20 Key Stills

Representation of Muslim women in Hindi cinema

The following images are the twenty key stills that I have selected, to act as a visual aid for my screenplay. They capture the main events that occur throughout; incorporating costumes and the location to match, that are described in the screenplay. The scenes are of the Muslim female protagonist, Zaiyna and the Hindu male protagonist, ASR, living their respective lives during the religious and political conflict of their families.  Also, how they bump into each other and become a part of the same frame, and how the Muslim female protagonist's death unites the two groups. This is the way a Bollywood film would most likely present the portrayal of Muslim woman in Bollywood; a story that will incorporate a love story, religious conflict and death. Examples of this are the primary texts that I have researched, Fiza and Veer-Zaara. 

Key still one

This first image is a high angle centre shot of Zaiyna's brother's death, that leads the script and story forward. The high angle shot has been taken from the Hindu fathers and families perspective. As the Hindus and Muslims despise each other, this is a shot to show how much the Hindu father looks down on the Muslim family. As the audience, we also look down on him, however, most of the Muslim spectators will feel aligned with the dead brother in the key still, as he accidentally gets shot, therefore this would be the death of innocence. I felt that this is the right choice of cinematography to illustrate these aspects of the story. Also, the lighting in the key still is dull, to relate to the feeling and atmosphere in the scene. This is a metaphorical way to reflect the Muslim fathers and families emotions.

 I have found out from my research and primary texts that someone has to die for the religious conflict to become worse, or sometimes to solve it. This still is similar to Fiza, Fiza is driven by the search for her innocent brother, who becomes a terrorist, and then in the end Fiza has no choice but to kill her beloved brother. By this, I know that this key still is relateable to my research and thesis.

I originally took this image indoors. Due to few circumstances, I had to change most of my keyframes and edit all of them. Which is why I managed to make this image look like it was taken outdoors, with the help of Photoshop. I cropped out the background, then layered the dead brothers image on top and rubbed out all the unwanted background that came in the way. I also adjusted the lighting of the frame, so then it looks suitable and appropriate to match with my analysis. 

Key still two

This image is a medium centre shot to introduce the Muslim female protagonist, Zaiyna. In this image she is shown giving a speech to support her fathers campaign in the elections. The expression on her face makes her look like she is serious about what she is talking about, which is supported by her hand gesture. Her expressions and gestures make her look feisty and dominant. Also, with her hair tied up, she looks very masculine, which is again supported by the hand gestures and expressions. Such Muslim women are very rarely seen in Bollywood, which is why I made her look similar to Fiza's character.

I took this shot deliberately and edited her juxtaposed against the black curtains. This then foreshadows her grey characteristics, which are unveiled later in the script and in the key stills. Her clothing is very modern and western, yet moderate for a Muslim woman. Similar to how Fiza's was in Fiza, which made Fiza very masculine and smart, therefore this makes Zaiyna look very masculine, dominant and confident. It is also very ironic that she is wearing white, which symbolises purity yet she is a character with grey shades.

I used Photoshop to edit her into the background. I also adjusted the lighting and brightness, so then the key still looks a bit grey, which is a metaphorical way to represent her grey characteristics. 

Key still three

This image is a medium close up shot of the same scene from above. I chose to do this, in order to capture her expressions more closely. As seen in the key still, she has her arms up in the air, and her eyes are rolling around. This means that she has confidence in facing the audience, and we are made to feel we are directly interacting with her. At this point most  young Muslim women in the audience will feel aligned with the smart and empowering Zaiyna. This is because they know that she is positive, and are unaware of her grey shades. Also, because this is rare to see in a Bollywood film, that the Muslim female protagonist is wearing western clothes, has her hair tied up, is dominant and giving a strong speech. This key still is a powerful one.

I edited this key still on Photoshop. I had to layer the Muslim female protagonist in front of the projector board. This is so then nothing else comes in the way and the focus of the shot is only on her.

Key still four

This image is a medium centre shot. I had originally planned him to stand juxtaposed against a tree, however I found this image and shot better. This is because the shot completely focuses on him. With the lighting supporting the key still, this reflects his purity and goodness. Also, him wearing white, metaphorically reflects his purity. Compared to the Muslim female protagonist, he is more relaxed and calm in the frame. This is supported by the greenery in the shot, which is apart of nature, therefore it is pure.

He also has a smile on his face, which shows that they are both opposite to each other. He is also spreading awareness of his fathers Hindu campaign for the elections. Therefore, he also looks very smart yet because of goodness he looks attractive which gains attention. This is similar to Veer from Veer-Zaara. They are both smart yet calm, which makes them look attractive.

I had to edit this image into another background. I Photoshopped it the same way I Photoshopped the previous images. However, this time I made the brightness brighter, so then it metaphorically portrays his positivity. 

Key still five

This is a medium high angle shot. This is to capture the first meeting of Zaiyna, the Muslim woman and ASR, the Hindu man. They are both at the same level in this shot, unaware of each others identity. I took this shot deliberately, in order to make them look equal. They are both smiling at each other and are wearing white, which makes them both pure. However, they both are wearing a bit of black, which metaphorically, foreshadows the future of the script.

I adjusted the brightness in this image, to make them both look positive. The brightness shows that they can both be together if they wanted to, despite the religious conflicts. This is similar to Veer-Zaara, as Veer and Zaara have to go separate ways because of the religious differences. Something that a Bollywood film will do, to carry the story forward and to spread the message, that a Muslim and Hindu should not be together. However they can if they wished to, just like how Veer and Zaara do by the end.

Key still six 

This key still is a medium centre shot that captures the innocent moment that ASR and Zaiyna are spending together. They are both looking into each others eyes and having an intense yet a innocent eye contact with each other. I have tried to keep the brightness balanced in this key still. I have tried to keep the brightness high on his face, as his feelings are genuine for her in the key still, where as her smile and look in the eyes are all fake, to betray him. Which is why I tried to keep her on a slightly darker side. However, since his emotions are real I edited their image with a bright and green background, so then it reflects his innocent feelings. Since he is unaware of her identity and is being deceived, the audience are also being deceived along with him, which is why I kept everything bright and white in this key still, to foreshadow the betrayal. Therefore this key still is of a simple and naive moment that the Muslim woman and the Hindu man share. Which can be compared to Veer-Zaara, as they have many innocent moments like this.  

Key still seven

This is a medium low angle shot where Zaiyna is shown to be praying. In this key still she is shown like a religious Muslim woman, who despite being modern and having modern thoughts, knows how to follow her religion and respect it. In this image she looks innocent and pure while praying. She is also juxtaposed against the white wall, which suggests that her feelings for her religion are genuine.I also kept the lighting bright, so then she looks pure while she prays. I took this low angle shot from ASR's perspective as he is desiring her while she is praying. This supports theorists Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory. As Laura Mulvey says that women are the object on screen who are desired by the men. Therefore the next key still captures ASR's expressions to support her theory. 

Key still eight

This image is a medium close up shot of ASR's expressions.This is from the same scene from above, however he is admiring her while she is praying.This is very ironic as a Hindu man is admiring a Muslim woman while she is praying, despite the conflict between the religions and their families. This is similar to my primary text, Veer-Zaara. As Veer does a similar thing while Zaara prays. I kept the brightness high in this key still, as his emotions for her are genuine. It is ironic as he is wearing black, he is against a white wall and under bright light, which suggests his purity. However, it also foreshadows the future of the script and the revenge that he will take on Zaiyna, but that will also be derailed by his emotions for her and the feeling of betrayal, though she does not commit to him.

This also supports theorist Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory. This is because Zaiyna is the female who the object and is being desired by the male, who is the subject. These two key stills are no different from what she has argued. This also supports my research and primary texts, as Fiza and Veer-Zaara also support Mulvey's male gaze theory. 

Key still nine

This image is a close up centre shot. In this, the shot is of Zaiyna's bookmark with her name on, in the Holy Quran, which is a religious holy book similar to the bible, for the Muslims. The light is bright in this shot, in order to foreshadow the unity in the end.

I had to take both images separately and Photoshop the name on top of the Quran. I wanted to give it a bright effect, which is why I Photoshopped the name on top of the Quran. 

Key still ten

This is a medium centre shot. I kept both of them in the same position and equal in the frame, as they are both pointing guns at each other, therefore they are equal in this key still. They are both pointing guns at each other, after ASR finds out Zaiyna's truth in the previous shot, that she is the daughter of the Muslim family that him and his family dislike. The gun is a phallic symbol, which they are both holding up. In Bollywood, this will be suitable for the Hindu male to be pointing the gun, but it will be shocking for the Muslim woman to be pointing the gun at the Hindu man or even a man. The fact that the gun is a phallic symbol and Zaiyna is pointing the gun fiercely at ASR, shows how masculine she is and is no different to him. This is why they are both in the same position, same angle, to erase the difference.

I had to take these images separately like the previous ones. I had to layer both of them on top of this image that I took. I tried to keep the brightness medium, as the key still negative yet positive at the same time. This is because the Muslim woman is standing in the frame, looking masculine with the gun in her hands and angry expression. This supports my research and primary text, Fiza as she does a similar thing, but with her brother. 

Key still eleven

This key still is a close up centre shot. In this key still, ASR is shown despising his gun. Because the gun is a phallic symbol, ASR is not only getting rid of the gun but his masculinity as well. He despises his gun as he cannot kill her and gets furious because of that, therefore he gets rid of his gun in anger, which means he gets rid of his masculinity. However he is juxtaposed against the white again, which means that he is still positive and pure at heart, even if he is in fury and throwing away his masculinity. 

Key still twelve

This key still is from the same scene that the previous one was from. This is a close up shot of Zaiyna's expression. In this key still she is shown smirking at ASR while he gets rid of his masculinity in fury. Therefore she is the masculine and dominant one in this. I kept the lighting dark, so then the image can metaphorically reflect her grey characteristics that have now been unveiled after she accomplishes in betraying him. This is opposite to how she was introduced, however her expression still looks confident and feisty, as being a Muslim woman, she won over the Hindu man. 

Key still thirteen

This key still is a medium centre shot of ASR reading the newspaper after being framed on it by Zaiyna. In this image ASR is carefully reading the news about him being with a Muslim woman, despite knowing how much his family dislikes Muslims because of Zaiyna's family. Its quite ironic as he is being called bad, despite being good and pure, which is shown by his white shirt and the juxtaposition against the white wall. However, this time I kept the brightness low, as it metaphorically foreshadows the revenge that he takes from Zaiyna.  

Key still fourteen

This image is a medium centre shot of Zaiyna reading the news about ASR. She looks extremely happy with his defeat. She still looks dominant like she did in the previous images.

However, according to theorist, E.A Kaplan argued that women are not active but submissive. They are objectified on screen and it is the spectator who has to align with the female character consciously, in order to understand them and not just see them as objects on screen. This is no different for the female characters in Bollywood, especially if she is Muslim and has the dominant gaze. Therefore, though she is looking happy in this key still, I took this image to foreshadow her downfall, by keeping Kaplan's theory in mind. The Muslim audience and women will not align with her in key still, they will despise her instead. However any Muslim spectator will align with her by taking a preferred or negotiated reading of the situation. 

Key still fifteen

This image is a medium centre shot of ASR kidnapping Zaiyna. In this image Zaiyna looks helpless and ASR looks dominant and fierce. It is ironic as they have both swapped their characteristics in this key still. ASR looks very masculine in this still, whereas Zaiyna looks very feminine through her expressions, for the first time. I deliberately kept the lighting dark in this key still, as they are both now equal with their actions. However, I have kept Zaiyna under a bit of light as this time she is the victim. Whereas ASR is in most of the darker side, as he is now equally as guilty as she is, therefore they are in the same frame, equally.

I Photoshopped this image like the previous ones. I had to layer both of them on the background image and edited the lighting.

Key still sixteen 

This image is a medium high angle shot. In this image ASR is untying Zaiyna's hands, after kidnapping her. This key still creates sexual tension between the duo as they are both very close to each other in this still. They are both looking directly into each others eyes, with intensity. However, ASR's position in this key still makes him look dominant over her, as she is helpless with her hands tied, however due to his feelings for her, he is untying her, which creates this sexual tension and intimacy between the two. The white wall in the background, juxtaposed against the duo makes them pure, as they are both genuinely awkward in this intimacy. I kept the lighting bright as they are both having a genuine moment in this key still. 

Key still seventeen

This image is a high angle shot on Zaiyna's expressions. In this key still Zaiyna is feeling guilty for what she did with the innocent ASR. She is feels bad for framing him after seeing his pure side, though he kidnapped her. This is the opposite of how Zaiyna's character has been so far. Her emotions are genuine, which is why I took this high angle shot, to show how she has lost that dominance and masculinity in this key still, and since she is feeling, the high angle shot is suitable to make her look like she is guilty. The expression on her face shows how intensely she is thinking about her wrong actions, which is why I have kept the brightness lighter on her face. Since her guilt is genuine, the brightness is a metaphorical way to her genuine feelings. 

I have used the help of Photoshop to edit this image. I layered Zaiyna onto the picture of this corner, and then adjusted the brightness and colouring of the hair. Her hair was not coming out appropriately, so I had to colour her hair in black. 

Key still eighteen

This image is a medium centre shot. In this key still, Zaiyna has been accidentally killed by her father, who is crying with his head down, near her feet. This is a metaphorical way to show him to be guilty. Where as it is ironic to how Zaiyna died in the arms of the Hindu man instead of any of her Muslim family or friends. ASR is also the man who she saved from getting shot by her father, since she was guilty in the previous key still. ASR's  position in this key still is dominant over Zaiyna, as she is on his lap and he is looking down on her. However, because he has his head down, this makes him look less masculine and empowering. He looks very helpless and weak instead, which makes Zaiyna dominant over him.

Also keeping E.A Kaplan's female gaze in mind, I decided to take this important key still, as after having the dominant gaze throughout the whole script and key stills, she gets punished with death, for having that dominant female gaze. Even in the previous key still she has the dominant female gaze, despite being a Muslim woman, she still thinks about him because of her guilt. Therefore, few spectators will feel aligned with her, consciously, especially few Muslim women in the audience may feel aligned with her.

I edited this image with the help of Photoshop. I layered Zaiyna's, ASR's and her father's image on top of the background image. I also adjusted the brightness in the key still and tried to make it look a bit dark, as that is a metaphorical way to show ASR's and Zaiyna's fathers emotions, and the sadness of her death. However, I tried to balance the brightness by keeping her face a bit bright, as that foreshadows the ending of the script. 

Key still nineteen

This key still is a close up shot, taken from an high angle. This close up shot is to ASR's emotions after Zaiyna's death. In this key still, ASR looks very feminine and helpless, as he has his hands on his forehead. The gesture of his hands on his forehead makes him look very feeble and powerless. This a metaphorical way to show his genuine feelings for Zaiyna and his guilt, that she died because of him. However I have kept the brightness a bit high on his expressions, as his emotions are genuine. It is also to foreshadow the last key still about the unity. The spectators will feel aligned with him in this key still, whether they are Muslim or Hindu. But that will also depend on the preferred or negotiated reading of the audience. 

Key still twenty 

In this close up centre shot, the Muslims and Hindus have finally sorted out their differences by shaking hands. This image is to show the fathers of the Muslim female protagonist and the Hindu male protagonist, shaking hands with each other and letting go of the enmity, that has been going on between their families since the division of India and Pakistan.
I deliberately kept the brightness high on this shot, as it  finally shows a peaceful unity between both religions and families. This is quite ironic, as though, Zaiyna got punished with death for having the dominant female gaze, she still managed to unite everyone with her death.

I had to use Photoshop to edit the hands on top of this image, as I found it appropriate like this. Since there is greenery in the background, with a clear sky, to symbolise the purity and peace behind this unity. The background is  a metaphorical way to reflect the unity.