Cinematic Misnomers: Examining the Effects of Pashto Movie Titles on the Perception of Pashtun Identity

The current research is a critical study of the impacts of inappropriate and misleading titles of Pashtu movies on the perception of Pashtun identity. Because most of the titles are abusive and immoral in nature and do not conform to the standards of Pashtun society. The project highlights the false standards and narrative built through Pashtu cinema. Stuart Hall ‘s theory of representation is used as a theoretical framework through which the research examines how these titles elicit the semiotic role of outlining cultural self-organization. By employing Qualitative Content Analysis, the study then depicts the dismantling of the concept of the linguistic and symbolic structures of the Pashto movie titles towards the understanding of how they mediate, construct, distort or reproduce the Pashtun identity. Based on the research findings these titles impact the Pashtun community since they provide distorted internal and external representations to various agents. This study underlines how highly influential media representation is and recalls the need for a better representation of cultural identities on screen.