Imaging geographies in the film: Semiotic analysis of the portrayal of ‘Kumbalangi’ in the Malayalam film “Kumbalangi Nights”
Teenu A F
Student, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru
Soniya Antony
Student, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru
It has become a trend among people to visit the places that have been portrayed in films which made a remarkable hit in the box-office. Kumbalangi, an Island village located in the suburbs of Kochi, Kerala and is a noted spot that caters to the local fishermen community. The present study focuses on the semiotic analysis of the Malayalam film Kumbalangi nights; to identify the portrayal of this geographic location as a part of the narratives to the audience. The purpose of the research is to identify the various elements and techniques used in the film. Kumbalangi Nights are the only movie that depicts this geographical destination, the culture the flora and fauna.
Hence, the film can have a tremendous impact on audiences across the globe, across time. The portrayal of the raw lifestyle of the fisherman community, their food habits, conversations, and actions can be other influencing factors. This study focuses on the semiotic analysis of the film, on how the destination ‘Kumbalangi’ is being visually presented to the audience. The movie revolves around the plot of the tourism sector, where there are scenes of a foreigner residing and getting along with the localities, the scenes that describe coir making are few direct conveyances of culture and other connotative and denotative aspects will be explored through the study.
Keywords: Kumbalangi, Kumbalangi Nights, Fisherman, Semiotic analysis
The above paper is presented at National Media Management Conference on Communicating Tourism: Media, Soft Power, and Management powered by In-Depth Communication.
16 November 2019 | St. Xavier’s College, Kothavara, Vaikom, Kerala
All abstracts have been published in conference souvenir with ISBN 978-1-647337-82-7