33: Hooray for Bollllllywood
Hooray for Bollllllywood....that screwy bally-hooey Bollllllywood, dah dah dah dah, dah dah dah dah daht...Bollllywood....
As the cinema was once the salvation and escape of the unemployed, downtrodden masses of the U.S. Depression era, so is it a temporary respite of poverty-stricken millions in India. By estimates published in the Village Voice, the nation's 13,000 cinemas play to daily audiences of 15 million.
Bollywood, as the Indian film industry is affectionately called, produces nearly one-fourth of the world's film and nearly double what Hollywood produces annually.
In 2001, the Indian film industry claimed 1,013 films made in six languages - the major language Hindi; the four regional languages, Telugu, Tamil, Malavalam and Kannada; and English. Even more amazing is that the overwhelming majority are "epics" by American standards - the norm playing time being three hours with an intermission. They are produced at this length as a way to give their poor audiences the most for their rupee. This industry, which grosses $3.5 billion annually, succeeds without overt sexual context text but, like Hollywood, seems to have a certain themes it holds dear. As one Village Voice critic put it, Indian movies are a "formulaic pattern of love stories, including large numbers of songs and dances as well as choreographed violence."
But after watching two weeks of Indian movies, I agree more with another observer's description that what drives Bollywood productions are "exaggerated plots, tight jeans and hide and seek behind trees." From my own viewing experience it always seems there's a love story about two young beautiful people in desperate love and some ugly, villainous, rich rajah captures the pretty girl and has to be hunted down by the wronged love. Making the wrong right seems to entail a lot of singing, flirting by the heroine (which seems to require poking one's head from side to side from behind trees...or light poles...or bushes...)and a rain scene in which the comely maiden is shown with a sari clinging suggestively to her perfect form. Kissing is rarely seen and sex is nonexistent, hence probably the rain scenes for titillation.
But the thing I found most odd was the plots most often focused on romantic love - a seemingly unusual theme for country where 90 percent or more of marriages are still arranged.
I asked an Indian woman I met in Jaipur about current marriage customs. She commented that her son had not had an arranged marriage but married a woman with whom he worked. When I remarked that it seemed unusual to have a romantic marriage she remarked, "Yes it is, but she studied with our son and she fell in love with him so her family approached me to see if we would allow their daughter to marry our son.
"We come from higher caste, but she has light brown skin, is very lovely and she was willing to abide by the rules of our caste. We eat meat; she doesn't, but was willing to prepare meat for him. So we granted our okay."
When I asked how their daughter would find a husband, she explained their daughter was at the ideal marriageable age and needed to be wed before she entered medical school.
"If we wait the three years until she finishes she will be too old and all the good men will be married off and she will have a very difficult time to make a good marriage. Men can marry a little older but after 24 or 25 a woman is past her prime."
To find a husband, they had started placing ads in the local and regional newspapers with some particulars about their daughter, including her birthday and her caste.
"Once we have six or so applicants, my husband I will go through them, check their astrological charts and after we choose one, we will meet his family. They will check their charts, we'll review each other's family backgrounds and if all goes well, we'll inform our daughter that we've made a match." When I wondered what would happen if their daughter did not like their choice she replied, "Of course, we would not force her, we would have to start over again. But, she knows nothing of men, so she will agree and trust our choice."
In some regards I had to admire this, after all, single people know how hard it is to find a decent companion. Arranged marriage gives you a lot more free time. No stress about dating, no late-night "girl talk" calls, no worrying about picking the perfect gift for a girlfriend, no fretting if the boyfriend is really "out with the boys". Just think of the valuable hours wasted dating.
But then I thought about my mom finding me a husband, and given that almost every guy she's ever pointed my way had a unibrow and bordered on socially reclusive, I was reminded I'm better off taking my chances.
But perhaps that is why all those romantic love stories are so popular in India. As the Harlequin Romances of film, they are about chance meetings, true love, redemption and being saved and reunited in the nick of time; bringing a bit of escape and excitement into the lives of people who have their futures written out for them...very much like the plot of movie.
Why it's called Bollywood
The Indian film industry, which is as old as its American counterpart, is primarily set in Mumbai - formerly known as Bombay - hence the combination of the old city name and its more famous film-producing cousin.
Caste system
The ancient Hindu Indian caste system, the origins of which are still debated among scholars, was outlawed more than 50 years ago when the country gained its independence from England. The castes system consisted of five main categories - the Brahman (priest class), the Kshatrias (warriors), the Vaishias (traders), the Sudras (laborers) and the unfortunate Untouchables - along with many other sub-castes which depended on various affiliations. Part of the reason the system was outlawed was because the Untouchables - renamed by Mahatma Gandhi as the Harijan or "children of God" and now known as the Dalit by caste members - were considered highly persecuted and discriminated against. But outlawing a custom doesn't abolish it and as recently as 2001, Amnesty International sought to include discussions of the caste system at the South African UN conference on discrimination.
Unfortunately, traditions die hard and everywhere you look in India, the plight of the "children of God" is still seen.
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