BOLLYWOOD
The World’s #1 Filmmaking System
HISTORY OF BOLLYWOOD
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“Bollywood” (Bombay + Hollywood) is a term
coined by the news media, not the filmmakers
(Bombay is now Mumbai, of course….)
 First applied in the 1970s, when India became #1
feature filmmaking country
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See 17-minute excerpt from Mark Cousins’
essay/documentary The Story of Film: An
Odyssey (2011):
Development of commercial cinema in India in the
1960s and 1970s
 Amitabh Bachchan and Sholay (1975)…trying to
capture the “traumatic” times
 The “angry young man” motif
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CHARACTERISTICS OF
“CLASSICAL” BOLLYWOOD
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The system:
A “Studio System” modeled somewhat on old Hollywood
 A powerful star system
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e.g., Amitabh Bachchan
 e.g., Shah Rukh Khan (SRK)
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Much nepotism—pretty much institutionalized
Includes what the book calls the “Bollywood Brat Pack”
 See “List of Hindi Film Clans”!
 e.g., Kareena Kapoor
 e.g., Abhishek Bachchan
 e.g., Hrithik Roshan
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CHARACTERISTICS OF
“CLASSICAL” BOLLYWOOD
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The style:
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Essentially all are musicals—integrated musicals in which
song and dance propel the plot
MTV-inspired visual style
 Such dance has been adopted by other art/entertainment forms
around the world
 e.g., Bollywood number in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! (2001)
 e.g., Broadway and West End productions of Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s Bollywood Dreams (2002)
 e.g., Bollywood dance clubs in NYC
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An open acknowledgement of “playback singers”—
supporting a related music recording industry
 Most films are about three hours long…with an
intermission
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Indian audiences want quantity for their money
CHARACTERISTICS OF
“CLASSICAL” BOLLYWOOD
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The content:
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Intergenerational families
“Wholesome” family entertainment
Many arranged marriages examined
Not sexually explicit…but very sensual
Stories with their origins in traditional Indian epic
tales, myth, and theater, but also:
Imitation of American (and other) genres—many
remakes of classical Hollywood films!
“Masala”—a mixture of everything
Endings are not open—moral lessons are made clear!
Increasingly in the 21st century, a focus on the Indian
diaspora; also, the use of “Hinglish”
MASALA—A MIXTURE OF EVERYTHING…
GENRE AND CULTURAL HYBRIDITY
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Example:
3 Idiots:
This 2009 "comedy" was the all-time box office hit of
India. The film is described in its marketing thus: "In
the tradition of Ferris Bueller's Day Off comes this
refreshing comedy about a rebellious prankster with a
crafty mind and a heart of gold." Yet, there are many
moments of pathos, family drama, fantasy, and
romance. These three clips show mostly the comedy,
which itself seems to draw from multiple comic roots and
types of humor:
1. Freshman hazing at the Engineering College (5 min.)
2. Musical number "Aal Izz Well" (5 min.)
3. Musical number "Zoobi Doobi" (4 min.)
MASALA—A MIXTURE OF EVERYTHING…
GENRE AND CULTURAL HYBRIDITY
Example:
 Dhoom:2 (Back in Action):
A 2006 heist film, Dhoom:2 stars Hrithik Roshan
(from K3G) (and also Abhishek Bachchan, son of
Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, and his wife
Aishwarya Rai). This clip from the film's opening
sequence exemplifies an alternating pattern between
action scenes and musical numbers.
1. A hold-up in disguise...then Hrithik dances (10
min.)
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MASALA—A MIXTURE OF
EVERYTHING…
GENRE AND CULTURAL
HYBRIDITY
Example:
 Koi. . . Mil Gaya:
This 2003 science fiction film stars Hrithik Roshan,
and is directed by his father, Rakesh Roshan.
Hrithik Roshan plays Rohit, a developmentally
disabled young man who accidentally signals
aliens. One of the "cute" aliens, Jadoo, befriends
Rohit and is able to increase Rohit's mental and
physical capabilities in the extreme.
1. Rohit inadvertently calls the aliens on his late
father's old computer (8 min.)
2. Rohit and his friend Nisha meet Jadoo. . .
followed by a song, of course (15 min.)
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MASALA—A MIXTURE OF EVERYTHING…
GENRE AND CULTURAL HYBRIDITY
Example:
 Ra.One:
This 2011 film is a highly popular action/superhero
film. Shah Rukh Khan stars as both a game
designer and the superpowered manifestation of
one of the game's characters, brought to life in the
real world to fight the evil Ra.One. I haven't seen
this film, and couldn't find a better clip than the
trailer. The trailer does not have subtitles, but I
think you will get the idea.
1. Ra.One trailer (1 min.)
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MASALA—A MIXTURE OF EVERYTHING…
GENRE AND CULTURAL HYBRIDITY
Example:
 Karthik Calling Karthik:
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The trailer for this engaging 2010 psychological thriller
doesn't have English subtitles, but I think with the codeswitching and visuals you can certainly get the idea:
1. Karthik Calling Karthik (2010) trailer (2 min.)
MASALA—A MIXTURE OF EVERYTHING…
GENRE AND CULTURAL HYBRIDITY
Example:
 Phoonk 2:
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This trailer is a little harder to understand, but you can
see that Bollywood films have embraced the horror
genre as well.
1. Phoonk 2 (2010) trailer (2 min.)
IMPORTANCE OF THE STAR SYSTEM
IN BOLLYWOOD
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Perhaps the most popular movie star in the world
today is Shah Rukh Khan:
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1. The Inner World of Shahrukh Khan--a
documentary by British-based director Nasreen
Munni Kabir, the piece follows the star on a 2004
tour.
INDIAN CINEMA DIASPORA
Gurinder Chadha is a British filmmaker of Sikh
Indian origin. She has developed a respected and
popular film career by focusing on issues of the
Indian diaspora, particularly in the U.K. (e.g.,
Bhaji on the Beach, 1993, Bend it Like Beckham,
2002). Examine this musical number from
Gurinder Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice (2004) to
see a range of typical Bollywood tropes for such
musical sequences. Listen to the lyrics (in English)
to detect what is essentially a parody—or an
homage—to these extravagant production numbers.
 1. Bride and Prejudice – “A Marriage Has Come to
Town”
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INDIAN CINEMA DIASPORA
To gain a better understanding of the issues related
to the Indian diaspora and film, watch this
interview with Mira Nair, an Indian filmmaker
based in New York. Like Gurinder Chadha, Nair
often focuses on the Indian diaspora and its
implications for those living in India and abroad, in
film such as Mississippi Masala (1991) and
Monsoon Wedding (2001).
 1. Mira Nair discussion on "Cinema Diaspora," U.C.
Davis, 2007, 57 min.
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INDIAN CINEMA DIASPORA
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A unique take regarding reactions to 9/11 by diasporic
Indian Muslims living in the U.S. can be found in My
Name is Khan. This 2010 release stars Bollywood
favorites Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as a couple dealing
with significant loss due to anti-Muslim sentiment in the
U.S. in the 2000s. SRK plays Rizwan Khan, an NRI
man with Asperger's Syndrome whose stepson is
accidentally killed by schoolyard bullies. In order to
appease his grieving wife, Khan embarks on a quest to
meet the U.S. president and deliver the message, "My
name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist." Along the way,
he meets various characters, both sympathetic and
problematic.
1. Meeting Khan on his quest (5 min.)
2. Flashback to the tragic death (3 min.)
3. Confrontation in the mosque (4 min.)
4. Khan and the president (5 min.)
INTERTEXTUALITY IN
BOLLYWOOD
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The 2006 drama Dor (String) is in general a "Parallel
Cinema" study of a serious topic, based on true events-an Indian man working in Saudi Arabia dies at the
hands of another Indian worker, who is convicted of
murder and sentenced to death. According to Saudi law,
if the widow of the murdered man formally pardons the
convicted killer, he can be exonerated and set free. This
film follows the journey of the convicted man's wife to
find the widow and convince her that the death was an
accident. Here, though, I've chosen clips that show
intertextuality with other Indian films and
music. Beyond just an intertextual "nod" by director
Nagesh Kukunoor to other film fans and scholars, these
clips also show the real investment that Indian citizens
have in the Bollywood culture--they sing, they dance,
they quote from their beloved films.
INTERTEXTUALITY IN
BOLLYWOOD
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Clips from Dor (2006):
1. Clip 1: The widow, dressed in mourning clothes, on her
dead husband's birthday hears villagers playing on the radio
one of her and her husband's favorite songs--"You Are My
Soniya" from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...see what happens.
(1 min.)
2. Clip 2: The two women celebrate the dead man's birthday
by doing one of his favorite things...watching a classic
Bollywood film, Hero (1983). (1 min.)
3. Clip 3: Yet another favorite thing--a camel ride. Here all
three characters are carried away by the radio playing the
song "Kajrare" from the film Bunty Aur Babli (2005)...check
out the gorgeous true Bollywood-style staging and filming. (2
min.)
4. Clip 4: A vagabond con artist charms the convicted man's
wife by quoting from at least six famous Bollywood films,
including Sholay (1975), Padosam (1968), Border (1971),
Ghayal (1990), Munna Bhai (2003), and Saajan (1991). (2
min.)
AND:
SATYAJIT RAY: FATHER OF
“PARALLEL CINEMA” IN INDIA
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To gain a better understanding of the style of the late, great
Bengali auteur, Satyajit Ray, the father of “Parallel
Cinema” in India, you can do a little viewing. A number of
Ray's films seem to be available on YouTube in their
entireties! Check them out:
1. Pather Panchali (1955, 119 min.)--This is the first film of
Ray's famous Apu Trilogy, depicting the childhood of
protagonist Apu in the countryside of the region/state of
Bengal in the 1920s.
2. Nayak (The Hero) (1966, 115 min.)--In this film, written
and directed by Ray, a famous film star reluctantly travels
across country by train, resulting in a variety of dramatic
encounters.
3. There are also various interviews with Ray available
online. For example--Satyajit Ray: Introspections (1983)
Part 1 (14 min.)
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