About Indian Films

 

Since I’m from a Bollywood family, let me tell you a little bit about Indian Film:

The Indian film industry, known to the world today as Bollywood, produces 800 films yearly and reaches nearly 3.6 billion people worldwide.  Countries in the Middle East, South and East Asia, Fiji Islands and the Caribbean are big followers of Indian Films. Also to be included, strangely enough, is Russia where in the 60s the Indian films became a big hit and people went to the extent of naming their children after a particular Indian film star.  In some of these countries Western films are banned yet Indian films are allowed to be screened.

The reason is that the Indian cinema censor board, to this day, despite being a bit relaxed recently, does not allow kissing on the screen yet scantily clad women are allowed, hinting towards Indian film’s time-capsule quality. 

For the population of India, movies offer an escape, especially to the poor, from the relative poverty and hardships they face. During festivals and certain occasions, it is quite common for people to celebrate together by pooling monies or getting a sponsor to support an event.  Food is distributed to the needy and neighborhoods come together and everyone looks to help others.

Indian and Western film progressed along a parallel path for sometime as Bollywood and
Hollywood began at essentially the same time.  Both industries began with multi-faceted stories fulfilling many different audience needs, yet a gulf emerged due to
India’s reluctance to change due to cultural expectations, illiteracy and the censor board’s application of censorship.

The subject matter of most films is particularly culturally oriented and Western audiences unknown of cultural nuances will not understand the meanings of certain things happening within the film.  All these factors have hindered Indian films from worldwide acceptance.

For the Indian population, many impoverished film goers looking forward to the escape of the cinema will save what meager funds they have for several movies weekly, often forgoing household necessities at times.

The films thus must encapsulate nearly every human emotion.  Musicals, dramas, love stories, comedies, tragedies and action scenes are all found within a single film with many archetypes and a set story formula. The hero, heroine, love story, a rain dance, the courtesan, etc. 

Colorful song sequences amidst exotic foreign locations as well as comic plots and subplots are all a must. It is thus common to witness melodrama and outlandishness played to the hilt.  The song sequences and melodrama relate to the public as an exaggerated expression of emotion and feelings.

Bollywood has glamorized the concept of courtesans in film.  It is fascinated by the tragic forbidden love, the decadence and the glamour of the Moghul era consorts.

During the time of the Moghuls, a regional duke, or Nawab, entertained themselves in the Kotas, upscale brothels often with the most beautiful courtesans, holding them in servitude.  Despite having illegitimate children, these women would never be granted full status in society.

The cult of personality of Bollywood Stars is prevalent, with the most famous actors in dozens of films yearly.  Their worship is sometimes the only subject of conversation between Indians of different social strata. 

Thus, Bollywood serves to unite the public and their escape from the harsher realities of life.

Next time, I will tell you the story of Dr. V. Shataram, my Grand-Uncle and one of the greatest film makers. We are a very close family, so I have always considered him my grandfather while growing up with my aunts and grandmothers, who were all starlets. 

Hesh

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