Reading National Narratives: A Comparative Analysis of Representational Meanings in Indian and Emirati Action Film Posters
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54878/b9pfny49Keywords:
Film posters, Visual Grammar, Representational Meaning, Multimodality, Semiotics, Cross-Cultural MediaAbstract
Film posters are multimodal visual artefacts that offer valuable insights into the construction of national narratives, cultural meaning, and ideology. Because film posters blend visual imagery with written language, they offer a layered site of meaning-making suitable for close analysis. Despite the growing body of multimodal research on film posters, comparative studies examining the visual construction of nationhood across Indian and Emirati cinematic contexts remain limited. Employing a qualitative comparative methodology grounded in Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA), the study examines the posters of Kesari (2019) and Al Kameen (2021) through the representational metafunction of Kress and van Leeuwen's Visual Grammar by examining how participants, processes and circumstances convey national narratives. A detailed analysis reveals that Kesari foregrounds individualized heroism rooted in historical memory, cultural heritage, and patriotic sacrifice, whereas Al Kameen emphasizes collective resilience, military coordination, and national service. The findings highlight the importance of cultural context in shaping multimodal representations of nationhood and national narratives across different cinematic traditions.
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