spoken assignment where the candidate fares
means of artistic and political expression, is a crucial area well and succeeds in getting not only the certificate but
of classroom teaching. The pedagogical potential of film also her lost esteem. Through this journey of a language
provides an immediate and invigorating addition to learner, one gets to learn a lot many things that will
established lesson plans, while the history of the medium motivate as well as guide a student towards effective
and its contextual socio-cultural relevance function as learning process.
sources of study in their own right.”
3. CONCLUSION
Movies in this category serve to change the mindset of the To sum up, besides the educational utility of films in
people by making them think critically and form new communicating a message through their themes and
assumptions about various systems of education. For stories, their pedagogical significance also lies in teaching
example Three Idiots directed by Rajkumar Hirani and speaking techniques through dialogues as well as building
Taare Zameen Par by Aamir Khan. These movies are a analytical skills through a critical analysis of plot and
message to the society regarding right ways of acquiring characterization. The versatility of its use allows
right education. These movies also reflect on our faulty incorporating film in different types of learning sessions in
examination system and teaching practices in an implicit the classroom. For example, Films can be used just for
manner. The movie Three Idiots tries to bring to the front enjoyment, creating a positive atmosphere in the
the problems created by a severe focus on grades and classroom, which can enhance motivation and as a
book knowledge and essentially laments the restriction of pedagogical tool they can provide a stimulus for other
freedom of thought and reflection that has become a activities, such as listening comprehension, debates on
hallmark of the educational system. On the other hand social issues, raising intercultural awareness, being used
Taare Zameen Par is a story of millions of dyslexic as a moving picture book or as a model of the spoken
students in the world and portrays the pathetic state of language.
Indian education system that identifies intelligence with
grades and as such looks down upon the students with REFERENCES
average grades to be weak. Such movies besides playing [1] Małgorzata Marciniak "The Appeal of Literature-to-
an important role in transforming the society positively Film Adaptations". Lingua ac communitas. Vol 17. Oct
can also act as guiding lights to young minds feeling 2007
bogged down with the dilemma of opting between career
and passion. Movies have the power to reach massive [2] Anderson, D.D. (1992). Using feature films as tools for
audiences, which is why they should, and do, matter so analysis in a psychology and law course. Teaching of
much to society. Whether they are stories of afar or just Psychology, 19, 155-157.
everyday existence, good movies are a way for people,
particularly youth, to understand and relate to the world [3] Sherman, J. Using Authentic Video in the Language
in constructive ways. And such movies with a lasting Classroom. Cambridge University Press. 2003
impact definitely make us think in a new way or expose us
to a meaningful story, more so than merely entertain. BIOGRAPHIES
Divya Walia is working as an Assistant Professor in the
1.3 Education in films Dept. of English, S.S Jain Subodh College, Jaipur. Her area
In the third category we can consider the films that of specialization is ELT and has been in the field of
directly reflect instructional strategies and thus can teaching and research for 11 years now..Her areas of
contribute significantly as a pedagogical tool. To interest include, Communicative Language Teaching
substantiate this point, the movie English Vinglish directed (CLT), Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL),
by Gauri Shinde can be taken up as an instance.. This Linguistics and Indian Writing in English. She has papers
movie through a female’s struggle to earn a position and published in national and international journal on these
reputation for herself and heighten her self esteem by subjects/areas
learning to speak English conveys much more than a social
message. The classroom setting in the movie and various
lessons in English very covertly yet explicitly present a
fine commentary on teaching and learning practices in a
language classroom. Such movies can go a long way not
only in motivating the students towards learning a

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