Decoding the Manifestations of Spatial Theory in the Contemporary Select Movies

Abstract

The 20th century, as we know, had witnessed the rise of many literary movements and theories which changed the entire outlook of literature and films. . Literature was not just about the literariness anymore, it gave space for many transdiciplinary subjects like cultural studies which has been gaining prominence in 21st century thus making literature an open system. Films triumph all the other media in terms of influence, impact, entertainment and wide reach. There are films that reflect socio-political reality which help people to realize the reality. But this paper focuses on the Spatial Theory of Henri Lefebvre, Michel de Certeaue along with the concept of heterotopia of Michel Foucault in the contemporary select movies such as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and the Malayalam movie Varathan and Bollywood movie Slumdogg Millionaire. This paper also raises the question Does the space influence the life of a person or is it the person who influences the space?  Of course, spatial theory does not give accurate answers for this question. In Walking in the City, Michel de Certeau says that it is the people who give meanings to the space. But Lefevbre says both space and beings are equal in influencing. This paper also tries to answer the questions like how the characters in the select movies are interlinked with the space or place they occupy, and how the space shapes the identities in their own land (Slumdog Millionaire) as well as in foreign lands (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Varathan), the liminality that the characters experience in foreign spaces, and last but not least, how heterotopia is represented in these films.