Mediating Ecology within the Context of Marxist Discourse: An Inquiry into the Hindi Film Sherni

In the contemporary mediated era, cinema plays a crucial role in depicting and portraying the ecological connections between humans and non-humans, nature. Given the extractionist approach of capitalists in shaping the Anthropocene and the resilient practices of the communities against uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources, it becomes important to understand the changing metabolic rift between humans and nature. This study focuses on the Hindi film ‘Sherni’ (2021) as a reference point to comprehend the role of cinema in establishing the connection between society and the environment. Departing from typical Hindi film stereotypes, ‘Sherni’ addresses urgent issues related to human – nature, metabolic relationships, the environment, and the challenges faced by local communities to counter exploitative practices in the forest. The paper argues for the need to explore these changing metabolic rifts within the context of ecological communication. Using the Marxian concept of metabolic rift and content analysis, the film explores the complexities of human-environment relationships disrupted by forest and animal exploitation (tigress poaching), as well as displacement of local communities for capitalist gains. This brings forth the need to use ecological films as a tool to disseminate information and establish communication practices related to the environment in society.