2008 Woodie Awards
Bling is king
Blog dispatch from students in India
Lauren Padgett
Issue: 7/14/08 Section: summer in india
Here in India, there are two Bombays. There's the Bombay of the disenfranchised, of the countless street urchins, starving children and severely, intentionally handicapped people who live on less than a dollar a day. Then, there is another Bombay--the Bombay of the decadently beautiful and exotic in everything from cocktail bars to movie stars.
So far, we've had a taste of both worlds. Films give the best example of glamorous India, and we've taken in a couple Bollywood blockbusters the last couple of days. Tonight we trekked across the street to opening night of "Singh is King" and got the kind of colorful, music-filled epic we've come to expect from Indian entertainment.
The plot of the film was fairly easy to follow, even if none of us speak Hindi. It was action packed and visually stunning, with music videos, dance sequences and even an intermission.
Bollywood movies are at a minimum three hours long--if they were any shorter, the audience would feel slighted at the cost. Movies are a big deal here. Also, we're learning that while an "R" rating in the States guarantees an adult audience and will usually generate a profit, here in India, an "R" rating could mean empty seats and a bust at the box office. A movie is a family outing--if the parents can't take the kids, then the content is too inappropriate anyway. All Indian movies must pass a regulation inspection from a sector of the government of India, and a copy of its approval is shown before every film. A film that doesn't get that stamp of approval for whatever reason (in some cases, it's very ambiguous), then it can't be shown in a movie theater.
Just imagine if the U.S. government had to approve every movie made in country--I wonder what would have been left on the cutting board.
So far, we've had a taste of both worlds. Films give the best example of glamorous India, and we've taken in a couple Bollywood blockbusters the last couple of days. Tonight we trekked across the street to opening night of "Singh is King" and got the kind of colorful, music-filled epic we've come to expect from Indian entertainment.
The plot of the film was fairly easy to follow, even if none of us speak Hindi. It was action packed and visually stunning, with music videos, dance sequences and even an intermission.
Bollywood movies are at a minimum three hours long--if they were any shorter, the audience would feel slighted at the cost. Movies are a big deal here. Also, we're learning that while an "R" rating in the States guarantees an adult audience and will usually generate a profit, here in India, an "R" rating could mean empty seats and a bust at the box office. A movie is a family outing--if the parents can't take the kids, then the content is too inappropriate anyway. All Indian movies must pass a regulation inspection from a sector of the government of India, and a copy of its approval is shown before every film. A film that doesn't get that stamp of approval for whatever reason (in some cases, it's very ambiguous), then it can't be shown in a movie theater.
Just imagine if the U.S. government had to approve every movie made in country--I wonder what would have been left on the cutting board.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 17
Veronica Martin
posted 8/09/08 @ 5:53 AM PST
It's true, an escape from the streets is necessary here... but how ironic that those who perhaps need the escape most are relegated to the outer side of the theatre windows. (Continued…)
lostintranslation
Kassi Rodgers
posted 8/09/08 @ 8:26 PM PST
The movies are definitely an amazing escape from the car dodging and sometimes open sewage of Bombay streets. Their ability to whisk you off to another world is why some Indians choose to pay for 6 dollar leather seats (a steal by American standards). (Continued…)
Joshua Treybig
posted 8/10/08 @ 3:49 AM PST
The escapism is pretty necessary periodically. Last night I went to see Kismat Konnection at Liberty Cinema down the block where there are four classes of seating ranging from Rs 40 to be close to the screen or Rs120 to be in the front balcony, at that price it seems to provide even more people access and the theatre itself is much less glamourous. (Continued…)
Mat Lohr
posted 8/10/08 @ 3:55 AM PST
Bollywood movies feel like mindless entertainment, but thats a great thing considering where we are in the world right now. They are so much fun and entertaining that they allow you to completely escape and let loose. (Continued…)
erica webster
Erica Webster
posted 8/13/08 @ 7:22 AM PST
snoop dogg + bollywood = globalization. forgive me for saying that i dont really enjoy bollywood movies, theyre too long, too glitzy, and, more importantly, too unreal. (Continued…)
Melissa Heintz
posted 8/13/08 @ 7:29 AM PST
I had a totally different idea of what Mumbai would be like based on the glitzy Bollywood movies. You barely see any of that here. I that Bollywood movies don't give an accurate depiction of what you see in Mumbai. (Continued…)
Jordan Belmonte
posted 8/13/08 @ 7:49 AM PST
You definately touched on a lot of the issues with bollywood, yet at the same time I have yet to sort out how I feel about it because although it does promote some iritating ideas in terms of beauty and westernization it is also a conduit of Indian tradition. (Continued…)
Laurel Saito
posted 8/13/08 @ 8:31 AM PST
I actually talked to Sonora like on the 3rd day to write my news feature on somewhat of this topic. It is so interesting. The first movie we went to here I felt like such a betrayer, there are kids begging right next to you when you buy the ticket. (Continued…)
Brittany Eddings
posted 8/13/08 @ 9:09 AM PST
Bollywood is such a fascinating form of escapism. After spending just a little time in India you easily begin to understand the need for it. Who knew something so cheesy could perform such a vital social function. (Continued…)
Jessica Miller
Jessica Miller
posted 8/13/08 @ 1:26 PM PST
It is really quite the odd dichotomy in India... the lavishly rich Bollywood portrayed versus the literally dirt poor on the streets. The escapist aspect of these movies is all too common in movies targeted for a lower income audience. (Continued…)
Post a Comment