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
Prakz on Power 105.1
August 21, 2008
Chutney-reggae artist, Prakz gets some playtime with his new single “Break Me Heart” on Power 105.1 FM’s website. Check out his video here. Show some support and pass this link on. We would love to see this young artist get’s some airplay on the radio. Read more
We must document our history
July 28, 2008
If we as Indian Guyanese do not document our history then no one will do it for us since we are living witnesses of our status as immigrants in the United States, Canada and elsewhere. Our whole story which covers a period of 167 years, starting from India in 1838 when our forefathers went to British Guiana as indentured immigrants, that first wave was a north to south movement.
Today their children have become immigrants because of policital, social & economic forces beyond our control. Our movement started from Guyana in 1965 to the present and is a movement in the opposite direction from south to north. We in second movement are fortunate to be educated unlike our forefathers and therefore we are qualified to document our stories from our perspective.
Other ethnic groups in Guyana have their stories too and should document them also. I would like to encourage Indo Guyanese to begin this documentation so as to enrich our young Guyanese Literature and History store houses for furture generations and others who may wish to read same.
Robert Mahesh
The Woman I am
July 19, 2008
hello dear friend….dear fellow…
I am boldly being heard today. i don’t know how to take it. i promised to not delete. but then again deleting makes thing better. i don’t have the courage to do it right the first time around… maybe because secretly, I know that i can… and that scares me more than failing. weird. Read more
Have a laugh…
July 8, 2008
You Know You Are A True Guyanese When….
•You know that there are only two types of fish in Guyana – “Scale Fish” and “Unscale Fish”.
•You see a drunken man ride his bicycle all the way from a rum shop and fall down as soon as he reaches home.
•You go “home back” instead of “back home”.
•You know that the sweetest banana is a “speckle banana”. Read more
Baiganchoka.com Interviews Chuck Mohan
June 26, 2008
Who Chuck Mohan and why is it crucial we know the many roles this outstanding citizen play in our community? Chuck Mohan is a native Guyanese and has been living in the United States for the past thirty eight years. He is the president of the Guyanese American Workers United and is an outspoken political activist in the Guyanese community. Read more
Guyanese proverbs and their meanings
June 20, 2008
All cassava get same skin but all nah taste same way.
-Though people may look alike because of their mode of dress, they are different in their own ways.
Big tree fall down, goat bite he leaf.
-When a great man falls, he is no longer feared or respected. Read more
Happy 42nd Birthday Beautiful Guyana.
May 26, 2008
You’ve come a long way! May your soil continue to be blessed and may your flag be raised high like the head of a proud mother. You’ve graced life onto so many and to you we pay our humble respect. You have produced brilliant minds and cultivated warm hearts. May you continue to grow strong in the years to come and may all your people some day hold their heads high and say in harmony “We are proud to be Guyanese.” Read more
Guyanese man dies at Shea Baseball Stadium last night after falling two stories to his death
April 16, 2008
Antonio Narainasami of Cypress Hills, Brooklyn and a native of Guyana fell two stories to his death after tipping over an escalator. He leaves behind a family of two daughters and his wife who is pregnant with their third child. Antonio was pronounced dead at New York Hospital Queens. Our prayers are with the family and friends affected by this personal disaster.
Read the full article.
The Baiganchoka Team.