From Hollywood to Bollywood and Halfway Back Again

The Lines are Officially Blurred

kellyparry111 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:10:03 +0000

So after I’ve completed my paper.. thirteen pages that continually refer to and defend Lagaan as a Bollywood film through and through.. after watching the film multiple times to gather all the information I wanted to use to support my classification of Lagaan as a thouroughly BOLLYWOOD film…after hours and hours of creatively approaching Lagaan as an example of a BOLLYWOOD film… and after I have put all the finishing touches on the paper… envelope sealed..I go to YouTube to watch the trailer for Lagaan. I LOVE Lagaan and I love watching trailers… sometimes they just do such a good job of pulling the greatness of the film into two minutes..

and THIS is what I find. Could this BE MORE AMERICAN? …. what can ya do….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZrNZuvBxp8

HOPE EVERYONE’S PAPERS ARE GOING WELL!

Happy holidays!

Critical Resources

Prof. RR — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:30:07 +0000

Based on your paper topics, here are some books you might be interested in:

Transnational Cinema, The Film Reader, Eds. Elizabeth Ezra and Terry Rowden
Film and Nationalism, Ed. Alan Williams
An Accented Cinema : Exilic and Diasporic Filmmaking, Hamid Naficy
Home, Exile, Homeland: Film, Media, and the Politics of Place, Hamid Naficy
East Asian Cinemas: Exploring Transnational Connections on Film, Eds. Leon Hunt and Leung Wing-Fai
Hong Kong Connections: Transnational Imagination in Action Cinema, Eds. Meaghan Morris, Siu Leung Li, and Stephen Chan Ching-Kiu
Remade in Hollywood: The Global Chinese Presence in Transnational Cinemas, Kenneth Chan
Bollywood: Sociology Goes to the Movies, Rajinder Dudrah
Bollyworld : Popular Indian Cinema Through A Transnational Lens, Eds. Raminder Kaur and Ajay Sinha
Global Bollywood, Eds. Anandam Kavoori and Aswin Punathambekar
Global Bollywood: Travels of Hindi Song and Dance, Eds. Sangita Gopal and Sujata Moorti
Cinema of Interruptions: Action Genres in Contemporary Indian Cinema, Lalitha Gopalan
The Cinematic Imagination: Indian Popular Films as Social History, Jyotika Virdi

Slumdog

Prof. RR — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:37:50 +0000

How should we characterize Slumdog Millionaire? It’s an American film, made by a British filmmaker (Danny Boyle), co-directed by an Indian director (Loveleen Tandan), with British-Indian (Dev Patel) and Indian (Freida Pinto) actors as well as non-actors, set entirely in India. What made this film a worldwide critical and commercial success? What do we even call this hybrid production? What is its relationship with Hollywood? With Bollywood?

Sue

Prof. RR — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:15:46 +0000

In light of our discussions, you might find it interesting that the character of Sue in Bollywood/Hollywood is played by Lisa Ray, a Canadian actress of Indian and Polish descent. She used to be a model, and here’s her big break in the 1990s on the cover of Glad Rags magazine:

Koffee With Karan

jasdev00 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:09:10 +0000

Hey guys, since we’re done with Bollywood films, I thought it would be nice to see the actors in a different light. This is a talk show hosted by Karan Johar, the director of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and he was in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Both of these episodes have Shahrukh Khan. The one with Shahrukh and Kajol is the first episode of season one and the other one with Shahrukh, Kajol, and Rani is the first episode of season 2. The talk show is in english so you’ll understand what’s going on. Enjoy!

Koffee With Karan(2)

jasdev00 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:07:59 +0000

You can find the rest of the interviews on youtube.

Queen Wars

payjr — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:51:54 +0000

We talked quite a bit in class today about Aishwarya Ray Bachchan being the globalized face of India. Her ability to transcend regions, cultures, and languages travels beyond L’Oreal mascara ads as she enters the realm of toys, more specifically Mattel’s very successful Barbie Doll.

Aishwarya+Rai+model+new+Bollywood+Barbie+doll

All seems well until a little competition starts creeping in. Is there a picture finish for the race to that contract?

STIStory_370341.html

Here is another article on the subject: bollywood-barbie®

The article sheds light on the mixed ethnicity of Katrina Kaif, whose mother is British. Born in Hong Kong, her parents separated when she was young. She was raised in Hawaii and later moved to England, her mother’s native country. I find it interesting that SHE in fact was chosen (or given the opportunity via Aish declining) as the face of the Bollywood Barbie. What does this say about the future “Queens” of Bollywood? Does a globalized face equate to lighter skin tones? What impact will this doll have on girls growing up in India? Comments and questions are welcome.

Aishwarya Rai on Letterman

Prof. RR — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:09:33 +0000

This is an interesting interview with Aishwarya Rai. Only subtly, but it does get at some of the cultural issues we were talking about today. She walks a fine line between identifying herself as “different” and yet not different at all. She also refers to Bride and Prejudice at the end; the clip choice from the film is rather interesting–it focuses entirely on the East-West conflict, although the film itself unfolds very differently.

DDLJ and Cultural Identity

Prof. RR — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:22:56 +0000

There might be two ways of thinking about cultural identity: either it is fixed and unchanging or it is dynamic, portable, and ready to adapt to historical changes. How does DDLJ represent the notion of Indian cultural identity? At a time when people, goods, and ideas move rapidly across the globe, is the film saying that Indianness resides only in India? Or can it be taken with you, so to speak? What are the implications of thinking about cultural identity as either fixed or fluid for the various characters of DDLJ?

Related question: DDLJ was a huge hit, not only in India but also worldwide. What makes this film so popular with Indian audiences as well as Western audiences?

Bollywood’s Women

Prof. RR — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:17:46 +0000

Let’s begin broadly with a discussion of how women are represented in Bollywood. Are they seen mostly as victims of a patriarchal system, as Dasgupta contends? Are their stories/lives seen as significant in the films we’ve viewed? How are their roles rewritten in remakes of Hollywood films?