Bollywood Remains Integral to Asian Culture

Posted by Taroon Shah

March 10, 2010

Most people wouldn’t even begin to imagine the humble origins of Bollywood. Indian cinema can be attributed to the two great ancient epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata which have provided a solid foundation for much of India’s commercial cinema today which is fondly referred to as Bollywood.

Early Indian cinema took on the role of delivering a distinct moral code particularly when the Mahatma Gandhi-led national movement was at its peak. It was unsurprising that most Bollywood directors and screenplay writers were partial to the Gandhian philosophy. Many directors were passionate about making their films a vehicle for messages of social reform.

During Mahatma Gandhi’s era, Indian commercial cinema reflected Mahatma’s social concerns. Caste based inequalities were tackled in films like Sujata, Acchut and Haasil. Dil Ek Mandir focussed on the oppression of women in family and society. And most prominent perhaps which seems to be most relevant in Bollywood films today is the disparity between rich and poor in films like Pyaasa, Lawaaris and Jaagte Raho.

Now Bollywood is very commercial and as ever before remains an integral part of Indian culture. Just as in the West, many people like to read about the lives of A-list actors in Grazia or Heat magazines; pages brimming with celebrity diets, fitness regimes and DVDs, fans of Bollywood actors and actresses fall over themselves to emulate the lives of their screen icons whether it be their clothes, makeup, dance styles or workout regimes.

In India the trend to copy the lives of Bollywood screen idols is evidentially extreme. The Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor caused a storm when she dropped down to a size zero. Last year, her nutritionist brought out a book detailing Kareena’s eating regime which led to her size zero. The foreword of the book was written by Kareena herself, endorsing her size zero diet. Suddenly women in India were obsessed with becoming the ultimate size zero. On Western catwalks the size zero is frowned upon. And it seems bizarre that Indian women once celebrated for their natural fuller figures are choosing to be more willowy and waif like in favour of their European counterparts.

Before you book your hen party, read Sudha’s article on Bollywood culture

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