Bollywood in Motion… October 19, 2009
Posted by payjr in Uncategorized.trackback
Hey everyone,
I was asked by a friend to perform a couple of dance routines for Diwali in a couple of weeks (the holiday was actually celebrated this past Saturday, October 17). One of the songs we’re dancing to is called “Chaiyya Chaiyya” from the film Dil Se (1998). The dance sequence in the film is AMAZING.
The mere idea of singing and dancing atop a moving train couldn’t get more Bollywood. I then found this article which, in many ways, puts a damper on this visual spectacle.
Also, here is a link to the movie, Dhoom 2 (2006), mentioned in the article. The train scene is within the first 6-7 minutes of the film.
Prof. RR
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payjr
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The banning of shooting on railroad tracks and atop trains is an unquestionably wise decision when thinking about the safety of both actors and filmmakers. However, something can be said about the implementations of using trains- a connective and almost limitless form of transportation able to cross national boundaries- beyond the realm of stunts and energized, romantic song & dance sequences.
Johnathan: This is terrific. Incidentally, trains and rail travel have been quite fundamental to many international cinemas. In fact, early cinema mimicked the rhythms of train travel–that’s where we get the notion of a tracking shot–and early spectators were seen as imitating the role of a railway passenger, looking out the “window” as the “world” passes by. There’s a really interesting book on the connection between rail travel and early cinema by Lynne Kirby called Parallel Tracks: The Railroad and Silent Cinema, if anyone’s interested.
On a non-academic but equally exciting note, I hope there’ll be pictures/video of your Bollywood dance!