A discussion panel hosted by the Asia Society convened Bollywood experts such as Indian film critic Anupama Chopra, author of the book King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema, New York University anthropology professor Tejaswini Ganti, screenwriter Abhijat Joshi, and film director Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The panel, moderated by Richard Allen, Chair of Cinema Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York, discussed Chopra’s book as well as other aspects of Indian film and culture.
Bollywood was founded in the 1920s, however it fully blossomed in the mid-1960s, starting with the introduction of color film into India. Stars like Meena Kujmari and Raj Kapoor helped enhance the industry and became Indian sensations. Celebrities in India are like the glamorized movie stars of America, however, Indian cinema stars are often worshipped by millions of people and treated like royalty.
“An Indian movie star has the impact of a rock star, TV star, and athlete all in one,” said Tejaswini Ganti.
The average Bollywood film includes an elaborate plot, upbeat music, lavish dance sequences, globetrotting, and a particular emphasis on religious rituals. This formula has struck a major chord with Indian audiences. With almost four billion viewers in theaters each year, Bollywood has surpassed Hollywood films in popularity worldwide. However content-wise, Bollywood films are lacking appeal for western audiences, who often look for new and inventive films to view.
“Bollywood is a little too much of a spectacle.... They are highly formulated films, but there are not many groundbreaking films that come out of Bollywood,” said Hesh Sarmalkar, an Indian actor whose family is one of the founding families of Bollywood. As well as being an actor, he is also the director of events at the Asia Society.
Ninety-five percent of Bollywood films are colossal failures, bringing in little to no revenue. However, the five percent that are hits bring in enough revenue to encourage more films to be made. When Bollywood first began, there were few investors willing to invest millions of dollars into the films. However, now money from large corporations is being poured into each film, making each scene even more elaborate.
A trademark of American film is the romantic comedy. These are films in which characters fall in love in an average setting, but as the plot goes on, the characters are torn apart. However, in the end, they realize how in love they actually are.
A major trademark of a Bollywood film is similar, however, song and dance scenes are added in to differentiate the two. Indian audience members go to the theaters to get lost in the music and feel the vibes of the elaborate plots. Viewing an upbeat film takes audiences away from their everyday lives and brings them into a new world.
“The stories are exaggerated and the films cater mostly to audiences who are looking for escapism,” said Sarmalkar.
Although many Bollywood films have worldwide distribution and worldwide fans, they are not recognized by the international community as much as Hollywood films. Many Bollywood film stars are known internationally, however few feel that they are ready to conquer Hollywood due to the lack of interest in Bollywood films by American audiences.
Bollywood films are a novelty in the western world now, but as time goes on, many Bollywood critics think Bollywood films will become a worldwide sensation embraced by American audiences as well.
Copyright 2007 |
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