Are Bollywood Movies More Westernized Now?
September 3, 2008
From someone looking on the outside, Bollywood movies are beautiful with their bright colors, melodramatic plots and the infamous dance items with large amounts of people all simultaneously dancing, synchronized. Majority of Bollywood movies are based on guy meets girl, they fall in love and some disaster drama unfolds why they can’t be together and they try to battle it through out the 3 hour film. Some feel that they are heavily influenced by westernized culture and may lack East Indian flavor. I argue that it has always been heavily influenced by other cultures through out all eras of Bollywood movies. Check out some music videos from the 50s-70s and correlate it with American movies from the same era- seems like the same clothes, dance moves, and even maybe the attitudes which people talk.
In watching a Bollywood movie, what I find intriguing are basically the music videos. They have so many categories like the “item song”, “theme song”. I mean any movie would be about 3 hours if you incorporate the soundtrack with a whole choreographed skit. What a lot of people have an issue with watching newer Bollywood movies is that they feel that it becomes to westernized, meaning it seems more and more like American films with half dressed Indian women and men, doused in baby oil rubbing up on each other looking as if it’s a reggae music video. Let’s face it, sex sells and it doesn’t need to be “westernized” to do so. Besides, I don’t see why people make it an issue. I know individuals, like my father always complain how he hates watching the newer movies because he doesn’t feel they have culture or they lack in theme and focus on costumes. It may be so for some films, but I’ve watched a few older Bollywood movies from the 50s-70s and they basically do the same. Isn’t the whole point of watching a Bollywood movie is to see the eye pleasing costumes and dancing? It seems that Westernized cultures always had a huge impact on Bollywood films. If you see older videos “the classics”, some refer to them as, the women sport the same hairstyles as American teens with their high hair and thick eyeliner, the style of clothing, the way they talk like using certain slang words and even the choreography is impacted. Look at the difference in watching a Kathak dancer and a Bollywood/ Filmi dancer; you do see the Indian influence but as well as the westernized influences. Now it’s easier to see it since some songs incorporate rap, reggae and remixes and even background singers that are heavily popular in the westernized culture as well as the language cross over from Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish to English lyrics in just one song.
I don’t think the westernization of Bollywood movies is a new thing at all. I think it was always there. People are always impacted on other popular cultures. Even the title “Bollywood” is a spin off of Americana culture “Hollywood”. I don’t feel it dissects Indian culture but just brings movie watchers together. I watch them and I don’t understand a word of Hindi, there are always subtitles and even watching certain parts without using subtitles you can kind of figure out what’s going on. Besides even using other influences in these films, it just shows how similar everyone is. There is always a version or a twist that people put on a certain trend to make it their own. India has does it with their film industry and so has every other culture. This example happens to use movies to show the influences but there are always underlying messages with the clothing, hair and songs… it seems people want to be like each other. I guess it’s true what people say, I guess you can bring the world together through song and dance.
Pady
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[...] Original post by guest [...]
Well it comes as no surprise that plots now tend to feature Westernized urbanites dating and dancing in clubs rather than at family events or get togethers. More and more they push the envelope to make it more “Hollywood” and get a larger portion of that mainstream audience.
[...] on guy meets girl, they fall in love and some disaster drama unfolds why they can??t be together…http://baiganchoka.com/blog/2008/09/03/are-bollywood-movies-more-westernized-now/2008 FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL - Danza BalletNew York, NY, The fifth annual fall for dance Festival [...]
I completely agree, but the closest I’ve ever gotten to watching a Bollywood movie was watching Kal Pen’s ‘Dude, Where’s the Party?’ and Apu’s “Who Needs the QuickieMart?” song from the Simpsons.
Hahaha (Nikki Nails) the sad part about it that Dude wheres my party.. I’ve seen and happens to be such a great example of a bollywood movie, weirdly enough its the same exact plot and dancing scenes. Remember when Kal’s drives to the girls house and sings some song and dances with his friends to impress her?!
And who doesn’t love Apu and Manjula. The Simpsons always go to India. For example when Mr Burns outsources to India and Homer is left in charge and they do a whole parody and homer looks like the evil guy from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. At the end, they break out in a authentic Bollywood dance. I thought it was actually really cute.
Hey don’t forget Aladdin.
Jon, I think these ideas are not limited to just bollywood and hollywood. I think all major media is influenced by sex themed plots. Some countries have it more in your face than others. I know the Swedes love sex plots.