Podcast Summary: New Books Network – Megha Anwar & Anupama Arora on “Screening Precarity: Hindi Cinema and Neoliberal Crisis in Twenty-First Century India”
Published: January 2, 2026 | Hosted by: Priyam Sinha

Overview

This episode of the New Books Network features Dr. Megha Anwar and Dr. Anupama Arora discussing their co-authored book, Screening Precarity: Hindi Cinema and Neoliberal Crisis in Twenty-first Century India (U Michigan Press, 2025). The authors explore how Hindi cinema, particularly post-2010, reflects and mediates the sense of social, economic, and political insecurity—or “precarity”—that defines contemporary India after neoliberal reforms. The book investigates transformations in Bollywood and the complex interplay between neoliberalism, religious ethno-nationalism, caste, gender, and labor, examining 19 films as cultural texts that both mirror and shape a society in crisis.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Precarity and Cinema of Precarity

• Historical Context: Hindi cinema has long been rooted in national insecurities, from post-independence traumas to challenges of caste, class, and gender (05:24). The 1991 market liberalization marked a major shift, bringing about cinematic focus on affluence, diaspora, and aspirations.
• Precarity vs. Precariousness: The book distinguishes “precarity” as a historically contingent condition produced by neoliberal violence layered atop longstanding vulnerabilities (07:11).
  • “Precarity is a very distinct and historically contingent condition… produced by the violence of neoliberalism as it intersects with and compounds the insecurities and the vulnerabilities that pre-existed liberalization.” – Dr. Megha Anwar (07:11)
• Neoliberal Era & Ethno-nationalism: Post-2010, euphoria about liberalization gives way to disillusionment, growing insecurity, and the ascendancy of ethno-nationalist solutions in both the industry and society (08:05).

2. Censorship and the State–Cinema Nexus

• Climate of Censorship: Overt and covert censorship pervade Bollywood’s creative climate, amplified by social media and government pressures (09:53).
• Case Study: Rihanna Tweet & Bollywood’s Response: The 2021 farmers’ protest controversy is used to illustrate Bollywood’s embeddedness in global and state power networks (09:53–13:15).
  • “What is interesting for us… is this total synchronicity between the political class in India and the stars of Bollywood. Right. And their shared anxiety about India's power and reputation.” – Dr. Megha Anwar (11:53)
• State Surveillance & Content Regulation: Growing influence of the government has led to increased content regulation on streaming platforms, fostering risk aversion and self-censorship (13:15).
• Hegemonic Politics in Cinema: Some filmmakers and stars willingly align with state and right-wing politics, producing genres and storylines that echo nationalist narratives and vilify “stock villains” (14:30).

3. The “Muslim Question” in Bollywood

• Enduring Othering: The vulnerability of Muslims, historically present, is exacerbated under current Hindutva politics (16:24).
• Spatial Anchoring of Islamophobia: Contemporary films conflate slums and Muslims, fostering an environment where poverty and Muslimness become markers of criminality and national threat (20:06).
  • “Bollywood really combines and compounds xenophobic paranoias about national precarity with elite frustrations about urban working class spaces and poverty.” – Dr. Anupama Arora (21:05)
• Rising Violence & Insecurity: The book situates on-screen narratives alongside real-world disenfranchisement and violence targeting Muslims (16:24–22:17).

4. Caste, Dalit Invisibility, and Love

• Historical Elision of Caste: Bollywood has traditionally ignored or suppressed caste, especially Dalit stories, often conflating caste with class or referencing Dalits only peripherally (22:50).
• New Representations: Recent films like Masaan, Gili Pucci, and Article 15 explicitly foreground caste and expose its structural impediments to love and couplehood (24:36–26:52).
  • “Love, which is the easiest and most automated subject matter in Bollywood, suddenly becomes a very crisis-ridden and unequal terrain.” – Dr. Megha Anwar (25:43)

5. Gendered Precarity and the “New Woman”

• From Elites to Working-Class Narratives: While their previous anthology on the “New Woman” focused on upper-caste/class representations, the new book spotlights domestic workers, migrants, and lower middle-class women (27:47–29:22).
• Intersectional Precarity: Films like Viradi Wedding, Is Love Enough, Sir?, and Love Stories 1 dissect the complexities of inter-class female relationships and the limits of “liberation” under neoliberalism (29:22–31:30).
  • “A lot of the markers of women's liberation... need to be radically reimagined and problematized… they become very dubious categories or signs of liberation when class precarity is centralized.” – Dr. Megha Anwar (30:33)

6. The Cop Genre and Authoritarian Masculinity

• Transformation from Angry Young Man to State Functionary: While 1970s icons like Amitabh Bachchan’s “angry young man” rebelled against weak institutions, recent cop films (Simba, Suryavanshi) valorize state-aligned, macho enforcers (32:06–38:20).
  • “Simba... is very much the embodiment of the establishment... and revels in this role.” – Dr. Megha Anwar (36:08)
• Normalization of State Violence: Custodial violence and extrajudicial “encounters” are openly celebrated, reflecting and reinforcing authoritarian populism within the audience and the state.

7. Precarity of Bollywood Stars and Labor

• Beyond Actor Privilege: The vast majority of film industry workers are freelance or precariously employed, facing severe insecurity, abuse, and exploitation, especially during COVID-19 (39:10).
• Stars and Political Alignment: New forms of precarity affect even A-list actors, especially Muslims or those who critique the ruling powers. Public alignments—such as group celebrity selfies with PM Modi—demonstrate attempts to mitigate vulnerability (41:51–45:06).
  • “SRK is someone who has in recent years shown a resilient and playful navigation of precarity, performing strange balancing acts that sometimes work and sometimes fail.” – Dr. Megha Anwar (44:37)
• SRK as Symbol: Shah Rukh Khan becomes an emblem of both the potential and limits of stardom in negotiating religious authoritarianism and communal pressures.

8. Methodology and Thematic Organization

• Interdisciplinarity: The book combines history, cultural studies, sociology, visual studies, and gender studies (45:31).
• Textual and Contextual Analysis: Close readings of films, alongside analysis of media, paratexts, and social media controversies, to grasp the multi-layered processes of precarity (46:22).
• Spatial & Psychological Precarity: Special attention is given to the representation of space (homes, slums, workplaces), emotional states (anxiety, exhaustion), and shifting social relationships (47:15–49:56).

9. Future Projects

• Remakes and National Identity: A comparative study of the 1990 and 2012 versions of Agnipath explores shifting models of villainy and India’s approach to its Muslim citizenry (51:02).
• Global Cinemas and Masculinity: Upcoming book project, Real Men, Real Global Cinemas and the Crisis of Masculinity, will analyze contemporary cinematic expressions of masculinity across cultures, challenging both toxic and reductive portrayals (51:48–53:32).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Precarity is a very distinct and historically contingent condition... produced by the violence of neoliberalism as it intersects with and compounds the insecurities... that pre-existed liberalization.”
  — Dr. Megha Anwar (07:11)

• “This total synchronicity between the political class in India and the stars of Bollywood... their shared anxiety about India's power and reputation.”
  — Dr. Megha Anwar (11:53)

• “Bollywood really combines and compounds xenophobic paranoias about national precarity with elite frustrations about urban working class spaces... it perpetuates a logic where Islamic terroristicness masquerades as poverty.”
  — Dr. Anupama Arora (21:05)

• “[In new cop films]… custodial violence… operates as normalized occurrences that are sanctioned by the state… a harmony is created between the cop, the people... and the state to reveal a consensus around authoritarian populism.”
  — Dr. Megha Anwar (37:46)

• “[SRK]... has in recent years shown us a pretty resilient and playful navigation of precarity, performing strange balancing acts… especially since 2022, when his son Aryan Khan was arrested... it was an act of disciplining Bollywood’s biggest and most respected Muslim star.”
  — Dr. Megha Anwar (44:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Book Overview: 02:04–05:24
• Defining Precarity: 05:24–09:24
• Censorship & Political Intervention: 09:24–15:42
• The Muslim Question in Cinema: 16:24–22:21
• Caste, Dalit Invisibility, and Love: 22:21–26:52
• Gender, Class & The New Woman: 27:47–31:30
• The Cop Genre & Masculine Authority: 32:06–38:20
• Precarity of Stars & Industry Labor: 39:10–45:06
• Methodology: 45:31–49:56
• Future Projects: 51:02–53:32

Tone

The conversation is scholarly yet highly engaging, weaving together incisive cultural theory, close cinematic readings, and sharp analysis of India’s tumultuous social realities. The authors balance critique with a nuanced, empathetic approach to cinema’s role as both a product and shaper of crisis.

For listeners and readers interested in the intersections of film, politics, gender, caste, and religion in contemporary India, this episode offers a profound, meticulously-researched glimpse into Bollywood’s evolving grammar.