Redhotcurry.com - Films. Bollywood/Hollywood, a film by Deepa Mehta

BACKGROUND

Bollywood/Hollywood is a romantic comedy about a diverse group of Indian Canadians, ranging from a millionaire to a car mechanic, from a high-attitude escort girl and a radically conservative grandmother to a rebellious teenager. As different as these characters are, they share a common passion - Bollywood.

Drenched in nostalgia for a home they left behind or in many cases never saw, they find their lifeline to India is derive from Bombay movies. Bollywood is a phenomenon that makes the motherland not only accessible but also immediate. Satellite TV, DVD's movie halls and film magazines all do their bit to keep this much-prized link alive.

From Brampton to Boston, houses are decorated like MMMs (Mumbai Movie Mansions), teenage girls dress like nubile Indian heroines, and young men swagger like matinee idol Shah Rukh Khan and dance like the heartthrob Hritik Roshan. Even the diehard cynics and sophisticates now talk with affectionate indulgence about 'Desi' movies.

The popularity and influence of the genre has spread beyond India's borders. Throughout North America and indeed the world, large sections of expatriate South Asian societies emulate the rituals of Bollywood. Fashion trends and traditional ceremonies, be they marriage, birthdays or even the rituals of death, are imitated with care. The irony is that most Bollywood films are themselves inspired by the contemporary mainstream Hollywood films. The storylines are, of course tweaked to fit Indian sensibilities, and the songs and dances added with unabashed glee. Producers and directors in Mumbai have been known to announce with great pride that their 'authentic hit film' is an 'original copy' of a big Hollywood blockbuster.

In many ways, Bollywood's popularity outside of its geographical borders can be seen as inevitable. In recent months, Mehta has received calls from major U.S. publications doing feature pieces on the Bollywood phenomenon. In 2002, Lagaan was nominated for best Foreign Film. "For the first time in the history of the Oscars, A Bollywood film has been nominated for best Foreign Film. And that film is 3 ½ hours long and has eight songs, so Bollywood is something that people are really becoming extremely aware of, intrigued by and want access to," comments Mehta.

Welcome to the charged, emotional, romantic, drenched in pathos and 'family values,' song-and-dance world of the film Bollywood/Hollywood. A world that is a bizarre and beautiful fusion of East and West, a world where harmony exists in contradictions.

INTERESTED IN KNOWING MORE?

Click here to read about The Background to Bollywood/Hollywood.
Click here to read about The Casting of Bollywood/Hollywood.
Click here to read about The Production of Bollywood/Hollywood.
Click here to read about development of The Storyline for Bollywood/Hollywood.
Click here to return to the Bollywood/Hollywood article.

BANANAS OVER BOLLYWOOD?

If you are simply "bananas" over bollywood, then you might like to read the following:

Bollywood In Love - catch it while you can (ends January 2003)

Bollywood Dreams - a digital homage (end May 2003)

Bollywood Homes - Abu Jhani & Sandeep Khosla's interior design benediction. Sadly only the pictures remain now!

Bombay Dreams - A R Rahman's theatrical tribute to the industry is a must see.

The Rough Guide to Bollywood - DJ Ritu's musical guide to the Hindi Film Industry.

Bollywood Books - our selection of some of the best books on the subject.

Bollywood Boy - our review of Justine Hardy's pursuit of Bollywood heart-throb Hrithik Roshan.

Bombay Time - Thrity Umrigar's simply brilliant book about the Mumbai Parsee community. Absolutely nothing to do with Bollywood...but a great novel about the city!

Lagaan - surely you've seen the movie by now? Read our review and see if you agree.

Devdas - Sanjay Bansali's remake of this classic 1917 tale.