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<p>Hindi cinema plays a significant role in shaping public understandings of intergroup relations in a religiously plural society. This study offers a Social Learning Theory (SLT) interpretation of how selected Hindi films pedagogically model Hindu–Muslim relationships and communal harmony. Using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis, six Hindi films released between 1995 and 2018 were analysed to identify recurring narrative patterns. The analysis identified a consistent five-stage narrative structure (<i>Normalcy</i>,<i> Confusion</i>,<i> Clash</i>,<i> Loss</i>,<i> and Enlightenment</i>) that systematically models the moral consequences of communal conflict through symbolic representation. Social Learning Theory explains how this narrative grammar functions pedagogically: the five stages engage audiences in observational learning, enabling them to vicariously anticipate the social costs of sectarian violence without direct experience. By structuring emotional engagement, narrative retention, and moral reflection, these films may function as forms of symbolic modelling that shape viewers’ moral imagination regarding intergroup relations. This study contributes to peace psychology and media studies by illuminating how Hindi cinema serves as a culturally embedded resource for fostering communal harmony through structured narrative pedagogy.</p>

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A Social Learning Reading of Hindi Cinema’s Grammar of Communal Harmony

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月20日

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  • Mihir Pandey,
  • Shail Shankar

摘要

Hindi cinema plays a significant role in shaping public understandings of intergroup relations in a religiously plural society. This study offers a Social Learning Theory (SLT) interpretation of how selected Hindi films pedagogically model Hindu–Muslim relationships and communal harmony. Using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis, six Hindi films released between 1995 and 2018 were analysed to identify recurring narrative patterns. The analysis identified a consistent five-stage narrative structure (Normalcy, Confusion, Clash, Loss, and Enlightenment) that systematically models the moral consequences of communal conflict through symbolic representation. Social Learning Theory explains how this narrative grammar functions pedagogically: the five stages engage audiences in observational learning, enabling them to vicariously anticipate the social costs of sectarian violence without direct experience. By structuring emotional engagement, narrative retention, and moral reflection, these films may function as forms of symbolic modelling that shape viewers’ moral imagination regarding intergroup relations. This study contributes to peace psychology and media studies by illuminating how Hindi cinema serves as a culturally embedded resource for fostering communal harmony through structured narrative pedagogy.