Spring Break
Your Bollywood briefing, from past to present
Paresh Jha
Issue date: 3/16/09 Section: Focus
"Slumdog Millionaire" has won eight Academy Awards. Director Danny Boyle has said that the film pays homage to the Indian film industry, more commonly known as Bollywood. There are many characteristics that define Indian films, as seen in "Slumdog."
The most prevalent aspect of Bollywood movies is their musical nature. Although conventions have shifted toward western tendencies, most films tend to be musically focused. A typical movie may have anywhere from four to eight song-and-dance numbers on average, but there are films that are made with over 20 sequences.
After the musical conventions, most movies focus on romance, and especially melodrama. Typical aspects include love triangles and un-accepting parents and families. Over the years, these conventions have fed into stereotypes that are repeatedly parodied and satirized.
The hero is a central figure in Bollywood, as in the U.S. But Bollywood films seem to recycle the same basic plotline for the hero - he's this paradoxically larger-than-life nobody who rises from poverty, amid insurmountable odds, to become either a gangster or an action hero. Sound familiar, "Slumdog" fans?
All of these conventions were scattered throughout "Slumdog Millionaire" in a distillation of the best that Indian films have to offer. For those who are looking to get another Bollywood fix, try watching some films that show all the different things these films have to offer:
"Sholay" (1975)
Arguably the greatest Indian film of all time, "Sholay" ("embers") is so complete and entertaining that it has reached a cult status that rivals America's "Star Wars." The plot is simple, focusing on two men who are after a ruthless gangster by the name of Gabbar Singh.
The villain Singh has become the most imitated character of all time in Hindi films. His dialogue and overall demeanor set the standard on how to play a villain in Bollywood.
The movie, which is almost 35 years old, stars some of the greatest Indian names of the time, including Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, and Amjad Khan.
The most prevalent aspect of Bollywood movies is their musical nature. Although conventions have shifted toward western tendencies, most films tend to be musically focused. A typical movie may have anywhere from four to eight song-and-dance numbers on average, but there are films that are made with over 20 sequences.
After the musical conventions, most movies focus on romance, and especially melodrama. Typical aspects include love triangles and un-accepting parents and families. Over the years, these conventions have fed into stereotypes that are repeatedly parodied and satirized.
The hero is a central figure in Bollywood, as in the U.S. But Bollywood films seem to recycle the same basic plotline for the hero - he's this paradoxically larger-than-life nobody who rises from poverty, amid insurmountable odds, to become either a gangster or an action hero. Sound familiar, "Slumdog" fans?
All of these conventions were scattered throughout "Slumdog Millionaire" in a distillation of the best that Indian films have to offer. For those who are looking to get another Bollywood fix, try watching some films that show all the different things these films have to offer:
"Sholay" (1975)
Arguably the greatest Indian film of all time, "Sholay" ("embers") is so complete and entertaining that it has reached a cult status that rivals America's "Star Wars." The plot is simple, focusing on two men who are after a ruthless gangster by the name of Gabbar Singh.
The villain Singh has become the most imitated character of all time in Hindi films. His dialogue and overall demeanor set the standard on how to play a villain in Bollywood.
The movie, which is almost 35 years old, stars some of the greatest Indian names of the time, including Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, and Amjad Khan.
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Teresa Bracken
posted 3/16/09 @ 4:35 PM EST
Good article, but you missed the mark, as I recommend:
Jodha Akbar--the current winner of India's 'Oscar'.
An epic, period piece, starring the winner of 'Best Actor', Hrithik
Roshan. (Continued…)
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