The Invincible force called Bollywood

Like it or hate it, but you cannot ignore it.

India is known all over the world for two things, Spicy Indian food and Bollywood. Every Indian who has visited a foreign land will be identified as the human who comes from the land of curries and musical movies. But not all Indians are okay with being associated with these two things. Young India believes that India is so much more than just butter chicken and Shahrukh Khan.

And of course it is!

We are the second most populous and the largest democracy in the world, home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, four major religions namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism have originated here. The concept of zero as a number and not merely a symbol or an empty space for separation is attributed to India. Sanskrit, our liturgical language, is the source  for  many commonly used English words such as ‘Mother’, ‘Father’, ‘Brother’, ‘Sister’, ‘Son’, ‘Daughter’. Now these are some of the things India is known for, that impact the world, and that I know. To know more about India, even I would have to Google and find out what else are we known for. What else can be attributed to the land that we love so much.

But the world majorly associates us with Bollywood and food. Why? There is nothing wrong with it. It’s much better than the other negative and biased things that we are known for. But why is it that we get type cast into this particular image? Think about it. When you’re in a foreign land what is it that reminds you of home? Other than your family, friends and the places you grew up in. Do you remember home when somebody says the word ‘mother’ or ‘brother’? Do you think of India when you write zero a hundred times at work or punch it in the ATM?  Does India come to your mind when people abroad use the tags ‘Republic’ or ‘Democrat’?

But when you can smell burnt garlic and ginger, mixed with turmeric and red chilli powder all you can think of is your mum putting the ‘tadka’ to the food at home and you giving one loud sneeze!  When a club abroad plays, ‘Sheila! Sheila ki jawaani!’ you go like, “ARRE!! Hindi Gaana!?!! “ It immediately puts you in an upbeat mood. However cheesy you might think the song is it does remind you of home.

So who is associating India with food and Bollywood? The world, or you? You are being reminded of home through the two most passionate things that India is known for. And being one of the 1.2 billion, your degree to relate with them might vary, but you are no stranger to them. I’m not saying that every Indian is fond of these two things. There are many of us who absolutely cannot tolerate spicy food and many of us who believe that Bollywood is illogical and frivolous with its rain dances and every story is a LOVE story. -_-

But majority of us have let these two things define us, knowingly or unknowingly. We connect with them because we talk about them every day or at least mention them the most. Bollywood takes the place above food because it is common across the cultural diversity that India is known for.

Whether it’s the kind of girl or guy you dream about or the type and scale of your wedding. The clothes you chose to buy or the latest cars and bikes, all are identified with the actors who are purchasing them. Trends and designers, fashion weeks and galas all that the actresses are flaunting become hot property. Who is dating whom, who is cheating on whom AND with whom, actors turning into politicians, politicians inviting actors to perform, various charity causes and private company products are identified through various stars, government attempting to brand their services through actors like income tax, polio, various schemes etc.

My god! They are everywhere! Unbelievable right? Unless you actually think about it, you will not realise that so much is connected to the movie industry in our daily lives.According to research, Bollywood generated revenues of $3-billion in 2011-this figure has been growing by 10 percent a year. By 2016, revenue is expected to reach $4.5 billion.

According to BBC, Karan Johar, the film director, said: “Of the 1.2 billion population of India, movies should reach out to at least 300 million people [the size of India’s middle class]. But currently, our reach is limited to 45 million. If we figure out how to cover this gap, it will be a game-changer.”

This means that less than 4 percent of Indians go to the movies regularly.

So only a very small number of people actually go to the theatres. But eventually the movie does reach the interior parts of the country through million television sets. It is a thriving industry with immense potential even after 100 years of its existence! Movies ( However crappy they might be ) are made, solely to make profits. Bollywood is popular outside India because of the large Indian community base. Agreed.

But it is even popular in nations with virtually minimal Indian presence – like Japan, Germany and Russia.

Just imagine if it is actually used as a medium to educate the country, it will be the cheapest form of school/university in the world. Don’t underestimate the power of cinema. If it can degrade the society with the way it projects its female actors, it can also inspire it. Change for the better does take time, but it will manifest into reality sooner or later because cinema does reflect society.

Bollywood and Cricket have a long known connection. The top heroines date the hottest players, is no new combination. Every match is rated on its game, player quality and the VIP’s who came to watch these players. Thanks to IPL now, the two things have mixed so well that it’s hard to imagine that IPL can survive without the “glamorous” Bollywood. If IPL is the talent then Bollywood is the beautified packaging required, to sell that talent!

So every day, every time there is something that you are doing that is directly or indirectly related to Bollywood. You might not even be aware of it as now it has become a part of you, and you cannot deny that you may think, act or believe in a certain way, however small or insignificant it might be, because you have been exposed to it for as long as you can remember.

As time passes, we will only see more and more of Bollywood in our lives in different forms, but nevertheless it will always be a part of who we are. It is how we like to tell our stories and how we like to depict change in our society. So next time, when someone identifies you as a person from the land of Bollywood, smile and appreciate it. Very few things in the world have the power to be recognised by a major section of its inhabitants.  If you don’t like it, don’t blame them for their lack of awareness about your country. Blame us; the people of this country for not creating what it wishes to be recognised by and hopefully, in your own little way, work towards changing that reality.