Bollywood Overseas
Who needs real life when you have the movies? At least that’s what the entertainment industries want the public to believe. Movies are a great escape from reality. It is like stepping out of your world and into someone else’s. That’s partially why movies became so popular. Another reason is because they give a great representation of one’s culture. Movies remind a person of aspects of their own lives which allows them to relate to them. Hollywood is the American entertainment industry and Bollywood is the Indian entertainment industry. Hollywood has been around for much longer and is more established. While people all over the world enjoy the entertainment produced by America, one has to ask, “Is it affecting other entertainment industries?” Bollywood used to be viewed by the people of India only. But to become part of the global economy, industries need to become more globalized. So is that what is happening to Bollywood? Hollywood and the American entertainment industry are globalizing Bollywood to make it become part of the world entertainment industry.
Watching a Bollywood movie is an experience of its own. Imagine seeing a three hour long musical with bright colors, upbeat dances and catchy tunes. Bollywood launched in the middle of the 20th century and it was small industry barely reaching the public. All the films were simple with the basic theme being love. The stories involve a girl and a boy in love, but have some conflict that does not let them be together. After three hours of singing, dancing, and fighting, the story always ends with a happily ever after. Indian culture does not applaud public displays of affection. So Bollywood movies never show a pair kissing much less holding hands. Seeing a couple holding hands, on the street, is rare and never would one see kissing. That was left for the privacy of the bedroom. It is just part of the culture so it is also displayed in the movies. Movies do not want to offend the public, so by showing an accurate depiction of life in India, the public is happy. Currently though, Indian movies have been showing public displays of affection. The idea is still thought to be scandalous. Take for example the actress Aishwaryia Rai and Hritick Roshan in the movie Dhoom 2. Many Indians were appalled while some just embraced it as a sign of Hollywood finally making a real impact on Bollywood (Zafar). Modest clothing is well respected in India. Showing skin is not bad but seeing a girl in short shorts or a tube top on the streets is not considered appropriate. The standard clothing in India for women are saris or salwar kami’s. In old Bollywood movies that was what the actors and actresses wore. They never wore western attire like jeans and a t-shirt. Women would never be seen wearing a skirt. But once Bollywood went global, standard dress code was modified. Women are still seen wearing the salwar kami’s and saris but with less cloth. People do not look twice seeing a girl in a skirt now. The clothing is a representation of Indian culture. The effects of globalization are clearly seen in the matters of affection and clothing.
For Bollywood a new form of globalization is the idea of actors and actresses being seen in commercials or advertisement. Before Bollywood hitting the global market, an actor was not needed to be in commercial or advertise for various commodities in India. Endorsement deals were unheard of. The rareness of seeing your favorite actor was exciting. Now every billboard has your favorite actor or actress telling you to buy this drink or wear this brand of clothing. The advertising industry is booming to say the least. Many experts say because of advertisement, Bollywood was able to reach the masses. Bollywood was able to gross four billion dollars in 2004 with a fifty percent increase in overseas profits. The increase in profits helps bring in so many more opportunities for the industry including simple things like jobs.
Hollywood movies have been able to reach even the remote corners of the world. In doing so, directors and producers must try and appeal to this broad audience. What appeals to the audience nowadays is the idea of finding any type of movie with any type of theme such as movies based off of true stories or complete fictional and futuristic movies. American culture differs greatly from Indian culture in the sense that America is a blend of cultures, though Europe does have a major of influence on The United States. European ideas about broad topics such as love, life, and family are prominently seen in the movies. A common example is the idea of marrying for love. In India many still do not believe or practice this. While in The United States, the idea of an arranged marriage is looked at as backwards, as shown in the movies. American culture does not understand the idea of an arranged marriage; many people view it as a negative idea. In many cultures around the world living with an extended family is normal. One will live with grandparents, aunts, and uncles all in one house. It is a system that has been in place for hundreds of years. In the United States again this is a strange idea perhaps because much of the influence is from Europe. So while watching a movie, seeing a family living together in one house would be rare on the big screen. American movies not only have entertainment values but they are also used for educational purposes. Many cultures around the world have not reached this point in their entertainment industry. Viewers seem to want to watch a movie with substance nowadays instead of a movie about a love story. Hollywood is becoming more global in the aspect that it also has the resources to do so. Being one of the richest industries, it has the ability to a reach massive amount of people on the other side of the world. Not only that, the industry is able to appeal to audiences by dubbing the language that fits the culture. India has a wide amount of languages, so producers have begun to dub movies in Hindi, Tamil, Bhojpuri, and many other languages (Punn). With this change the Indian population is more likely to go watch a movie that completely differs from their standard entertainment. Hollywood movies have that magic of making hits after hits of great movies. The actors and actresses also have the right to express their uniqueness. Many say that the Indian Industry forces actors and actresses to form into the cookie cutter roles. They are not allowed to be different. They feel the need to sing and dance along with hundreds of others that preceded them. Many move on to become part of Hollywood where uniqueness is part of the entire package. Indian culture is one of the most unique cultures in the world. With over a billion people, the beliefs and ideas are well followed. So why the sudden change? For years Indians have prided themselves in being modest and respecting one’s body. With the world becoming smaller and ideas being tossed around like a pillow, it’s no wonder that some beliefs have been thrown out the window. Seeing two people kiss in an Indian movie was never seen until less than a decade ago. Hollywood movies are becoming much more accessible, so the public is able to view them. In return, Indian directors and producers need to compete to keep up. Many directors began to change the themes and after chucking the overused love template, the Indian industry went global. But with this change many other aspects must also change. The idea of modesty is foreign now. Indian movies used to have a touch of innocence. The idea of love was not physical and never would a viewer see a kiss onscreen. That was something to be kept in the privacy of one’s home. Now in every other movie, viewers see nearly nude actresses with plenty of physical “love”. Punn says that Indian actors feel the pressure to blend in with other actors around the world. In doing so their beliefs and ideas are being questioned. Others believe that the combining of the two industries is a positive change. Sooner or later both industries will grow so big that they will not be able to compete with each other. Bollywood is like a nonstop musical. The public gets to constantly watch films that make them smile and give them a break from reality. Though globalization may have a positive impact on many aspects of the world, changing one’s culture is not one of them. Bollywood movies used to be innocent fun with dances and songs that were memorable. But with this new change in tempo, Bollywood feels the need to keep up. In doing so, everyday morals and views on society were changed. Becoming more westernized is not always a positive thing, especially if it compromises ones culture. Keeping up with the world’s entertainment market has made Bollywood one of the most successful industries, but in return, their culture is compromised.