An Element of Risk: the Corrupt Contractor in Indian Fiction and Film, 1886–1983

TY - JOUR

T1 - An Element of Risk

T2 - the Corrupt Contractor in Indian Fiction and Film, 1886–1983

AU - Bubb, Alexander

PY - 2017/2/15

Y1 - 2017/2/15

N2 - This article cites both Hindi and English sources to chart the development of a longstanding satirical trope which has been largely unobserved. From the 1960s to the 1990s, the corrupt thekedar or building contractor was a stock-villain of Bombay cinema. This filmic role was, however, foreshadowed by his depiction by 1930s nationalist writers as a collaborator with British rule. Furthermore, the figure’s ultimate origins lie in colonial literature, in which he is identified as a capitalist threat to the Raj’s disinterested ‘civilizing mission’. Contradicting expectations of a break with the past, this article illustrates a continuity of themes and concerns spanning pre- and post-independence India. © Cambridge University Press 2017. This is an author produced version of a paper published in the Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry, uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at https://doi.org/10.1017/pli.2016.33. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.

AB - This article cites both Hindi and English sources to chart the development of a longstanding satirical trope which has been largely unobserved. From the 1960s to the 1990s, the corrupt thekedar or building contractor was a stock-villain of Bombay cinema. This filmic role was, however, foreshadowed by his depiction by 1930s nationalist writers as a collaborator with British rule. Furthermore, the figure’s ultimate origins lie in colonial literature, in which he is identified as a capitalist threat to the Raj’s disinterested ‘civilizing mission’. Contradicting expectations of a break with the past, this article illustrates a continuity of themes and concerns spanning pre- and post-independence India. © Cambridge University Press 2017. This is an author produced version of a paper published in the Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry, uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at https://doi.org/10.1017/pli.2016.33. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.

U2 - 10.1017/pli.2016.33

DO - 10.1017/pli.2016.33

M3 - Article

SN - 2052-2614

VL - 4

SP - 109

EP - 126

JO - Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry

JF - Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry

IS - 1

ER -