For many, Bollywood means colorful clothes, kitschy storylines and extremely exaggerated performances. Yet it is the biggest film industry in the world. What is it about an Indian production that makes so many people go to the movies?
Motorcycles, rickshaws, cabs and cows: Mumbai's streets are extremely chaotic. It's no different on the sidewalks either. Businessmen in suits mingle with (pushy) street vendors, begging women with small children share the space with dozing dogs. The scene is accompanied by the constant honking of annoyed cab drivers, because here the rule is: if you honk, you drive. In the middle of the hustle and bustle, a young woman in a colorful T-shirt and jeans is desperately looking for foreigners. She is a recruiter and urgently needs extras for the next Bollywood movie.
Mumbai is the Hollywood of Indian productions, so to speak. Films have been made in India since 1912. Bollywood (a combination of Bombay and Hollywood) produces more than twice as many films as the United States. In Mumbai, there are around sixty larger and smaller film studios where films are produced in a continuous loop. The state of Hyderabad is also busy filming. This is where "Ramoj Film City" is located, the world's largest film studio with an attached theme park. However, the producers of major films sometimes go abroad for filming. Because the same applies in India. The more exotic the setting, the better a movie is received. And for the inhabitants of the subcontinent, that means a mixture of mountains and snow. That's why many films are set in the Alps (mainly Switzerland).
What is it about?
Bollywood films usually show traditional values. Very often it is about family, love and heartbreak. Criticism is also practiced. For example, the film Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (Till Happiness Do Us Part) deals with what happens when a partner in an arranged marriage falls in love with someone else.
While there are always variations on the themes, one thing is certain: there is always singing and dancing. You learn a lot about Indian culture in the process. How else would you know what bhangra (music/dance from the Punjab) is in this country, for example? The choreography is sometimes very complicated and the professional dancers have very little time to rehearse it. The sweaty, humid weather in Mumbai is another challenge.
Similar to Hollywood, there are of course also real crowd pullers in Bollywood. One of the biggest movie stars is Shah Rukh Khan, who was born in New Delhi in 1965. With classics such as the romantic flick DDLJ(Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge - Whoever comes first gets the bride), the historical film Asoka or action films such as Don or Pathaan, he has thrilled audiences. In the process, the Muslim broke with many norms. In times when arranged marriages were the norm, he married his childhood sweetheart Gauri. A Hindu.
Political statements
Even if Bollywood is usually associated with feel-good cinema, there are certainly films that are socially critical and political. Be it the still smouldering conflict between India and Pakistan(Veer - Zaara) or the social prejudice against Muslims after the attacks of September 11, 2001(My Name is Khan). Environmental issues(Swades) or terrorism(Dil se) are also dealt with.
Nevertheless, the main aim of Bollywood is to entertain. To simply switch off and forget your worries for three hours (yes, some movies do take that long). Along the way, you also pick up a few Hindu terms (below is a small collection to show off to friends) and learn something about Indian culture. Just like dance scenes, important Indian holidays are often depicted. Alongside Holi (which I have already written about HERE ), Diwali is one of the most popular holidays in Bollywood films.
The festival of lights is held every year on the 15th day of the Hindu month of Kartik. This usually falls at the end of October/beginning of November. The Hindu celebration lasts five days and is an absolute family festival. The whole family comes together, eats laddoos (sweet dough balls), diyas (small oil lamps) are lit and religious rituals take place. Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil. Perfect for a Bollywood movie.
What about the recruiter?
The young woman was successful. She found actors from France, Sweden, England and Austria. How do I know that so well? I was one of those extras. By the way, they were looking for me for the movie Don 2. More about my experiences in an Indian film studio will be available here soon. By the way, the cover picture for this article shows the make-up area on a Bollywood film set.
Some terms from the Indian language:
Mai .... hai - I am ..... (name)
Namaste - Hello
Mai ..... se - I come from .... (location)
Admi (Pati) - Man (husband)
Mahila (Patni) - woman (wife)
Mujhse tumse pyar hain - I love you
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Sources:
https://studlib.de/6117/medien/bollywood_indische_filmindustrie
https://thevirtualassist.net/film-production-companies-in-mumbai/
https://www.ramojifilmcity.com/film-studio/
Own experiences from filming in Mumbai in January 2011
Photos: Ingrid Müller
Cover picture of KANK (Kabhie Alvida na Kehna) by Rapid Eye Movies (all rights reserved)
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