Rasa is an art, which explore the aesthetic beauty of poetic world. Rasa literally means “taste”, or “essence”. The theory of rasa as formulated by Bharata and later explicated and enriched by Anandavardhana and Abhinavagupta constitutes the Central Tradition in Indian aesthetic.

2. Rasa in Contemporary Indian
Art & Cinema
Prepared By
Rahul Desai

3. Self Introduction
❏ Presented By :- Rahul Desai
❏ Roll No :- 22
❏ Semester :- 2
❏ Paper No :- 109
❏ Paper Name :- Literary Theory & Criticism and Indian Aesthetics
❏ Presentation Topic :- Rasa in Contemporary Indian Art & Cinema
❏ Submitted To :- Smt. S.B. Gardi, Department of English
(MKBhavnagar University)
❏ Email ID :- rahuldesai477@gmail.com

4. Table of contents
1. Introduction of Rasa
2. Evolution of Rasa in Indian art & cinema
3. Rasa in visual arts
4. Rasa in Indian cinema
5. Emotions and rasa in contemporary Indian art
6. Contemporary approaches to rasa in Indian art
7. Future trends and challenges in exploring Rasa
8. Conclusion
9. Citations

5. Introduction of Rasa
● Rasa is an art, which explore the aesthetic beauty of poetic world. Rasa literally means
“taste”, or “essence”.
● The theory of rasa as formulated by Bharata and later explicated and enriched by
Anandavardhana and Abhinavagupta constitutes the Central Tradition in Indian
aesthetic.
● Rasa is a concept in Indian aesthetics that refers to the emotional flavor or sentiment
evoked in a viewer or reader.
● Bharata has employed the metaphor of seed -- tree -- fruit to synthesize all the
elements in the poetic process. (Thampi)
● It is connect with the beauty, emotions and feelings.
● The nine rasas of Indian fine arts have their ultimate derivation from the three different
basic primary attributes (gum) that according to Indian thought enter into the making
of the human personality, sdttva or purity, i.e universality and impersonality whose
expressions are silence (Sdnta) and compassion (karuna); rajas, i.e., dynamic creativity
whose expressions are love (syligdra),valor (vira) , and laughter (hasya) ; and tams or
ignorance, unbalance and inertia, whose expressions are wonder (adbhata), fury
(raudra) Ioathesomeness (bibhatsa), and awesomeness (bhayankara). (Mukherjee)

6. Evolution of Rasa in Indian Art and
Cinema
● Rasa has a long history in Indian art forms such as classical dance, music, and
theater.
● In contemporary Indian art and cinema, artists have adapted and
reinterpreted the concept of rasa to suit modern sensibilities.
● The exploration of rasa in diverse art forms reflects the rich cultural heritage
and creative innovation in India.
● It shows the creative beauty of characters. And it make a long lasting impact
on the readers as well as viewers.
● Viewers are criticize the Indian art and cinema as per showing some interest
and own convenience.

7. Rasa in visual arts
● Contemporary Indian artists often use visual elements such as color,
composition, and symbolism to evoke rasa in their artwork.
● The use of traditional motifs and themes combined with modern
techniques adds layers of emotional depth to visual art pieces.
● Through their work, artists aim to create a dialogue with the audience
and evoke a range of emotions.
● Rasa is the quality of emotional fulfilment that a work of art produces
through the personalities, their expression and the situation presented in
a painting.
● According to both the Natyasastra and the Silparatna the colors of
images in painting are light green for love, white for merriment, grey for
compassion, red for fury, light orange for heroic energy, black for terror,
yellow for wonder, and blue for repulsion. Such is the color expressionism
in classical Indian painting. (Mukerjee)

8. Rasa in Indian Cinema
● Indian filmmakers incorporate rasa through storytelling, character development,
music, and cinematography to create immersive cinematic experiences.
● The use of music and dance in Indian cinema plays a significant role in evoking
rasa and enhancing emotional impact.
● Filmmakers often draw inspiration from traditional Indian art forms to infuse their
movies with cultural authenticity and emotional resonance.
● Indian cinema is completely based on experiencing each rasa. The rasas have a
dominant role to play in creating the characters in a film.
● Shringara signifies beauty, love and faithfulness or devotion and is always a strong
trait of the lead female character, the pure and innocent heroine. Veer rasa, which
highlights vigour, strength, courage as well as pride defines the proud, chivalric
hero.
● Bollywood film is highly dependent on all the nine rasas. Indian cinema, which is
strictly Rasic in nature, opens up the possibility of an actor playing a wider range
of roles of any age or nature. E.x Coolie, Rang De Basanti, Slumdog Millionaire, etc.
(Ibkar)

9. Emotions and Rasa in Contemporary
Indian Art
● While exploring a mixture of moods with different emotion, is a parallel part of
our daily life. With a glimpse towards beauty, 'Navrasa' depicts the emotions
through the prism of art with an uneven Indian perspective and breaks new
ground in the visualization of Indian art.
● The artist explore the nine emotions of art Shringara, Roudra,
Bibhatsya,Bhayanaka,Haasya, Karuna, Veera, Adbhuta and Shantha all should be
clearly appeared in the contemporary Indian Art.
● The portrayal of diverse emotions such as love, joy, sorrow, and anger reflects the
complexity of human experiences in modern Indian society.
● Artists in contemporary India explore a wide range of emotions through their
work, drawing on personal experiences and societal themes.
● Through the use of rasa, artists aim to engage viewers emotionally and provoke
thought and reflection. (Gule, Sarkar)

10. Contemporary Approaches to rasa in
Indian Art
● Modern artists in India experiment with new mediums, techniques, and
themes to reinterpret the concept of rasa in their work.
● The fusion of traditional and contemporary elements in art reflects the
dynamic nature of Indian culture and artistic expression.
● Modern Indian Philosophers are accepting the Ethical values of
Rasasiddhanta.
● In contemporary Indian Art reflecting ideas, themes, and symbols within a
single frame work. Paintings carry the moods and emotions of the spectator
and have been occupying an important position of Sthyibhava in the visual
culture.
● Very few Indian contemporary painters have used specific form, symbols,
colors, and images to create a particular emotion with an aesthetic
experience, which is mentioned to as Alaukika or Excellent. (Gule, Sarkar)
(Bhupen
Khakhar)

11. Future trends and challenges in
exploring Rasa
● As contemporary Indian art and cinema continue to evolve, artists and
filmmakers face the challenge of balancing tradition with innovation in their
exploration of rasa.
● Indian art and cinema, in its contrivance to give the audience the pleasure of
the spectacle, relies on the formulaic use of dance and music. Indian aesthetics
always believed that the emotional response in the audience is always crucial to
art and hence the predominance of the rasa theory.
● The globalization of Indian art and cinema presents new opportunities and
challenges in representing rasa in a multicultural context.
● Moving forward, a continued exploration of rasa in diverse art forms will
contribute to the ongoing dialogue about emotions, culture, and identity in
contemporary India.
● Indian cinema, for decades, uses characters coloured in broad strokes who
exhibit strong emotions because according to the Natyasastra formula, a
perfect conveyance of emotion rather that a perfection in characterisation. (Ibkar)

12. Conclusion
● The exploration of Rasa in contemporary Indian art and
cinema reveals a deep connection between emotion, culture,
and storytelling. Through the nuanced portrayal of emotions
like love, anger, joy, and sorrow, artists and filmmakers
continue to evoke profound experiences and reflections on
life. This fusion of ancient aesthetic principles with modern
artistic expression not only enriches the cultural landscape
but also fosters a deeper understanding of human
experiences and the complexities of our shared humanity.

13. Citations
● G. B. Mohan Thampi. “‘Rasa’ as Aesthetic Experience.” The Journal
of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 24, no. 1, 1965, pp. 75–80. JSTOR,
https://doi.org/10.2307/428249. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024.
● Gule, Sarkar, Ganesh, Sarojkumar. “Reframing of Ethics and
Aesthetics Values of Rasasidhanta in the Contemporary Indian
Art.” Reframing of Ethics and Aesthetics Values Of , May 2022,
www.researchgate.net/publication/360890871. Accessed 08 Apr.
2024.
● Ibkar, Alisha. The Natyasastra and Indian Cinema: A Study of the
Rasa Theory as a Cornerstone for Indian Aesthetics, 7 Mar. 2015.
● Mukerjee, Radhakamal. “‘Rasas’ as Springs of Art in Indian
Aesthetics.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 24, no.
1, 1965, pp. 91–96. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/428251. Accessed 8
Apr. 2024.