-Quote as much as you can from the reading, the film(s) and other readings
In her essay entitled "A Content Analysis of the Portrayal of India in Films Produced in the West" that was published in 2005, Srividya Ramasubramanian argues that "In summarizing the results, it appears that depictions of hot, polluted, mostly rural in nature locales (e.g., bazaars, palaces, huts, jungles, caves, and temples filled with animals) and traditional modes of transport (such as hand-rickshaws and elephant rides) are much more often represented in scenes located in India rather than in the West. Depictions of religious practices (such as nature worship and sorcery), abuse of women and children (such as sati and dowry), and people engaged in stereotypical leisure activities (such as snake-charming, fire-walking, rope-walking) were also more likely to be featured in Indian settings rather than non-Indian settings in these feature films. Characters portrayed as poor, having traditional occupations (such as hunters, magicians, and dance girls), living in stereotypical places (such as huts and jungles), and speaking exaggerated accented English were more likely to be Indian as compared to non-Indian. In short, the above findings suggest that a definitive pattern of stereotypical portrayals of India appears in films made in the West."
1- Using the above quote as your point of departure and the overall argument in Ramasubramanian's essay, discuss the extent to and the ways in which this perspective on films about India produced in the West is supported by the content of films such as "A Passage to India" or "Octopussy". You can use one or both films in your discussion.
2- Basing your argument on Ramasubramanian's essay and either of the films listed above, would you say that images of India in films produced in the West resemble those of Africa? What would be your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with this view?