Bollywood is a Hindi speaking film industry based in Mumbai getting its name from “Bombay” which is the city that is now called Mumbai and “Hollywood”. It is the largest film industry with the number of films produced and the number of tickets sold. Contrary to Hollywood movies, Bollywood movies are typically musicals with song and dance. Many of the movies are love stories, thrills, and comedy since many of the themes are not seen in everyday life in India. With arranged marriage still being popular throughout the country, many people go to the movies to see these scenarios play out in front of them to feel what it’s like to fall in love with someone whom they chose themselves.
Bollywood dancing is an important part of all movies because it can play a part in selling tickets and making the movie remembered within the public. The music in Bollywood movies have a meaning which can be shown through the dancing in these movies too. The musicals can typically be a mixture between classical Indian dance, folk dancing which has Latino and Arabic influences. Because dancing has played an important part in India, the music and choreographed dancing can make or break a movie. On the other hand, many Bollywood actors aren’t also singers. Many of the songs in the movies are pre-recorded while the actor/actress lip-synchs the songs while preforming their dances in the movies.
Just as like Hollywood, it is very difficult to succeed in Bollywood. Many travel to the city to become a star but much like Hollywood, the family of big stars are able to have an edge but do not guarantee a long lasting career. Unlike Hollywood where most movie stars can stay in the spot light even when they’re not currently making movies, Bollywood stars can rise and fall after a movie flops or becomes popular. Many actors/actresses make many movies right after each other to continue their success and keep their name in the spotlight. Although, there is a lot of competition in Bollywood much like Hollywood and you aren’t guaranteed a long career because you’re featured in movies. Once your movie is a box office flop, it can be difficult to get your name back out in the spot light and participating in films again.
The funding for Bollywood movies isn’t as much as Hollywood movies. Before the 1990s, the special effects, clothes, and the set were “less than world class” and the quality of the movies had yet to be developed. The money for these films is forbidden to come from banks but more from private lenders and large studios. (Bollywood World) Most of these films do not make their money back or makes a very small profit because of piracy, meaning it is not as much as Hollywood movies. Piracy is a big issue for Bollywood because many factories in Pakistan and India make DVDs and VHS tapes which can be shipped throughout the world and many small stores in India stock these tapes in their stores which leads to further issues with copying of those tapes. Another issue is the younger generation of Bollywood movie watchers not going and paying to see a movie because they can already pick out the ending of it. They are getting bored with the plot or that can already predict what will happen next because many movies in Bollywood follow similar plots. To fix this, many film-makers are following real-life scenarios like Indian students studying abroad. In the movies we had watched in class, I thought they followed real life scenarios like, Queen where Rani leaves India to travel to Paris and other surrounding cities to “find herself” after a failed engagement. I thought that this was an accurate plot because many people do things like that if they need breaks from their everyday life. Although, a difference in that movie was at the end, when everyone thought that Rani would go back to her ex-fiancé when he goes to track her down around Paris and she decided that she has grown as a person and away from Vijay. I thought that that was a different take in the “typical” Bollywood movie and it was interesting to see how modern movies play out.
Bollywood has affected Indian culture in many ways including fashion. Fashion plays a big part in Indian culture from movies because many fashion trends start from movies. Many of the outfits seen being worn by an actor/actress is instantly made in bulk by ready-made industries and the name of the outfit is then named after the movie that it came from. The actor/actresses that wore these clothes become ambassadors for the clothing. These styles can be seen anywhere from everyday life to weddings and many other special occasions. Hindi movies can also show many issues such as widow remarriage and talks about the corrupt politics, judicial system and police. (Desiblitz) Negative effects also include movies promoting more of a western lifestyle instead of promoting Indian culture to appeal to the younger audience. There is less dance and more “realistic” scenes in the movies now. The movies are now very vulgar and have made bad language a norm in movies. Some of the newer moves that were shown in class had shown vulgar language in them. There is also more smoking and drinking in movies which promotes this sort of lifestyle to the younger audience. It shows that if you are not participating in those kinds of activities then you are not considered enjoying life. These scenes influence children and younger audiences because it is easy for them to see pubic figures doing these things and thinking that it is okay to also do these things.
Many Hollywood movies also show these types of behavior and many kids mirror their favorite actors and actresses in negative ways. Many television shows have shown these types of behaviors and youth children take part in smoking and drinking because they think that those types of behaviors are okay. Now that it is easier and easier to watch television and movies on other devises other than on the television, more young children are able to watch these types of movies without their parents even knowing. On the other hand, many television networks have shown commercials to combat the smoking epidemic with teen populations by showing many statistics and reasons why smoking isn’t as good for you as it may seem on the movies. It also shows how big an impact television can be on youth populations listening to their favorite actors/actresses on the big screen.
Bollywood is a male dominant industry forcing even the “good” female actors to fall. The film in this country sometimes portray men treating their wives bad and they can encourage the poor treatment of females. This shows what it can be like for lower economic class females in everyday life. India culture chooses to look over what happens to females and the treatment that they receive daily and how their lives are different from other countries like the United States. A difference with Bollywood movies is that they don’t mind showing the treatment of women in movies. Many Bollywood movies show women as inferior to men and they show them in roles pertaining to jobs that aren’t as good as men or they may be doing job that are states as a “bad” job. I believe that many of these aspects are different in Hollywood movies now it today’s age because there is more of a difference in movies and many women are taking a stand in how they are treated and how they want to be portrayed in today’s world. Also, the types of jobs that they want to have are different now. Many women strive to be doctors and government officials instead of falling under the spell that they are treated differently because they are a woman.
Bollywood has also made an impact in other countries too like, Germany. In the article, “Bollywood’s expanding reach”, it is about a group of 15 German woman who have created a Bollywood Dance Ensemble. The article states that Bollywood is in high demand in Germany and women are attracted to the Hindi movies and songs. There are also many classes being taught about dances and what many of the songs and dance mean from Bollywood movies. The article explains that the Bollywood films have a sense of freedom and the emotions in the movie is what draws so many German females to Bollywood. The dancing is also freedom to express themselves as women. In contrast to Hollywood, Bollywood is better associated with movies of love and romance without the technology of today’s world. (BBC)
While many of the world is adopting India’s fashion and cultures, the west is embracing the traditions particularly. For example, Lady Gaga and Uma Thurman are now wearing Indian clothes and many stars wanting to participate in Bollywood films. The film industry was particularly known after the movie, Slumdog Millionaire was seen by the global audience. This film was made aware of the culture and music which sparked other musicians from the west to take notice and adapt the sound of Bollywood. They expressed their interests to collaborate their music with many Bollywood stars and create new music. Also, because of India’s bright colors on their clothes, many of these styles have made an appearance on the runway in the western part of the world. Sarah Burton has said that, “you can’t be sad while wearing them”, talking about the clothes they have adapted from India and the bright colors make you feel good. (The West embraces Bollywood’s influences more than ever).
There is also an impact of globalization on Bollywood films. All films in every movie industry can reflect what is currently happening in a political context or a socio-economic context. (Impact of Globalization on Bollywood Films) Because of the Economic Reforms of 1991, the movie industry budgets began to rise and many industries around have made contributions and investments in Bollywood films. This had allowed the movies to be released worldwide and many other movie industries around the world have been released in India as well. These releases that are worldwide have influenced a great growth in revenue and increased the size of the film industry. It has expanded to many platforms even many Bollywood movies currently being seen on Netflix. Also, there is a new age of social media in both Bollywood and Hollywood which makes it easier for movies to be heard about and movies to be released. Social media plays a large part because movies can be put on social media for everyone to see and be told about a release date and a trailer so many know what kind of movie it is, the movie in the movie, and if their favorite actors/actresses are in the movie. Many movies now can be released online without even having to leave your house and websites like Netflix and Hulu has made this even easier for many movies to be all on one site within reach whenever you wanted.
I think that Bollywood and Hollywood have influenced each other over the years and they have played a part in many movies. While there has always been song and dance in some Hollywood movies, there is many more influence in the United States and around the world. Many more countries are becoming aware on India and Bollywood movies and their song and dance is becoming part of their culture. Western influence has also become a part of Bollywood movies making it more prevalent to see smoking and drinking in movies. Many more movies are seen with cheating on their wives, even though this was already quite prevalent, many children watching these movies are seeing it and feeling as though it is okay to continue. The treatment of women is also a concern in Bollywood movies because again, it has become an influence in many children’s lives. When a young person sees their favorite actor or actress in a movie doing these kinds of things, it makes them feel like it is okay to do and it is “cool” because these famous people are participating in these types of activities.