NationStates Jolt Archive

Who likes them, I think their dull as. I just went to my favourite North Indian Diner, and as usual they had the big screen on with this Indian movie that always seems to be a musical. I asked the owner one night if I could see his video collection, and he had nearly three hundred of these movies. Everyone is just about a guy meeting agirl, chasing her around and then singing to each other in falsetto while dancing and chasing. Leave it out.
Their grubs nice at least, but Ill leave the movies.

Well, all bollywood does is musicals. And musicals, whilst being pretty poor movies normally, are even worse when you can't understand the words.

India makes movies the way movies were meant to be made.

2 parts cheesy plot.
3 parts fabulous costuming.
1 part music.

Zowie!

I've watched some on SBS. They are ok but not something I'd pay money to go and see. The breaking into song gets annoying sometimes but a couple have had decent storylines.

India makes movies the way movies were meant to be made.

2 parts cheesy plot.
3 parts fabulous costuming.
1 part music.

Zowie!

2 parts cheesy plot: yes!
3 parts fabulous costuming: yes!
1 part music: oh no. I hate musicals.

...5/6 ain't bad, I s'pose. I do have to admit a slight fascination with bollywood movies, they used to be shown a lot on channel four, and I sat up and watched them.

Who likes them, I think their dull as. I just went to my favourite North Indian Diner, and as usual they had the big screen on with this Indian movie that always seems to be a musical. I asked the owner one night if I could see his video collection, and he had nearly three hundred of these movies. Everyone is just about a guy meeting agirl, chasing her around and then singing to each other in falsetto while dancing and chasing. Leave it out.
Their grubs nice at least, but Ill leave the movies.
Well they are the biggest movie makers in the world, but I agree they do nothing for me, then again I hate 'The Sound of Music'.

2 parts cheesy plot: yes!
3 parts fabulous costuming: yes!
1 part music: oh no. I hate musicals.


Awww ... but music can be so much fun in movies. Just look at those old classic American films from the 1930s and 40s when every actor could, and did, sing. Even something as simple as James Stewart and Donna Reed walking down the sidewalk in the Frank Capra classic, It's a Wonderful Life, singing "Buffalo Gals" is a testament to the musical nature of man.

But ... that's just mho.

You can't just generalise about an entire nation's filmic output. Certainly, a lot of what they produce is crap. But is that really any different from any other country?

Let's not forget:
"Neecha Nagar"
"Mother India"
Sanjeet Ray's "Apu" Trilogy
"Do Bigha Zameen"
"Zanjeerb"
"Fire"
"Earth"
"Monsoon Wedding"

All worthy additions to the world of cinema IMO.

Alright.

I lived in india for the past 18 years and still go there atleast 2 months every year. I speak Hindi.

And yes, most of the movies are total crap, same old boring story.

But occationally there are a couple brilliant ones that come from bollywood.

I've watched some on SBS. They are ok but not something I'd pay money to go and see. The breaking into song gets annoying sometimes but a couple have had decent storylines.

Australian, right? I love SBS. There was a terrific Indian gangster film on a few weeks ago, called Satya, about a guy who turns up in Delhi, beats up a mob boss, who is impressed and joins him to his gang, they become best of mates and proceed to wipe out the entire local police force.

India makes movies the way movies were meant to be made.

2 parts cheesy plot.
3 parts fabulous costuming.
1 part music.

Zowie!

I've shown some Indians old tapes of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, and they think that's the same thing as Bollywood. They wonder why we stopped making great movies like that.

Think of it - a nation with 1 billion potential theater customers.

You can't just generalise about an entire nation's filmic output. Certainly, a lot of what they produce is crap. But is that really any different from any other country?

Let's not forget:
"Neecha Nagar"
"Mother India"
Sanjeet Ray's "Apu" Trilogy
"Do Bigha Zameen"
"Zanjeerb"
"Fire"
"Earth"
"Monsoon Wedding"

All worthy additions to the world of cinema IMO.

More than 50 years of making films, and you have what? Less than 10 films that can be called up to world standard? That too taking into account that Bollywood makes more than 700 films per year, that's like two films released per day! Figure out the math. All the movies dish out the same grub over and over again with a different dressing everytime. It sucks. More than 90% of all bolly films made in an year are flops and the rest just about manage to break even, with just 3-4 hit movies out of the lot. It's a pathetic, loss making industry. What bollywood really deserves is a ban!!

More than 50 years of making films, and you have what? Less than 10 films that can be called up to world standard? That too taking into account that Bollywood makes more than 700 films per year, that's like two films released per day! Figure out the math. All the movies dish out the same grub over and over again with a different dressing everytime. It sucks. More than 90% of all bolly films made in an year are flops and the rest just about manage to break even, with just 3-4 hit movies out of the lot. It's a pathetic, loss making industry. What bollywood really deserves is a ban!! That's a little harsh. Besides, I only mentioned the films which belong in the catagory of "greats", not the ones that were merely "very good", or "decent". I'll concede that bollywood largely produces shite. That's what the audiences like though, so unless the entire population of India suddenly gets sick of crappy action films and musicals, they'll just keep on coming. Besides, why do you care? Nobody is forcing you to watch them.

That's a little harsh. Besides, I only mentioned the films which belong in the catagory of "greats", not the ones that were merely "very good", or "decent". I'll concede that bollywood largely produces shite. That's what the audiences like though, so unless the entire population of India suddenly gets sick of crappy action films and musicals, they'll just keep on coming. Besides, why do you care? Nobody is forcing you to watch them.

Yeah, i agree not much can be done if all that the majority of the people have as a means of entertainment are bollywood movies. That's what's still driving the industry. As far as watching them is concerned, i don't.

And never forget: if your Bollywood film involves characters who are in their early 20's, make sure the actors you cast are at least in their 40's. So long as you get the big names, no-one will care.

One of my sister's friends used to bring around those movies to watch. I always used it as an exuse to go out. All the bad singing and lovey-dovey-staring-into-the-eyes thing gets annoying after 5mins.

Sunday mid morning a cable channel in my area shows Indian programming. Movie clips, news, etc. I caught one movie clip that looked like an Indian Kung Fu movie. This Indian action hero was beating the crap out of four or five bad guys using cheesy kung fu movie fighting techniques.

You can't just generalise about an entire nation's filmic output. Certainly, a lot of what they produce is crap. But is that really any different from any other country?

Let's not forget:
"Neecha Nagar"
"Mother India"
Sanjeet Ray's "Apu" Trilogy
"Do Bigha Zameen"
"Zanjeerb"
"Fire"
"Earth"
"Monsoon Wedding"

All worthy additions to the world of cinema IMO.

Most of those are old movies.

Who likes them, I think their dull as. I just went to my favourite North Indian Diner, and as usual they had the big screen on with this Indian movie that always seems to be a musical. I asked the owner one night if I could see his video collection, and he had nearly three hundred of these movies. Everyone is just about a guy meeting agirl, chasing her around and then singing to each other in falsetto while dancing and chasing. Leave it out.
Their grubs nice at least, but Ill leave the movies.
I LOVE BOLLYWOOD!

But I love music videos from India even more!

I like making up the dialogue (since I don't speak Hindu, Punjab, Urdu or any other Indian language), and I love the way the guys always have their 'posse' of back up dancers who square off against the girl and her posse. I love the facial expressions and the cheesiness...*sigh*

Most of those are old movies.
Fire and Earth aren't THAT old...you say old as though you mean a couple of decades in age...

I think Bollywood needs to spread out in their movie choices. There are too many musicals out there and not enough action for example

love the costumes and the music, LOVE ASOKA.

love the costumes and the music, LOVE ASOKA.

Indeed, Asoka is fantastic... similar in vein to "Gladiator", maybe... but not granted the big release that a Hollywood movie gets lavished upon it.

Bollywood cinema has a few of the things left that most western cinema has forgotten. Bollywood still has romance, rather than intercourse - for example.

Asoka is something of a rarity, in that almost-sex scenes turn up a number of times.

Bollywood cinema has also retained the power of expression in movies... relying on the actual ability of an actor/actress to convey emotion, rather than the cunning artifices of the scriptwriter.

When was the last time you saw a 'western' movie that really put any effort into a character conveying emotion through the eyes? Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands, maybe...

Bollywood cinema is slowly converging to an extent, with the west... "Dil to Pagal Hai" or "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", for example, are heading into the sort of territory that films like "Grease" once claimed as their own.

Sure - lots of Bollywood films are less than incredible... but then again, the same is true of Hollywood, on budgets many times higher.

I LOVE BOLLYWOOD!
But I love music videos from India even more!
I like making up the dialogue (since I don't speak Hindu, Punjab, Urdu or any other Indian language), and I love the way the guys always have their 'posse' of back up dancers who square off against the girl and her posse. I love the facial expressions and the cheesiness...*sigh*

The smiles they do are a bit offputting, its like they have been stretched out and frozen on their faces, I asked the manager of my local North Indian Diner,to give me one of those smiles, he just cracked up, and said their some kind of style thats studied in Indian film schools, some kind of acting, which explains why their all the same. Imagine if our film stars were like that, Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise suddenly do huge big grimacing smiles at each other with out warning, Id be fleeing the cimema.