COMPARATIVE MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF GENDER AND POWER REPRESENTATION IN BOL AND DUKHTAR

This paper provides a comparative multimodal discourse analysis of gender and power representation in the Pakistani films Bol (2011) and Dukhtar (2014), exploring how discourse in the Pakistani socio-cultural context constructs, negotiates, and challenges patriarchal ideologies. In Pakistan, gender is strongly intertwined with power relations, as the gender roles in the male-dominated patriarchal society define the gender relations and regulate the autonomy, mobility, and sexuality of women. The study will utilize the theory of power/knowledge proposed by Foucault (1980) and the theory of Visual Grammar and Foucault (1980) propose to analyze the impact of visual design, camera work, sound, dialogue, narrative sequencing, and symbolism to construct meanings of gender, power, and resistance. The comparative framework identifies how differences in cinematic style and semiotic decisions between the two films lead to distinct ideological stances against patriarchy. Based on the purposive sampling of key scenes, the analysis systematically examines representational, interactive, and compositional meanings and how each film constructs oppression, victimhood, agency, and resistance. The study has a contribution to applied linguistics and film studies in that visual and linguistic resources work together to create ideological meaning in Pakistani cinema. Keywords: multimodal discourse analysis; visual grammar; representation; gender; power, Pakistani cinema; patriarchy.