Entertainment
by justed

Bollywood: the movies of India.

Once upon a time, in America, there was a new phenomenon. It was variously called kinematography, motion pictures, moving pictures, but ultimately came to be known simply as: the movies.

Movies at one time were an entire evening's experience. You knew you were getting your money's worth when you spent a night at the movies. because in those days - they wanted to entertain you.. Typically they provided a Newsreel, a cartoon, coming attractions, a movie companion and a feature film.

Nowadays, while still being referred to as the movies the entire concept has undergone a drastic change.

Stripped away are; the Newsreel, the cartoon, the movie companion. They still have the 'coming attractions' but all the other parts of the movie going experience have been replaced by commercials! And 'public service' announcements - piracy is bad (as if there is a lot of walking the plank on the high seas - occurring these days!)

And the leftovers, the remaining movies themselves, they are only plural in the sense that you can hear the audience in the theatre next to you as it reacts to the film it's watching.

Because the movies you watch now a days are only there to strip you of your money as fast as they can. To get you in and get you out so they can fill up the theatre with the next lot, for the next show.

Plots have been stripped down too: Blow up lots of stuff fast, beat up bad guy, kiss the girl, and roll credits. Movie run times have become a TV Movie length (two hours less forty plus minutes of commercials), or in other words approximately ninety minutes – with credits bringing the total runtime to 100 – 110 minutes. (2002’s Men in Black II ran 88 minutes.)

Is this what movies should be?

Well there are those who would say: Hollywood knows what it’s doing, and if Hollywood is doing it; it must be what the people want.

And then there are people in a different culture, with a different expectation of what going to a movie should be.

Bollywood: the movies of India.

What kind of movie do you like? Drama? Comedy? Adventure? Musical? Suspense? Love story?

Whatever your preference, when you watch a Bollywood movie, you're probably watching your kind of movie. You're probably watching everybody else's kind of movie also, because Bollywood movies are truly 'all things to all people'.

Plots are rich in complexity and diversity bringing multiple elements of story to the movie going experience. (Sort of like life.) But it seems guaranteed that every movie will have a number of musical numbers within it (of stand alone video-like quality) that can sometimes appear disjointed, or sometimes worked into the plot seamlessly. And these are big budget production videos too, rich in setting and choreography.

Main Khiladi Tu Anari - 1994 175 minutes!

The actor researching real life cop for movie role plot is not unique; Hollywood Homicide - 2003 111 minutes (Harrison Ford, K. C. Calden), The Hard Way - 1991 111 minutes (Michael J. Fox, James Woods) but Main Khiladi Tu Anari presents it with greater humor, in richer detail, than Hollywood is willing (?) capable (?) of doing. The musical numbers are seamlessly integrated (though one has that female soprano screeching that raises the hackles of Western ears). The story as I've come to expect of Bollywood is rich and multifaceted.

It is easy to see how Hollywood would easily strip this Bollywood movie into three or even more movies. And it is with that thought that you realize just how sterile and anemic Hollywood movies have become.

So on the b/p/n/g/x scale (bad/poor/neutral/good/excellent scale) I'd say: this subtitled movie rates a g. Unless I compare it to Hollywood at which point I'd be inclined to rate it an x.

All though I'm fan of Bollywood movies, I can't help but disagree with this article.

First of all, it seems to me that most Hollywood movies that I've been going to see are getting longer,(LOTR, Matrix, Kill Bill), yes, there are short ones, and that's fine because many folks don't like sitting through 3 hour long movies.

Just because a movie is longer doesn't mean you are getting more entertainment value, sometimes the opposite is true,(after sitting through "A.I." I was so bored I wanted to slit my wrists.)

If there is anyone making cookie-cutter movies these days it's Bollyood, consider a few things....

-Bollywood doesn't make Sci-fi movies or horror movies or martial arts movies.

Generally, they only make three kind of films.
1.Action romance musicals
2.Comedy romance musicals
3.Historical romance musicals

Dramatic tension in Bollyood movies almost always revolves one theme: Conflict between the protagonist(s) and the traditional expectations of their families and culture.

Even the Indian/Hollywood hybrids that have been coming out recently,(all good movies, by the way), revolve around that theme...Bend it like Beckham, Monsoon Wedding, Bollywood/Hollywood, Mississippi Masala...

And I haven't even mentioned the hammy acting, bad special effects, gross lapses in believability, and all-around-cheesyness that make Bollywood movies such a gas to watch.

If Hollywood movies are so sterile and anemic, why does Bollywood rip them off so badly?

"Yes Boss", the hit Bollywood comedy starring Sharukh Khan is a blaring rip-off of "For Love or Money" starring Michael J. Fox. And the MJF version is far superior, if that says anything.

"The Hero" starring Sunny Deol was one of Bollywood's top-grossing action movies of 2002.
You have to see this movie to believe it. the IMPLAUSIBILITY rating on this one is astronomical, Steven Segal movies seem reasonable compared to this movie,(part of which was filmed in my home town, a friend of mine was an extra in the big "wedding musical number", something you expect to see in an action/suspense/terrorist movie, in India anyway)

Mohabbatein, also stating Sharukh, as well as the stunning Aishwarya Rai,(drool), is basically a Dead Poet's Society rip off. (great music in this one though, check it out)

I forget the name of the movie that was a note for note plagarism of Reservoir Dogs, minus violence, plus musical numbers,(of course).

I could go on...

I'm curious to know how many Bollywood movies that Justed has watched, what?, you see one good one and suddenly you're a convert?

If you explore East Asian cinema at all you will quickly come across blaring evidence that it has all of Hollywood's faults as well as a few unique ones of it's own.

But if you're so eager to find reasons to loathe Hollywood that you're willing to look at other film industries with big ol' coke-bottle sized rose colored glasses, than there's nothing i can say to stop you, so I might as well recommend some good Bollywood movies in my collection for everybody to watch so they can judge by themselves.

Company
Devdas
Road
Taal
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Lagaan
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
Gunaah
Jism (actually, this movie kinda sucked I just like the title)

Namaaste

“I can't help but disagree with this article.” – Thank you, once again, for expressing your opinion.

You said runtimes were not all short and cited Kill Bill. Perhaps it just seemed long?

Kill Bill – runtime 90 minutes (Rotten Tomatoes – dot – com.)

“Uma Thurman is going to KILL BILL, in Quentin Tarantino's latest film about a former assassin betrayed by her boss, Bill (David Carradine). Four years after surviving a bullet in the head, the bride (Thurman) emerges from a coma and swears revenge on her former master and his deadly squad of international assassins, played by Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and Michael Madsen.”

Sounds to me like another Hollywood ‘the committee was unanimous that this is a winner, and if we blow it out in like 10,000 cinemas we can rake in 150% of our costs before anyone catches on’ Still I expect I’ll want to see it eventually.

"Half-a-movie at full-price -- it's annoyingly unsatisfying. Also self-indulgent, sadistic, juvenile, pretty to look at, and empty as a beer can on my front porch."
-- Sean Burns, PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY
"Kill Bill: Volume 1 shows Quentin Tarantino so effortlessly and brilliantly in command of his technique that he reminds me of a virtuoso violinist racing through Flight of the Bumble Bee ..."
-- Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

While generally well received by Hollywood Flacks, even they could not lie outrageously. (See all the other reviews.)

Matrix – runtime 136 minutes.

Matrix Reloaded – runtime 138 minutes.

LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring – runtime 208 minutes.

LOTR: The Two Towers – runtime 214 minutes.

You panned:

A.I. – runtime 145 minutes. (Rated xp for “Obviously physics from an unknown universe”. (From: Intuiter – dot – com. “Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics”)

“From the standpoint of moviemaking technology and special effects, A.I. is a marvel. Undoubtedly some viewers will also find deep meaning and heartfelt emotion in it. One senses that the moviemakers were indeed sincere. It could have degenerated into a pure action piece designed to boost box-office returns, as is the case with many science-influenced movies. A.I. deserves far more respect. Sadly, however, like the robot boy it depicts, A.I. seems unable to rise above the condition of being merely an amazing work of technology.”

Some of your suggestions, for which I thank you:

Taal – runtime 179 minutes. (musical / romance)

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam – runtime 188 minutes (musical / comedy / romance)

Lagaan (Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India) – runtime 224 minutes (musical / drama / romance)

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham – 210 minutes (musical / family / drama / romance)

Gunaah either Gunaah 1993 (action) or Gunaah 2002 - (160 minutes approximately: Planet Bollywood Film Reviews) (crime / drama)

Jism (actually, this movie kinda sucked I just like the title) – runtime 160 minutes (approximately: Planet Bollywood – Film Reviews)

Namaaste (did you mean Namaste – 1943?)

May I suggest you consider: Koi Mil Gaya (science fiction / musical)
(as reviewed at Rediff – dot – com: “Songs. Commercial cinema cannot do without it. KMG is no exception.”) Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing it – though not expecting much in terms of science. Still, I want to see for myself how the subject is handled.

But in summation, while there are distinct cultural differences, Bollywood offers an unashamed version of what movie making can be (movies that entertain) that Hollywood lacks… to its detriment.

…and… mine.

justed

well, Kill Bill was originally one movie, they decided to break it up because they thought a 3 hour movie might be too long for some people and I agree with them.
i've read that they're going to release the DVD as one package so if anyone wants to see it all the way through they can.

I suspect that part of the rationale was that if they turn it into 2 movies they'll be able to make double their money in ticket sales.

I never said Hollywood wasn't greedy, the LOTR DVD scheme where they release each movie twice also smelled of blatant profit mongering.

They do, however, still make the best movies in the world.(watching A.I. makes you wonder though, I could write a whole essay on the multitudes of reasons to be utterly dissappointed with that movie).

They're not all good, true, but I didn't mention the piles of painfully shitty,(and painfully long), Bollywood movies,that I had to sit through in order to find the good ones mentioned above.

I'd say the bad to good ratio has been about one in four.
Also, consider that my source of bollywood movies is this nice guy and film enthusiast who sells cheap DVD's out of his Indian food store, he only brings in the highest grossing, best reviewed movies from bollywood, and out of those he recommends the best ones to me.

So I'm basing my opinions on the creme de la creme of bollywood cinema, not the shitty stuff that they don't even bother to export.

And they certainly aren't above greed either, witness the shameful product placement in "Taal" for Coca-Cola for starters.

Part of the problem in comparing Holly and Bollywood is that Hollywood doesn't really make those kind of movies much anymore,(gushy romantic musicals), but maybe with the success of "Chicago" that will change, I'd actually love to see them do a Bollywood movie, sort of like how they did "Crouching Tiger", take a foreign film genre like Hong Kong, use the best of Hong Kong's talent pool but add Hollywood's technical expertise and budgetary extravagance and poof!

I bet it happens in the next 5 years, given Bollywood's rising popularity over here, did you hear that Aishwarya Rai is going to be the next Bond girl?

Also, I'm intrigued to know that there's a Bollywood SF movie, i'll keep my eye out for it, thanks.
And when I wrote Naamaste it wasn't a movie title

Once upon a time, in America, there was a new phenomenon. It was variously called kinematography, motion pictures, moving pictures, but ultimately came to be known simply as: the movies.

Yeah, it may be called movies, but they were once called silent pictures, they were once called films trips, they were all called different names until hollywood decided to publicize them and make them available to all, just because a movie a movie doesnt mean it's bad, it is like an extended show, that's the way it's supposed to be, it's supposed to be long enough to have a beginning, middle and an end, what's your point.

I disagree with how he says movies are meant for entertainment you want to go have fun do something affordable movies are meant for cheap entertainment (IMO) and that's what makes the films so attractive and affordable.

Exactly how have movies changed? They still have the same plot. They still have a conflict, dissonance, and resurgance, and they all end out the same and start and end up really becoming a good film, no matter how you look at it, they're still the same and they take up ideas from past movies into newer films.
Stripped away are; the Newsreel, the cartoon, the movie companion. They still have the 'coming attractions' but all the other parts of the movie going experience have been replaced by commercials! And 'public service' announcements

Piracy is very bad. I could agree on this. If you want a movie that badly enough some people could steal it but sane people would buy the film, you know what I mean, but they may go ooing and awing, but the fact is, that people still go to see movies, even though piracy exists, people still go to see films themselves, and if you dont want an audience in them you can watch the film at home.

There are good independent foreign films but those are rare and you really have to look for them, they are films like crouching tiger hidden dragon, I could name a few others, but these are good films, the main films that come out of hollywood stink for the most part. You know, there are plenty of other companies that make movies that are not hollywood, dual star entertainment, regal cinema, MGM studios, Dreamworks, Pixar, several several more. Hollywood makes films that have a classic charm to it, but that charm is getting old, they say they want to work on something new, but they end up using old ideas, eventually people will figure this out and start watching other films. Every type of industry has a crash, a crash happens when people lose confidence in the products they buy, and they stop purchasing the item, or relevant ticket for the item.

Yeah... and then again... there are plenty of good films, but the inspection agency (whoever they are the FAAC or whatever doesnt allow them to come here) you have to import them, or buy them in a specialized store.

All I'm saying is that hollywood really does need to get more of a variety of films at their disposal, you're right, they are good, but the films are losing the plot.