REFLECTION ESSAY

Indian movie industry, Bollywood especially has come a long way in the last two centuries and today it ranks as the biggest movie industry in the world in terms of the number of films it has produced (Sumita, 1993). It was the Bengali film director, Satyajit Ray who had introduced Indian cinema to the outside world. India was the location chosen and specifically North India where Bollywood was born. The films chosen were by the legendary director, Yash Chopra. And the three films chosen were Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Veer Zaara and Jab Tak Hai Jaan because all three of them were from the romance genre.

Romance in Bollywood

Bollywood films are known for their dramatic scenes, excellant set designs and music, story and the mashup of all genres. The main attraction of bollywood films is the combination of romance and music. Romance is the main genre of bollywood films and in any movie, regardless of their genre a romance element is for sure to enter the story. But the romance is followed closely with indian traditional values of getting permission from a girl's parents to marry her and also following the exact steps in all types of marriages be it hindu, gujrati, Punjabi (Dwyer & Patel, 2002). Bollywood has risen beyond its taboo of kissing and being intimate on screen where last time there were roses and waterfalls being shown when the girl and the guy went close to each other, now bollywood is starting to get explicit just like hollywood movies.

For example in the movie Jab tak hai jaan, there are explicit scenes of Katrina Kaif and Sharukh Khan kissing and making out to express their love for one another. The younger generation seem to have accepted this openness of Bollywood but the older generation still expects some decency in films but the film industry is growing just like every other generation and the generation now are all open about what they do and thus Bollywood has to change according to them to attract them to watch more Bollywood movies.

Music of Bollywood

There are various shows done in international countries by Bollywood stars, singers and musicians in countries like Birmingham and Manchester. Bollywood stars are also being recognized for their work by people all over the world such as Aishwarya Rai going to the Oscars and Sharukh Khan speaking at Yale. The one constant thing in Bollywood movie is the music. It is one of the main key marketing techniques that Bollywood uses. (Khetarpal, 2005). They release the music track of the film and in fact the music industry in Bollywood can’t be compared to any other type of music. The review of the a Bollywood movie can be determined by the movie’s music track where the predictions usually are that if the audience like the music, they are surely to like the film or they would have more expectation towards the film. Sometimes one song can be the highlight of the whole movie and that would be the main reason people go to watch a particular movie (Kapoor, 2005).

This relates to Dil toh pagal hai where the album was a super hit when it got released and people went crazy over the soundtrack. The film has a mash up of upbeat and romantic soundtracks, which binds the whole story together, and there is not one song that seems unnecessary in the movie. All tracks are pictured and portrayed perfectly in apt scenes.

Audiences also tend to identify with the characters of good films and get connected emotionally with that character. Scenes such as family issues in some movies could be so real that some audiences can relate back to what is happening in their life to the movie since most movies are based on real life happenings, which take place in India that even Bollywood is aware of. Watching and discussing a movie is an experience, which is enjoyed by all generations, be it young or old. Bollywood brings entertainment as well as cultural values that parents want their kids to learn.

Cultural Diversity of Bollywood

Bollywood also increases cultural diversity in its films, portraying different characters in different castes of India and having the actors play a splendid role by literally adapting to their character before the shooting even begins (Arjun, 1997). The secret of the success of Bollywood movies is still not definable eventhough there are so many reasons to it but the question as to what connects all types of indian audiences to Bollywood movies is till not answerable because the people who find differences in between various caste get together to watch one Bollywood movie. So what is that binding force that a Bollywood movie has that cant be implemented in real life?

Veer Zaara is a perfect example of this as there are many real life stories that have been rejected because either the girl or guy was from Pakistan. Veer Zaara also explained about how a true love would never defame his other half, no matter what the situation is like. It taught lovers how to respect one another and how to suffer in any situation but never to humiliate one’s true love.

Fashion of Bollywood

The fashion designers in bollywood have grown so much that today people await seeing what their favorite actors and actresses are wearing and they want to follow the same trend. People might not be interested in award ceremonies but they would buy tickets to just go to see what the stars are wearing on the green and red carpets. Bollywood is known for its sarees and salwar suits but the modern look of these traditional clothing has taken made even international actors and actresses opting to wear them at Cannes and Oscars. For Dil Toh Pagal Hai, 22 designs of Manish Malhotra (leading fashion designer) was rejected by Yash Chopra before the director approved the simple salwar suits of Madhuri Dixit in the film. Compared to other Indian Film industries like Kollywood, fashion and sense of dressing in Bollywood is much more unique and looks better.

Locations of Bollywood

There are many famous locations of Bollywood outside India. Yash Chopra has done most of his films in Switzerland and that is the reason why there is a lake, train and a hotel suite named after the legend. Other locations include, Germany and England. Dil Toh Pagal Hai was shot in Europa park in Germany while Jab Tak Hai Jaan shooting took place in England and than Ladakh. Veer Zaara had different locations inside located in Punjab and Haryana in India. Hollywood’s presence is being felt in Bollywood movies as the films being produced are having larger budgets and more sophistication in their themes. Ladakh became a very famous spot after 3 idiots was shot there and after Jab Tak Hai Jaan also took some of their scenes there, the place is said to have more tourists than ever before. Bollywood audience is not bothered about if Bollywood movies have a UK certification or not, they make a choice to watch a film by its director, actors and music and of course the film’s publicity (Banker, 2001).

Globalisation has strengthened Bollywood with new technologies coming in and new ways of distribution is being done to international audience, Bollywood has moved forward and is taking its bold steps into giving Hollywood competition in all categories. Bollywood has already etched its name in audiences all around the world but it will be in no time that Bollywood would give Hollywood a run for their money but that will be when they start investing more money in international marketing and distributions. Bollywood still claims its commitment to family values and happily ever after love stories and still makes billions of money from its audience as they love the way the direction is being potrayed and the way they feel a connection towards the film.

References

Ashish Rajadhyaksha. (2003) The ‘Bollywoodization’ of the Indian cinema: cultural nationalism in a global arena. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, Volume 4, Number 1.

Appadurai, Arjun (1997) Modernity At Large: Cultural dimensions of Globalization, New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Banker, Ashok (2001) Bollywood, New Delhi: Penguin Books.

Chakravarty, Sumita (1993) National Identity in Indian Popular Cinema 1947–87, Austin: University of Texas Press.

Dwyer, R. (2006) Planet Bollywood: Hindi film in the UK, in Ali, N., Kalra, V. and Sayyid, S. (eds.) Postcolonial people: South Asians in Britain. C. Hurst & Co: 366-75.

Kapoor, D. (2005) The Indian Entertainment Industry: An Unfolding Opportunity. Media and Entertainment Insights. PriceWaterhouseCooper, May 2005: 1-6.

Kheterpal, S. (2005) Bollywood: Emerging business trends and growth drivers. Mumbai: YesBank.