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  • Writer's pictureTroyee Lahiri

The burden of loving Bollywood

I grew up watching Bollywood even though I spent most of my childhood days in Bangladesh – the country that does not speak Hindi. Most middle-class families watched Hindi movies and T.V shows and mine was no exception. I learnt to understand Hindi way before I learnt English and I barely watched English movies or listened to English songs until high school and peer pressure happened. Bollywood is so ingrained in me that you can’t get me to dance at a party unless there are peppy Hindi songs playing (most of which I know the lyrics by heart).


Bollywood doesn’t represent all Indian cinema – it only consists of movies made in Hindi whereas India speaks more than 20 languages. Like any other large industry, Bollywood has its flaws in how it functions. There is sexism, favoritism (popularly known as nepotism), invisible but dominant political influence, etc. What makes it different from other corporate industries is that Bollywood sustains by selling art and there is only so much restriction you can put to someone’s creative expression. Sadly, we live in a world where women have been objectified for centuries and some men’s freedom of expression allows them to write songs with degrading lyrics, film them with quintessential ‘item’ (?!) girls and make a lot of money from it. However, there has been a shift in how the industry portrays because of the audience being more aware and opinionated. Unlike before, the young audience is being vocal about what cinema they want to see and calling out misogyny. The typical story of the damsel in distress being saved by the hero is almost obsolete. There are talented writers, directors, actors these days who are getting more opportunities for creating content that is realistic, relatable, layered and I honestly feel like a proud mother every time I watch good Hindi cinema.



Why am I writing this today?

India, as a country, is more divided than ever right now. There is a disheartening amount of political turmoil going on in the country which is obviously having its impact on creative people’s freedom of expression. Like any battle, there are two sides involved here – one side too afraid to speak up against the wrongdoings for personal interest (and on the rare occasions they do speak up, they are found wearing the tricolor, waving the national flag, etc.).The other side, thankfully, is responsible enough to understand their role as citizens of a democracy and the influence they have on the country’s people as Bollywood celebrities. Like any battle, you and I get to choose our sides depending on what matches our ideologies. Even though Bollywood feels like home to me, I do not support its toxic culture that discriminates against women, is homophobic/transphobic, and overall superficial and vapid. Even though I watch most movies that release every year and can go on and on about my favorite writers, directors, actors, it breaks my heart to see what’s going on in the industry right now. Amidst the chaos, I try my best to stay true to myself as a movie buff but it's important to remember that art is subjective and so is cinema. Some people use cinema as an escape, some use it as shelter, some use it as their voice, and then there are some who just watch it for the sake of it. We all have a choice in the kind of content we consume but let us not turn a blind eye to the fact that these celebrities’ actions offscreen say a lot about who they really are as members of society. They are only famous because of us so we have a lot more power than we think.


 

To end this on a lighter note, here is my top 5 recommendation of movies that are politically and socially relevant:


1) Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002)

2) Rang De Basanti (2006)

3) Oh My God (2012)

4) Pink (2016)

5) Lipstick under my Burkha (2016)


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