Author: Ardhra Thampi, Anjali George

Abstract: Grounded in Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory, this article particularly focuses on analysing the central characters, Alex and Baby, from Stanley Kubrick’s classic film ‘A Clockwork Orange’ (1972) and the 1985 Malayalam movie ‘Irakal’ respectively. These two films are set in two completely different cultural and familial backgrounds. While Baby comes from an isolated village in Kerala, from a wealthy family, Alex is presented as a character who lives with his parents in a block of flats in a dystopian England. The study seeks to elucidate the fundamental assertion that human behaviour, far from being a product of innate predispositions alone, is profoundly malleable and subject to the pervasive influence of external forces. It aims to uncover the universal principles governing human behaviour, which go beyond geographic boundaries, by looking at behavioural in Western and Eastern cultural contexts using the medium of film. Films act as texts that can be studied and read to learn about social conventions, cultural trends, and shared concerns. Whether on purpose or accidentally, filmmakers incorporate such social commentaries into their works and thereby films act as an effective tool for learning about and comprehending the people and the world around us. Therefore, we can learn more about human behaviour, varied emotions, and personality traits by analysing film characters, which enables us to explore more philosophical sides of the human mind.

Keywords: aggressive behaviour, dysfunctional family, social cognitive theory, social conditioning, violence.

Article Info: Received: 30 Mar 2025; Received in revised form: 26 Apr 2025; Accepted: 30 Apr 2025; Available online: 04 May 2025

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.103.1