Analysing Space and Its Depiction Through The Medium of Films

ANALYSING SPACE
AND ITS DEPICTION

THROUGH THE
MEDIUM OF FILMS
CASE STUDY: Dilwale Dulhaniya
Le Jayenge
“The focus on the ability to represent space

incorporates the relationship of cinema and
architecture and entails address to key
thinker and conception of space and place.”
Priyamvada Kapoor
5/18/2009
1| Page
APPROVAL CERTIFICATE
The following study is hereby approved as a creditable work on the

approved subject, carried out, and presented in a manner sufficiently
satisfactory to warrant its acceptance.
It is to be understood that by this approval the undersigned does not

necessarily endorse or approve any statement made , opinion expressed
or conclusion drawn therein, but approve the study only for the purpose
for which it is submitted and satisfies himself as to the requirements laid
down by the seminar committee.
Name of the student: Name of the

guide:
Priyamvada Kapoor Mr. Arunav
Das Gupta
013
Course Coordinator:
Mr. A.G.K Menon
INDEX
ANALYSING SPACE AND ITS DEPICTION THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF FILMS | 2

1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 4
2. INTRODUCTION 5
3. IT’S RELEVANCE IN MODERN DAY SOCIETY LIVING 7
4. SCOPE OF WORK: METHODOLOGY AND LIMITATIONS 9
5. BASIC CONCEPTS 10
a. FILMS 10
b. ARCHITECTURE 10
c. SEMIOTICS 11
d. COMMUNITY 13
6. CASE STUDY 14
a. THEME OF THE MOVIE 14
b. ARCHITECTURAL REFERENCES 15
c. SEMIOTICS OF SPACE 35
d. CONCLUSION OF ANALYSIS OF THE MOVIE 36
7. CONCLUSION 38
8. DETAILED SYNOPSIS 39
9. BIBLIOGRAPHY 43
Note: This seminar report is based on the knowledge acquired from the discussions I had
with my guide as well as a parallel studio class I attended dealing with film and
architecture. This studio gave me a vision to look at a film in an analytical manner and
understand the depiction of space better. My knowledge of ideologies and principles
comes largely from there.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to express my deep and sincere gratitude to Mr. Arunav Das Gupta
for his valuable guidance in preparing this research paper. His expert
opinion and suggestions made available to me from time to time are
gratefully acknowledged.
I would also like to extend my gratitude to two other teachers Ms. Archana
Gupta and Ms. Parul Kiri Roy (Both of them conducted the Film and
Architecture Studio) who have helped me accomplish this research
throughout the course.
My friends off course boosted my confidence from time to time and never
let me loose the chosen track in my report. So an extended thanks to
them too.
Priyamvada Kapoor
(Roll No. 013)
ANALYSING SPACE AND ITS DEPICTION THROUGH THE
MEDIUM OF FILMS

What is architecture? What are films? What is their relation, their
interdependence? Is there a valid relation or do they just happen to
coexist in this world? What is a community? Well, coming to think of it, do
the three; Architecture, Films and Community, form an ‘Interdependency
Triangle’? If yes, how? Moreover, if not, then why not? All these and more
questions were hovering in my mind when I began to think about my
seminar topic on Film and Architecture.
Cinema and Architecture are distinct arts, dynamic and static
respectively; whose complex relationship gives life to each other.
Architecture, gives films its believability; setting the mood, character,
time and place for the action. Films, on the other hand, provide an outlet
for realising visions that exist or can exist and entreat experiences that in
reality have occurred or have not occurred, when we talk about both
movies based on the real world and the science fictions respectively.
Both Film and Architecture operate as languages communicating through
a library of signs called Semiotics. Semiotics provides a systematic way to
analyse and understand the characteristics of signs expressing meaning.
In everyday life also, space is rarely considered for its independent
qualities, but is more generally taken as a context for the meaning of
other objects. The study of space as a semiotic phenomenon suggests
that the meaning of space, as a sign, is generally understood in relation to
other concerns. These signs can be divided into two sub-divisions; the
signifier (the physical state of signs) and the signified (thoughts, ideas and
notions of what the signifier embodies).

Now, if we talk about the interdependence of the three; Architecture,
Films and Community, we may talk about how films are for the
community, i.e. for its audience, the people. Moreover, there is
architecture in films, so films are dependent on architecture.

ARCHITECTUR
E
INTERDEPENDENCY
TRIANGLE
FILMS COMMUNIT
Y
Now, we see that;
Film  Community and Architecture  Films
As we all know for obvious reasons, Architecture  Community
Hence, the conclusion can be reached, that there is an ‘Interdependency
Triangle’ existent in some way between the three.
So, Architecture  Community  Films is true.
Moreover, coming back to the earlier discussion, in professional life,
architecture cannot always act as a real mirror for its society or its
context; this is due to the involvement of different factors in design and
building process (financial, political, ecological etc.). Sometimes, these
factors blur the message to be sent to the viewer or the user of the
architectural work, resulting in a misunderstanding in the motives behind

that particular architectural work. In the medium of films, architects can
create ‘Pure architecture’, without worrying about such things like
weatherproofing, contract bidding or building codes.
“Cinema-Architecture is thus, an ideal fulfilment of what architecture can
be about.”
In this seminar report, I would indulge in an analysis of space and its
depiction through the medium of popular Hindi films, in the genre of
Family Drama movies. For this, i would take up a famous movie that has
been running in the theatres in Mumbai since it was released and won a
number of acclaims for it being a ‘Bollywood hit of all times’ - ‘Dilwale
Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’.
IT’S RELEVANCE IN MODERN DAY SOCIETY LIVING
“As architecture is a part of an everyday life and part of a political,
philosophical, social, cultural ideals, and cinema is so much essential for
an imagination and our history and memory...so architecture in cinema
belongs to our historical, political and cultural mind.”
- Leglise Costa
Very rightly said in the above statement, architecture and cinema both
have to work on the political, philosophical and cultural aspects per say to
get the realistic or a still acceptable touch to even a science fiction. The
architecture in a film i.e. the whole setting of space and its depiction
makes the user or viewer understand the respective setting i.e. of the

location (where the story is based) and time (the time aspect of the
storyline).
On the other hand, cinema also helps us form an image of a place and as
for architects, it helps them to actually see and understand the use of
spaces in particular, both interior and exterior. An architect can really
understand the use of different spaces in a building or outside a building
through films since he can observe the user of different spaces since in a
film, he/she would be complimenting different emotions for the respective
different situations. Like, for e.g., in a movie a sad scene would be shot in
dim light and perhaps using silhouettes, revealing something about a
space which could be used to express ones sadness or depression.
“The focus on the ability to represent space incorporates the relationship
of cinema and architecture and entails address to key thinker and
conception of space and place.”
- Adiloglu
Cinema is a pure representation of space, how one space can be used for
depiction of a particular emotion, how it can foster a sense of connection
between the viewer and the film. The viewer here can be anybody from a
layman to an architect. He can have the same or different outlook about
the representation of the same emotion in that same particular space.
Here is where, the space ‘entails address to the key thinker and
conception of the space and place’.

Moreover, Films have the history of architecture and/or they create
architecture, and hence it becomes an imaginary model sometimes even
taken up by reality. So the architects of the world, indirectly, have a ‘give
and take relationship’ with the film maker. Though the films are made for
the audiences to like it and appreciate it as either a good eye-opener or
merely a time pass. Whatever it is, it has architecture as the backdrop,
whether of utmost importance or least importance, it is there somewhere
affecting the wellness of a scene in a film.
“Architecture is a celebration of space, cinema, on the other hand gives
people ‘tiny pieces of time’.”
Murray Grigor
Elaborating on what Grigor said, Architecture is a reality, one can see it,
perceive it, use it etc., it’s a celebration of space. On the other hand, Films
represent just a particular time frame or a particular era (though through
Architecture and other such mediums like the clothing, way of talking
etc.), and hence, depicts ‘tiny pieces of time’.
Now, local cable stations and other pirated means are popping up all over
the country. Films about what people do, where they live, in what
conditions; good or bad, is an effective way to build a community. A
community of people aspiring to be more like the characters portrayed in
films, more like the way they live and most importantly, where and how
they live. Hence, here is where architecture comes in.

SCOPE OF WORK: METHODOLOGY AND LIMITATIONS
The research work includes the informal analysis of 7-8 movies apart from
the case study stated here. The methodology of research has remained
the same as follows:
a. Theme of the movie
b. Architectural References in the movie
c. Semiotics of Spaces in the movie (Analytical Methodology
throughout the research)
d. Conclusion of the movie
While analysing a movie, the point of view of the critics, the architects,
the film-maker and his inspiration (if any), and last but not the least the
layman, rather the diverse nation inclusive of intellectuals, kids, illiterates
etc., for whom the films are made, especially in ‘Hindi Cinema Family
Drama’, is kept in mind and mentioned wherever necessary.
BASIC CONCEPTS
FILMS - Wikipedia
Films are cultural artefacts created by specific cultures, which reflect
those cultures, and, in turn, affect them. Film is considered to be an
important art form, a source of popular entertainment and a powerful
method for educating — or indoctrinating — citizens. The visual elements
of cinema give motion pictures a universal power of communication.

Film is considered to have its own language. Examples of the language
are a sequence of back and forth images of one actor's left profile
speaking, followed by another actor’s right profile speaking, then a
repetition of this, which is a language understood by the audience to
indicate a conversation. Another example is zooming in on the forehead of
an actor with an expression of silent reflection, and then changing to a
scene of a younger actor who vaguely resembles the first actor, indicating
the first actor is having a memory of their own past.
ARCHITECTURE - Wikipedia
As a process, architecture is the activity
of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures by a
person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter. A wider definition often
includes the design of the total built environment, from the macro level of
how a building integrates with its surrounding landscape to the micro level
of architectural or construction details and, sometimes, furniture. Wider
still, architecture is the activity of designing any kind of system.
Architects have as their primary object providing for the spatial and
shelter needs of people in groups of some kind (families, schools,
churches, businesses, etc.) By the creative organisation of materials and
components in a land- or city-scape, dealing
with mass, space, form, volume, texture, structure, light, shadow, material
s, program and pragmatic elements such as cost, construction limitations

and technology, to achieve an end which is functional, economical,
practical and often with artistic and aesthetic aspects.
Separate from the design process, architecture is also
experienced through the senses, which therefore gives rise to aural,
visual, olfactory, and tactile architecture. As people move through a space,
architecture is experienced as a time sequence. Even though our culture
considers architecture to be a visual experience, the other senses play a
role in how we experience both natural and built environments. Attitudes
towards the senses depend on culture. The design process and the
sensory experience of a space are distinctly separate views, each with its
own language and assumptions.
SEMIOTICS
Science of different systems of linguistic signs is termed as Semiotics. It is
concerned with the nature of signs and the rules governing their
behaviour within a system.
Semiotics is thus involved with signification, or the production of meaning,
which is accomplished via the relation between the two components of
the sign:
- Signifier (such as a word)
- Signified (the object denoted)

‘Semiotics of Space’
Space is a term used to describe dimensional aspects existing between
other, significant phenomena. The semiotics of space is a descriptive
process enquiring into the relevant significance of the relationships
between objects and their spatial contexts. Since semiotics is the
disciplined study of the life of signs that ‘stand for or represent’
something, space is generally overlooked as the background to other
objects of attention.
- Elliot Gaines
Peirce, the founder of pragmatism and a systematic theory of semiotics,
introduced many categories, including three essential descriptive
categories of signs that are best explained as:
1. Independent of anything else.
2. Relative to something else.
3. A mediate between two others
These categories help describe the meanings of space. When we speak
about the specific qualities of space, we are considering 1. However, if we
consider the quality of space in a room, for example, we are already
conceptualizing our enquiry in terms ‘relative to something else’, its 2.
Here, as we can see, 1 has been lost to 2, because the meaning of the
space in a room is necessarily dependent upon the relevance of other
objects within that space. Finally, 3 mediated by a third party such as a
person in a particular space; meanings are interpreted from a specific

point of view, indicating the practical consequences of the qualities and
relationships within a spatial sign system such as a room.
COMMUNITY -
Dictionary.com
A social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality,
share government, and often have a common cultural and historical
heritage.
A social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common
characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in
some respect from the larger society within which it exists, e.g. The
business community; the community of scholars etc.
CASE STUDY
(The deconstruction of the movie can be done for its Sociological Content, Ecological
Content etc. but the focus here has been on ‘Architecture’ for obvious reasons)

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995)
Earning over Rs 580 million in India and Rs 175 million overseas, the film
became the biggest Bollywood hit of the year, as well as one of the
biggest Bollywood hits of all time. The movie remains the longest running
film in the history of Indian cinema. In March 2009, the film set a record
by completing 700 weeks of continuous play in Mumbai theatres.
 Theme of the movie
Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) and Simran
(Kajol), are young Indians living in the
United Kingdom. Raj is the only son of a
rich Indian played by Anupam Kher and
Simran is the elder daughter of Amrish
Puri. Simran meets Raj on a trip to
European which she got permission to
go for after repeatedly pleading her
strict dad. After some initial misadventures, they fall in love. Simran
goes home and tells her family about her romance. Her father, will
have nothing to do with a love marriage, and is adamant that she
marry his best friend's son Kuljeet (Parmeet Sethi), who is a man full
of himself & is based in India, to whom she has been promised since
she was born. Her mother wants to spare Simran, but cannot sway
the domineering father. Even though Simran doesn't agree to the
marriage her family returns to Punjab as they prepare for the

wedding. Raj, however, does not give up so easily. He follows
Simran to Punjab, meets her privately and assures her that he will
save her from the arranged marriage. However, he refuses to elope
with Simran because he wants everyone happy with the marriage.
He wants to marry her with the consent of her father. Raj befriends
the soon-to-be groom and pretends to be a friend of the family. He
helps with the wedding preparations and soon gains everyone's
friendship and love. At the same time Kuljeet's sister falls in love
with Raj and it gets more complicated when Raj's dad suddenly
appears in the family and says yes to the marriage. By now, Even
Simran's father is won over. However everything comes crashing
down when Raj's true identity is revealed as Simran's father sees a
photograph of Raj and Simran. Then, as Raj is preparing to leave
when Kuljeet comes and beats him up for playing games with him.
When Raj is about to leave, Simran's father realizes his folly and he
allows Simran to leave with Raj.
 Architectural References in the movie
 Tour Of London

TRAFALGAR SQUARE

ARCHITECTURE ON THE EDGE OF THE THAMES RIVER
BRIDGE ARCHITECTURE

LONDON BRIDGE

QUEEN VICTORIA’S PALACE
 Convenience Store, London

Such Convenience stores are generally located near the petrol pumps as
shown by the movie clip. They are present there for quick shopping of
items like a beverages, chips, gums, or some medicine and beer (as in the
movie) etc.
 Simran’s house in London
A Typical Row Housing in London
Various other spaces in the house
o Dining Room
TOWARDS
THE PUJA
TOWARDS
THE

o Drawing room
A BAY
TOWARDS
THE
THE FIRE
TOWARDS
THE KITCHEN
o Puja Space
THE
GREEN
PUJA SPACE IN THE

REAR OF THE
o Kitchen

TOWARDS
THE
WINDOW
OVERLOOKING THE
o Simran’s Room
ENTRANCE
OF THE
o Backyard (with green grass)
TOWARD
S PUJA THE OPEN
GREEN

The Plan of Simran’s house in London: The movie had enough
references of the location of the rooms on the ground floor to
generate the plan of the house Simran was living in; hence I could
generate the plan of the ground floor
(Though only conceptually, this is possible by reading and understanding the
semiotics of spaces)

WINDO
W
THE
MANDIR
THE
FIREPLACE
BAY
WINDOW
 Raj’s Bungalow in London
Raj’s bungalow is a typical businessman’s house with lavish
and luxurious interiors, as well as a magnificent palatial
entrance.

THE FRONT is palatial and looks like a typical bungalow in London.
To compliment the hugeness of the house, THE REAR (below) is
shown with a panoramic shot.
THE REAR also depicts the mood of the scene. The hero feels sad
and depressed and lonely without the heroine. Hence, the vastness
is emphasized on and a contemplative scenario is setup.
His bungalow has been shown from outside and only one room
inside has been revealed. This room looks like a big drawing room
with a study table in a corner. It is a very formal space as compared
to Simran’s house, which somehow has the Indian touch of her
character to it, hence giving a feeling of warmth. If I may point out,
the spaces are actually illustrating the character sketches and

lifestyle of the characters residing in it. For example, Raj, who is a
carelessly independent guy, getting everything in life, is shown in a
luxurious space where everything is prim and proper, whether being
used or not. Whereas on the other hand, Simran’s house is more
sober and more like her character. It has only those spaces that are
really required in the house. In addition, probably that is the reason
why her house has been shown more extensively as compared to
Raj’s house. Moreover, the other reason could be that the viewer
community would relate more to Simran’s house than Raj’s house
since that is the average class of people that goes to watch such
family drama movies. (It is an all together different issue that when
this film gained popularity, all the people wanted to watch it
irrespective of the class I mentioned above.)
STUDY
TABLE IN
A VERY FORMAL AND PROPER ROOM
 Simran’s ancestral village house in Punjab (India)

o Courtyard (and spaces around it)
The courtyard is used for all sorts of congregational
purposes. Its right at the ‘focal zone’ of the house with
all rooms placed around it as in a typical haveli in India.
The entrance to the house happens from the courtyard.
A Typical Courtyard in a Haveli
As in the above picture and as also mentioned above, this
space in a haveli forms a community interactive space,
whether for small get-together, functions or just a small
conversation.
It is used in the movie for the following purposes:
 For the ring ceremony and sangeet

 To play chess (the shaded area around the courtyard)
 Whenever Simran comes to the ground floor she uses
the stairs ending into the courtyard (The stairs form a
link between the terrace and the courtyard. Since only
one staircase has been shown in the movie, it becomes
the only physical link between the courtyard on the
ground floor and the terrace.)

 The climax of the movie takes place in the courtyard
where everyone is standing and waiting for Raj to come.
Everything is so still and it seems so scary (offcourse the
emotions depicted by the actors play a very important role),
so as something is going to happen.
o Terrace
All small and big get-togethers happen on the terrace. It is
like the open front/back lawns of houses in Delhi today,
which are open to sky as well as covered from the
surroundings giving the needed privacy.
KARWACHAUTH SCENE ON THE TERRACE (COMMUNITY
PARTICIPATION)

The whole song ‘mehndi lagake rakhna’ is shot on the roof
tops since its big enough to house the guests and family
members and the neighbours can also participate being on
their terraces. Since the terraces are all at either the same
level or jumpable levels, it gives a feeling of vastness to the
terrace of the wedding house and hence can accommodate
more people. Hence, it again becomes a community space for
the village people to participate in the functions happening
here.
It’s also the place where the hero-heroine meet at night hiding
from the other family members. It’s the most important place
for the movie, as it’s inclusive of the house but yet exclusive
of the family members.

Above is the scene between the two protagonists, when Raj tells
Simran that they will have to elope to be together. Here, one
observes that the same space is so different in character, the
dim lights and darkness in the space depict the seriousness and
architectural elements of light and shade play a role of utmost
importance. Moreover, the focus lighting on their faces is also

important to emphasize on the seriousness of the scene (or
probably just to clearly show their expressions).
Other spaces in the movie:
 Railway Platform, London
A DUCTILE
A SPACE FALSE
FRAME
The railway station has been a very important part of the movie. All
the ‘plot points’ are formed here. This has been discussed later in
detail in this paper.
A LIGHT WEIGHT
VAULT
DEPICTING A LONG
WAY TO GO
 Opera House, Paris

POINT OF
FOCUS
 The house where Raj and Simran spend the night when
they miss the train to ‘Zurich’
• The old dilapidated shed near the house in Zurich

 Swimming Pool complex (song: Zara sa jhoom lu main)
THE ROOF
STRUCTURE
 The church they visit
THE POINT OF
FOCUS
Some Important points
 When, in the movie Raj tries to make Simran understand
that they would not elope and he would make her family
members agree to their marriage, this whole statement of
his is a ‘Foucaultian Statement’. This is a positive power

statement he makes, which very bluntly means that he
would want to have an upper hand and take her from her
family with their permission in turn being a hero and not a
coward eloping with her. It is all about dominating at once
over another person and not leave any option with them
but say yes. Like in the movie, Simran has no option left
but to agree to what Raj wants to do. Moreover, this
statement is making Raj have an upper hand over Simran
as well as her family without making her realise.
 Significance of the window
Simran is seen contemplating and/or thinking about the
‘Andekha anjaana’ beside the window in the movie. The
window seems to be her only way to interact with him both
before she met him (imagining him) and when she is
separated from him (thinking about him). Hence, this window
seems to be the only space in the house where she is free to
do what she wants to and let her thoughts about her someone
special go loose.

Simran at her home in London
Simran at her home in Punjab
 Significance of the Railway Station
The railway station is a transformational space in the movie.
All turning points are formed at the railway station. Moreover,
all the important scenes take place at the railway station. For
example, in Slumdog Millionaire (released in 2009), the
railway station was a similar transitional, transformational
space. It is illustrated clearly as follows:
TURN POINT 1

Raj and Simran meet for the first time. The story starts
here.
TURN POINT 2
They miss their train to Zurich. A turn point in the story.
TURN POINT 3
They get separated as they reach London. Back to the
reality, their home.

TURN POINT 4
Raj’s Dad reaches Punjab. Yet another turn point in the
story.
TURN POINT 5
A fight between Kuljeet and Raj. Climax of the movie.

TURN POINT 6
Raj takes Simran away. Victory, marking the end of the
movie.
Semiotics of spaces in the movie

Throughout the movie, the semiotics of space has been observed and
analysed, though in a very simplistic manner without stating it all over
the place.
When I talked about the Tour of London, I am talking about the
semiotics, the signs of London, the icons of London depicted in the
movie forming the architectural reference for the movie.
While talking about the convenience store and comparing it to such
common stores near petrol pumps, it is the semiotics I am talking
about here.
The plan of Simran’s house in London was generated understanding
the spaces through its symbolic as well as physical references. Other
than the fact that a scene in the beginning has been shot in the dining
area and hence making the viewers realise that’s its the dining space,
one can relate to it through the signs of a dining area, perhaps the
furniture, the table, rather the laid table etc. Now, for instance, if this
table wasn’t laid and it was just an ordinary table against a wall without
even the chairs to symbolise it as a dining table, one wouldn’t have
thought of it as one and hence the space as a dining space. Likewise,
other various spaces discussed have semiotics of the space as the
basis. There is somewhere, somehow a discussion arousing on the
signs, symbols, icons and semiotics of space.
Moreover, when I talked about a particular scene being shot in a
particular ambience, light and shade, the basis was again semiotics. It

is about how different objects in a space become signs for the
successful interpretation of a particular scene. For example, when I
talked about the climax scene, the still and scary ambience is a sign of
the space. It makes the viewer sense involuntarily that something is
going to happen, before even any dialogues comes up. Hence, the
strength of Semiotics of Space is exhibited very clearly here.
 Conclusion of the analysis of the movie
DDLJ being an evergreen classic has a very deep thought behind its
making. One can understand the ideology of the filmmaker. He very
clearly has divided the whole movie into various parts according to the
‘feel’ of the scene, and the storyline’s demand.
The London tour in the beginning, fulfilled two goals; first, a
background for the titles and second, a way to set the viewers in a
place and period. The buildings, the people, their dressing sense etc.
all led to a common feeling among the viewers that this movie has
been shot in contemporary London (in 1995) and is not talking about
the historical London.
The two housing typologies in London, talk about the stark difference
between lifestyles of people too. The bungalow in which Raj lives is a
rich man’s bungalow. Whereas, the house in which Simran and her
family lives is an average shopkeeper’s den. Moreover, these two

typologies reflect the lifestyle and lifestage of the two protagonists in
the movie; Raj and Simran. It reflects their character sketch to a large
extent. And this is precisely done to clearly demarcate the two
economically, culturally and socially. Though both of them are Indians
residing in London, there is a lot of evident difference in their lifestyles
and upbringing.
Now, space like the railway station is a major ‘Transformational
Space’. Here is where all the twists and turns in the story originate.
Such spaces are also used in movies like Slumdog Millionaire, which is
a recent release (in 2009).
Other spaces like the courtyard and the terraces (in Simran’s
ancestoral Haveli in Punjab) are community spaces. The community
get-togethers and functions take place here. Such a space is important
for the movie since, in the real referential context, in Punjab, there are
large families and these common spaces are very important to; first,
keep the house cool (the courtyard effect) and second, to act as an
open living room space for the daily spill over of the house or during
festivals, or simply to play games like chess (as in the movie).
Moreover, space in space, such as the windowsill in Simran’s room, is
a space for contemplation and fantasies. Here is where she could feel
free and do what she wanted to do and not what she had to do. She
was almost like a free bird who could be in her own world and fly to
where ever she wanted.

Hence, a legendary movie like this, needs to be read carefully by
people wanting to go into the second layer and on the other hand
simultaneously enjoyed by the ones watching it just for fun.
CONCLUSION OF THE REPORT
After a whole lot of discussion and analysis, one thing is for sure;
Architecture, Films and Community surely have a connection, a link,
interdependence. One is not valid without the other e.g. Films or
architecture without the user community; one is not imaginable
without the other e.g. Films without spaces, hence architecture; and for
example architecture without films, well it can go on, but then there
will be no ‘ideal visual fulfilment of what architecture can be about’.
Now, a bunch of questions comes to my mind. The most peculiar
question out of those is ‘Does music or sound affect architecture...?’ I
mean, is there anything such as musical architecture? I have talked
about spaces through films, but is there an aspect of music or sound
somehow that affects the space or architecture?
To answer this perhaps another research paper awaits me.

DETAILED SYNOPSIS
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
(Released In 1995)
Director - Aditya Chopra
Producer - Yash Chopra
Associate producer - Pamela Chopra & Uday Chopra
Music Director - Jatin Pandit & Lalit Pandit
Cinematographer - Manmohan Singh
The SET-UP (ACT I)
Raj Malhotra and Simran Singh (Shahrukh
Khan and Kajol respectively) are young second generation British
Indians brought up and living in London. Raj is the only child of
wealthy Dharamvir Malhotra (Anupam Kher), who spoils his son
excessively. Simran is the elder daughter of convenience
store owner Chaudhry Baldev Singh (Amrish Puri), who is a very

conservative and typical Indian man whose only dream is to one day
go back to his native country. He is proud that he has managed to
bring up his two daughters in a very traditional way. Simran
constantly dreams of her Prince Charming, a stranger who comes
into her life and sweeps her off her feet, and writes poetry to him.
Plot point 1
However, a letter comes from Ajit, Baldev's best friend in India
saying that his son, Kuljeet (Parmeet Sethi), and Baldev's daughter,
Simran, should marry each other. Because of her "Prince Charming,"
Simran is a bit concerned. She hasn't even seen Kuljeet before. But
she agrees to marry him out of respect for her father. However,
before the wedding, she begs her father to allow her to go on a trip
to Europe with her friends; her last chance to see the world before
her marriage to a complete stranger. Even though he is generally
very strict, Baldev relents and allows her to go, on the condition that
she promises never to betray his trust.
Plot point 2
During the trip, Simran bumps into Raj, who is also on a trip to
Europe with some friends. After some initial misadventures, Raj falls
in love with Simran. Only at their moment of parting does Simran
realizes that she too has fallen in love with Raj.
The CONFRONTATION (ACT II)
Plot point 3

Simran goes home and tells her mother (Farida Jalal) that she has
fallen in love with someone else and cannot go through with her
wedding to Kuljeet. Baldev overhears their conversation, however,
and is furious that Simran broke her promise that she would never
betray his trust. He is adamant that she will marry Kuljeet as
planned, and they will leave for India as soon as possible.
Even though Simran does not want to marry Kuljeet (who she has
been betrothed to since birth), her family returns to Punjab. As it
turns out, Kuljeet is a man who is full of himself and takes pride in
being a shikari (hunter). Simran's mother tries to spare her
daughter's feelings, but cannot stand up to her domineering
husband.
INTERVAL (Middle)
Raj, however, does not give up so easily. He follows Simran to
Punjab, meets her privately, and assures her that he will save her
from the arranged marriage and get her to marry him with the
consent of her father. As such, he refuses to elope with Simran
because he wants everyone to be happy with and accept their
marriage.
The RESOLUTION (ACT III)
Raj befriends Kuljeet and pretends to be a friend of the family. He
helps with the wedding preparations and soon gains everyone's
friendship and love. At the same time, Kuljeet's sister, Preeti
(Mandira Bedi), falls in love with Raj, and things get more

complicated when Raj's father suddenly appears in India. By now,
even Simran's father Baldev has been won over by Raj.
Plot point 4
However, everything comes crashing down when Baldev sees a
photograph of Raj and Simran together when they were on their trip
across Europe. He exposes Raj's true identity in front of everybody
and angrily tells him to leave immediately, as Simran will marry
Kuljeet regardless of what anybody thinks. As Raj leaves, Kuljeet
and his friends follow him and nearly beat him senseless with sticks
for his deception. However, when Raj's father tries to intervene and
Kuljeet and his friends beat him as well, Raj flies into a rage and
single-handedly beats Kuljeet and his friends with a stick of his own.
Baldev then stops Raj and tells him and his father to go on their
way; Raj and his father accordingly board a train out of town.
However, as the train begins to pull out of the station, Baldev comes
to his senses and realizes that no one loves his daughter as much as
Raj does. He tells Simran to join Raj on the train, which she
enthusiastically does.
The structure followed above is according to the following
methodology used by film makers:

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Cohen, Greg D. ; Film form and revolution : New cinemas in Latin

American 60’s and 70’s

2. Abouhela, Islam M.; Significance of future architecture in science
fiction films
3. Costa, Leglise; Architecture and cinema
4. Schonheimer , Rainer; Human ‘sense of space’, moving images and

architecture
5. Mattern, Shannon; Between media and architecture
6. Adiloglu, Fatos; Space and place in cinema
7. Grigor, Murray; Space in time
8. Agrest, Diana & Gandelsonas, Mario; Semiotics and structuralism; the

question of signification
9. Websites:
a. www.wikipedia.com
b. www.dictionary.com

Note: This seminar report is based on the knowledge acquired from the discussions I had
with my guide as well as a parallel studio class I attended dealing with film and
architecture. This studio gave me a vision to look at a film in an analytical manner and
understand the depiction of space better. My knowledge of ideologies and principles
comes largely from there.

Analysing Space and Its Depiction Through The Medium of Films

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ANALYSING SPACE

AND ITS DEPICTION

“The focus on the ability to represent space

The following study is hereby approved as a creditable work on the

It is to be understood that by this approval the undersigned does not

Name of the student: Name of the

ANALYSING SPACE AND ITS DEPICTION THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF FILMS | 2

3. IT’S RELEVANCE IN MODERN DAY SOCIETY LIVING 7

4. SCOPE OF WORK: METHODOLOGY AND LIMITATIONS 9

a. THEME OF THE MOVIE 14

d. CONCLUSION OF ANALYSIS OF THE MOVIE 36

ANALYSING SPACE AND ITS DEPICTION THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF FILMS | 3

ANALYSING SPACE AND ITS DEPICTION THROUGH THE

ANALYSING SPACE AND ITS DEPICTION THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF FILMS | 4

interdependence? Is there a valid relation or do they just happen to

coexist in this world? What is a community? Well, coming to think of it, do

the three; Architecture, Films and Community, form an ‘Interdependency

questions were hovering in my mind when I began to think about my

seminar topic on Film and Architecture.

Cinema and Architecture are distinct arts, dynamic and static

respectively; whose complex relationship gives life to each other.

Architecture, gives films its believability; setting the mood, character,

Both Film and Architecture operate as languages communicating through

a library of signs called Semiotics. Semiotics provides a systematic way to

analyse and understand the characteristics of signs expressing meaning.

In everyday life also, space is rarely considered for its independent

qualities, but is more generally taken as a context for the meaning of

other objects. The study of space as a semiotic phenomenon suggests

that the meaning of space, as a sign, is generally understood in relation to

notions of what the signifier embodies).

ANALYSING SPACE AND ITS DEPICTION THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF FILMS | 5

community, i.e. for its audience, the people. Moreover, there is

architecture in films, so films are dependent on architecture.

Now, we see that;

Film  Community and Architecture  Films

As we all know for obvious reasons, Architecture  Community

Hence, the conclusion can be reached, that there is an ‘Interdependency

Triangle’ existent in some way between the three.

So, Architecture  Community  Films is true.

Moreover, coming back to the earlier discussion, in professional life,

context; this is due to the involvement of different factors in design and

building process (financial, political, ecological etc.). Sometimes, these

architectural work, resulting in a misunderstanding in the motives behind

ANALYSING SPACE AND ITS DEPICTION THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF FILMS | 6

create ‘Pure architecture’, without worrying about such things like

weatherproofing, contract bidding or building codes.

“Cinema-Architecture is thus, an ideal fulfilment of what architecture can

In this seminar report, I would indulge in an analysis of space and its

depiction through the medium of popular Hindi films, in the genre of

number of acclaims for it being a ‘Bollywood hit of all times’ - ‘Dilwale

IT’S RELEVANCE IN MODERN DAY SOCIETY LIVING

“As architecture is a part of an everyday life and part of a political,

philosophical, social, cultural ideals, and cinema is so much essential for

an imagination and our history and memory...so architecture in cinema

belongs to our historical, political and cultural mind.”

ANALYSING SPACE AND ITS DEPICTION THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF FILMS | 7

spaces in particular, both interior and exterior. An architect can really

understand the use of different spaces in a building or outside a building

film, he/she would be complimenting different emotions for the respective

dim light and perhaps using silhouettes, revealing something about a

space which could be used to express ones sadness or depression.

“The focus on the ability to represent space incorporates the relationship