Excited
Remember when Chuck Taylors were fresh again, years ago? When you were the only person rocking it, and got lots of compliments on them because they were unique and different? And then, do you remember when everyone and their moms started wearing Chucks soon after, and suddenly, that rare kitschy feeling had suddenly become mainstream and cheesy and feeling like people were trying way too hard?
Undoubtedly, fads come and go — I’m currently trying to weather this whole ‘Vampire Thing,’ jeez — and in the fast paced world of media, things become in in a blink of the eye.
This is always seen in the world of film: the late nineties/early 2000’s we saw a huge influx of martial arts movies from China (Crouching Tiger, Hero, House of Daggers), followed by a wave of interest in Americanizing Japanese horror films (The Ring, The Grudge, One Missed Call, etc). But now Hollywood has jumped onto the Bollywood train, and it seems like the train won’t be stopping any time soon, thanks to the success of Slumdog Millionaire.
All my life I have loved Bollywood — being an ABCD (American Born Cultured Desi), I grew up learning to love the magical, musical, and sometimes cheesy world of Bollywood; as I grew up in the suburbs of San Francisco, enjoying my favorite Hollywood flicks, I’ve wondered, “why cant we ever be in movies? Why aren’t there ever any Indians on the screen?”
So why am I complaining? Because it’s becoming too much. It’s flattering, really — but the fallout from Slumdog Millionaire has gone in an annoying direction. It seems like every gym in LA has some kind of ‘Bollywood Cardio’ class claiming to help you lose weight while doing the famous ‘Jai Ho’ subway dance; cheesy Indian stereotypes are appearing on TV shows (see Psych: Season 4: “Bollywood Homicide”); and tons of Hollywood directors and actors are pining to pair up with Bollywood heroes for a piece of the action, when for years Bollywood was laughed at. (You know Bollywood is too hot for its own good when resident lady-slayer Gerard Butler tries to get a piece of the action.)
It’s obvious that Slumdog was a huge success — it won eight out of its ten nominated Academy Awards, including Best Picture — won tons of accolades at film festivals around the world, and generated record breaking buzz for a low budget independent film, grossing over $360 million worldwide. However the South Asian Diaspora has many qualms with this film and the subsequent Bollywood fever, and it all feels a little bit too un-comfortable, too cheesy, too… fake.
My biggest question then is, what happens when this Bollywood fever dies out? Will we return to the stereotypes, misnomers, and the Apu’s from The Simpsons? Will the vibrant culture, sounds, and flavors of South Asia be labeled as a ‘fad’ and be pushed aside, shelved until the next big Hollywood whim?
Although I didn’t really care for Slumdog Millionaire as a film — yeah, I said it — I guess for now it’s exciting to see a glistening of our culture out there on the world’s stage. Hopefully this ‘fad’ develops into a richer integration; an integration drawing the masses deeper into the culture, away from the sexy hip gyrating of Bollywood step dance, towards the artful moves and mastery of Kathak or Bharatanatym; away from the fervid beats and bubble gum lyrics of ‘Jai Ho,’ and into the entrancing sounds of the ancient sitar of Ravi Shankar; and just maybe, it might get the Bollywood cardio crowds of West LA to learn some real Bhangra so they can ‘balle balle’ to the beat of a culture that offers the world more pulse, quake, shiver, and swing than we can even imagine. And that’s my final answer.
How does this post make you feel?
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
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bollywood of heart of india.
A valid question Moye. And yes, you may be right that I didn't notice it because it's not part of my culture. Then again, one doesn't have to be a vampire to notice all the vampire action everywhere! Seriously though, I like to consider myself very in tune with pop culture (one would have to, after all, to blog and work in TV for a living) and I definitely haven't seen a flood of Bollywood references, only the occasional movie and such.
Perhaps you don't feel inundated by Bollywood because it's not your culture? Just a thought, because I know all things Japanese around my city, workplace and pop culture always stand out to me because of my personal relationship with it.
Great post, Sanjay!
Out of curiosity, are there any films/instances of "Bollywood" depictions that you would highlight as stand-out?
Personally, I really enjoyed Bride and Prejudice, which was clearly a Western adaptation of Western literature, while melding some bits of Bollywood movie-making into the film. I saw it as an homage, but wonder what you think! (Of course, B&P was not a "mainstream" Hollywood film -- it was definitely an indie-- but I digress.)
PS - I, too, am tired of the vampires.
I had to look up what Chuck Taylors are. I wonder what that says about me.
Vampires, yes. But personally, I don't feel inundated by Bollywood at all. Not many people watch Psych (I know I don't). Not everybody goes to the gym. The only Bollywood influence I've seen in recent memory is, as you mentioned, Slumdog Millionaire.
But I ask you--would you prefer Hollywood completely ignore Bollywood? I think that the more Bollywood comes into our society, the more mainstream it'll be to include Indian actors or aspects of Indian culture into American pop culture. Yes, in some ways, it'll be diluted, and Hollywood will most definitely get it wrong a lot of the time. But I think that this will ultimately benefit you and your fellow ABCDs, to see more people who look like you represented in the mainstream. Look at how African Americans went from playing maids and housekeepers to starring in their own feature films. Not the same, I know--but you can draw some comparisons.
A valid question Moye. And yes, you may be right that I didn't notice it because it's not part of my culture. Then again, one doesn't have to be a vampire to notice all the vampire action everywhere! Seriously though, I like to consider myself very in tune with pop culture (one would have to, after all, to blog and work in TV for a living) and I definitely haven't seen a flood of Bollywood references, aside from the occasional movie and such.
Perhaps you don't feel inundated by Bollywood because it's not your culture? Just a thought, because I know all things Japanese around my city, workplace and pop culture always stand out to me because of my personal relationship with it.
Great post, Sanjay!
Out of curiosity, are there any films/instances of "Bollywood" depictions that you would highlight as stand-out?
Personally, I really enjoyed Bride and Prejudice, which was clearly a Western adaptation of Western literature, while melding some bits of Bollywood movie-making into the film. I saw it as an homage, but wonder what you think!
PS - I, too, am tired of the vampires.
I had to look up what Chuck Taylors are. I wonder what that says about me.
Vampires, yes. But personally, I don't feel inundated by Bollywood at all. Not many people watch Psych (I know I don't). Not everybody goes to the gym. The only Bollywood influence I've seen in recent memory is, as you mentioned, Slumdog Millionaire.
But I ask you--would you prefer Hollywood completely ignore Bollywood? I think that the more Bollywood comes into our society, the more mainstream it'll be to include Indian actors or aspects of Indian culture into American pop culture. Yes, in some ways, it'll be diluted, and Hollywood will most definitely get it wrong a lot of the time. But I think that this will ultimately benefit you and your fellow ABCDs, to see more people who look like you represented in the mainstream. Look at how African Americans went from playing maids and housekeepers to starring in their own feature films. Not the same, I know--but you can draw some comparisons.
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