Bollywood movies have grabbed an international audience due to their uniqueness in displaying the Indian culture through dances, songs, beliefs, and values. The industry has become one of the largest movie producers, producing over 1400 films per year (Sarkar et al. 80). India, a highly populated country, is home to diverse cultures whereby each constituent of residents, whether community or individuals, has a varying set of values. Bollywood releases videos with information about the Indian culture, with some films directly representing specific cultures. For instance, Gunday, released in 2014, demonstrates the Bengali culture, while another film Dedh Ishqiya portrays the Lucknow culture in Nawabs city (Balabantaray 2). However, some movies have promoted Westernization by advocating for the use of drugs, public affection, and display of violence. These scenarios lead to the central question of this essay on whether the Bollywood movies promote the Indian culture or it is the Indian traditions that are influenced by the films. Bollywood has gained a massive audience for spreading the Indian culture by creating parks, featuring social values, and showcasing dance; however, the West has influenced them by using drugs and showcasing love.
There has been increasing interest in non-Hollywood films, leading to the significant rise of regional film producers. The western media’s dominance in the film industry led to cultural imperialism, and due to globalization, people have shifted their interest centered on culture to the periphery transmission (Hong 348). People want to learn about other values from their regional perspective and not from the western view. This has pushed regional producers to embrace their culture so that they can create uniqueness and be different from typical Hollywood movies (Hong 348). Being among the significant competitors of Hollywood in terms of its audience and film production capacity, Bollywood has focused on showcasing the Indian culture to the international market. Dangal, a Bollywood movie produced in 2016, has surpassed some Hollywood movies such as Black Panther (Hong 348). Dangal demonstrated the Indian culture from an Indian perspective and was widely viewed in India and China, while Black Panther demonstrates African culture through American film history. This shows that the audience is more willing to receive a cultural transmission from the original owners of the culture than from the West. The use of Bollywood to showcase the Indian culture has helped it to prosper in both the domestic and international markets.
Bollywood has taken this opportunity to showcase Indian culture in foreign countries by creating cultural experiences through parks. The rising Indian economy has enabled many citizens to become global tourists, and while on vacations, many still seek Indian experiences (Fairweather and Sutton). This gives them a sense of national pride and allows them to share their culture with other people. BollyparksDubai is an example of how Bollywood promotes the Indian culture globally as it features Mumbai Square, Bollywood film studios, Bollywood Boulevard, Royal Plaza, and Rustic Ravine (Nanjangud and Reijnders 1). The park enables visitors to experience Indian live-song dance performances and access the green screen to develop their movie trailers (Nanjangud and Reijnders 11). It provides them with a feeling of identification when they see multicultural signs and cinemas that they can relate to in foreign countries. The park is a powerful site where Indians and non-Indians can encounter media fandom and cultural entertainment (Nanjangud and Reijnders 12). This changes the common notion that many global parks feature Western culture and, therefore, through Bollywood, parks can showcase the Indian culture. It shows that Bollywood promotes the Indian tradition in the international market.
Secondly, Indian films demonstrate traditional values such as hope and optimism. According to a study conducted in China, the largest market for Bollywood movies, the respondents stated that they loved Indian movies because they highlight real-life issues they can relate to (Hong 334). For instance, the “three idiots” express people’s educational pressures (Hong 334). Some people believe that they have to get a college degree to secure a job and then marry and make life successful. Every society has its issues, and in the Indian tradition, marriage is essential. This film shows the community that it is not a must to depend on education to get married as people have different destinies in their lives. This aspect of finding solutions to various societal issues has enabled the film to integrate multiple cultural elements into them.
Thirdly, Bollywood showcases Indian culture through dance forms and music in its films. Most Indian-based films are based on traditional dances and songs, which is a trend that is embraced by the film producers in expressing their stories. Songs are a significant component in these films because they act as a transition for emotions such as happiness, sadness, hatred, and love (Lewis et al. 1397). It lets the viewers connect what is happening with the next part of the video, commonly referred to as “intermission.” Songs in the Indian tradition are mainly derived from Kathak and Bharatnatyam art forms. Music has been widely used by marginalized cultures across the globe to voice their views and identity (Lewis et al. 1397). Indian filmmakers have widely used music to express their culture; however, western culture has influenced their music recently. Of 2017’s best films in India, 6 had some hip hop elements, such as rap songs and dress codes. This shows that although Bollywood is spreading the Indian culture, it has been influenced by the West, leading to the integration of both values into the films.
On the contrary, the influence of western media in Bollywood has been evident, as shown through the use of drugs in Indian films. Although alcohol consumption in India has a long tradition since the colonial error, it has been considered to have no moral values leading to its resistance by many activist groups (Bhattacharya 188). The Indian culture does not support alcoholism; however, through the integration of Bollywood with the West, more films show the use of alcohol and tobacco as stress relievers (Balabantaray 5). Most current Indian films have shown alcoholism as a solution to various failures, including love, personal life, and professional life crises. As youths in the lower caste imitate those in the higher caste, such as actors, many have found themselves in alcoholism and drug abuse (Balabantaray 5). The contamination of the western tradition of Bollywood has made many youths think that these behaviors which are against their culture are “cool.” This indicates that despite spreading the Indian culture, these movies have been stained by civilization.
In addition, Western media has led to a more affectionate public display of love in Indian films. According to the Indian culture, flaunting love in the open has always been prohibited and largely criticized. Before independence, the King allowed kissing in foreign cinemas, while the Indian productions considered it taboo (Balabantaray 5). However, in recent movies, the showcasing of love has passed absurd levels by showing intimate moments in most films where the actors kiss their lovers in public. Other affectionate ways of demonstrating attachment have dominated Bollywood videos, such as hugging and holding hands. This not only threatens the traditional Indian culture but it affects how the youths in the society behave. It has now become normal for college students to hold hands while walking, which is western influence. This demonstrates that despite promoting Indian culture, Westernization has affected Bollywood movies.
In conclusion, Bollywood movies have become a significant competitor for western media companies due to the increasing globalization. People are more interested in watching cultural stories from the original people of that tradition. Indian films have promoted their culture by creating parks, demonstrating hope, social values, and optimism, and integrating music and dance in their videos. However, on the contrary, globalization has affected these movies by using drugs in the films and public displays of affection. These behaviors have affected the lifestyle of most youth, whereby they have indulged in drinking and drug abuse to eliminate stressful moments. In addition, showcasing love has become common in the Indian college, resulting from Westernization. It shows that Bollywood movies have had both positive and negative impacts on society. On the positive, they have helped spread the Indian traditions, while on the negative, they have borrowed some undesirable behaviors and integrated them with the Indian culture.
Works Cited
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