Discourse and Identity: A Critical Study on Show Business by Shashi Tharoor

This paper explores the intersection of discourse and identity construction in Show Business by Shashi Tharoor, a satirical novel that criticizes the relationship of Bollywood, politics, and mass media in present-day India. The study uses critical discourse analysis to examine how language, performance, and power dynamics shape the protagonist's identity, reflecting the complex sociocultural realities of India. By portraying the rise and fall of Ashok Banjara, an actor-turned-politician, Tharoor unveils the fluidity of identity in a world dominated by spectacle and image manipulation. The analysis focuses on how public and private person as overlap, emphasizing the performative nature of identity, both in the personal dominion and within national politics. Moreover, the novel’s narrative techniques, including intertextuality and parody, are scrutinized to understand how they obstruct traditional identity paradigms and challenge hegemonic discourses. This paper sets Show Business within the broader framework of postcolonial literature, highlighting its critique of consumerism, political opportunism, and the commodification of culture. Finally, the study emphasizes the role of discourse in constructing, maintaining, and subverting identities, providing insights into the interplay between self-presentation and social expectations in postcolonial societies.

Keywords: Discourse analysis, Identity, Bollywood, Shashi Tharoor, Postcolonial literature, Spectacle, Politics, Performance, Commodification