Portrayal Of Pakistan On The Silver Screen: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Media is one of the most influential instruments of propaganda now a days. Countries, nations and organisations adopt this tool to influence the minds of the masses in favour or against some individual or group. The current study attempts to investigate the anti-Pakistan sentiment as depicted in the film media, mainly in the Hollywood movies. It is hypothesised that a hostile and biased image of Pakistan is portrayed and represented in Hollywood cinema. Under the guise and garb of entertainment, film industries have become propaganda tools to serve vested interests of the powers that invest in the industry to malign Pakistan and to portray a negative image of the country. To unearth the hidden motives and to deconstruct the meanings encoded in the dialogues of the movies against Pakistan, Fairclough’s 3 D model of critical discourse analysis is employed.  The study examined five Hollywood movies (aired post 9/11), purposefully selected for the analysis. The dialogues pregnant with anti-Pakistan theme were chosen for the analysis. It was concluded that the movies are a deliberate attempt to represent Pakistan’s stereotypical image as a terrorist state. It was further revealed that the purpose behind the antagonistic portrayal of Pakistan is to mutilate its impression across the globe. The study is an eye-opener for the Pakistani viewers of Hollywood cinema and is an attempt to make them able to detect the invisible powers working under the garb of entertainment and to counter their propaganda by not getting influenced.