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Williams Honors College, Honors Research

Projects

The Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Honors

College

Spring 2023

How Bollywood has In>uenced Cinema and Viewers Both Locally How Bollywood has In>uenced Cinema and Viewers Both Locally

and Globally and Globally

Bhumi Patel

[email protected]

Recommended Citation Recommended Citation

Patel, Bhumi, "How Bollywood has In>uenced Cinema and Viewers Both Locally and Globally" (2023).

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

. 1802.

https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1802

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Hindi film production. This film industry stands as a multifaceted mosaic woven with the

threads of tradition, innovation, and sheer spectacle. Bollywood is primarily based in the

bustling city of Mumbai, which was formerly called Bombay. Bombay and Hollywood

were combined to term the growing industry Bollywood when the Indian film industry

surpassed Hollywood in areas of cinematography and amount of films produced in the

1970s. Ever since these transformative years of film production, Bollywood films have

evolved from silent films, that were shown in black and white, to brightly colored scenes

with vibrant hues that brought a whole new level to the portrayal of the rich culture. At

the core of this rich portrayal of Indian culture is themes and narratives that have gone

through metamorphosis as society and taboos evolve. While timeless tales of romance

lyrics, and elaborate dance choreography that adds a theatrical feel to movies, which is a

token of Bollywood that keeps the audience entertained through a symphony of

movement and emotion.. These choreographies may cause trends outside of the movie

with its infectious energy, resulting in a lasting association with the song, as well as

influencing future choreography for other films. Bollywood dance transcends barriers of

added to this universality as they have grown with India’s changing views and reflecting

that in film. Actors and actresses have also migrated to different spheres of film, such as

Hollywood, but do not forget their Bollywood roots as they spread the magic of such

cinema to these other spheres.

Despite this global acclaim, Bollywood has had its setbacks, ranging from lack of

diversity and representation of its population, to not evolving with certain new inclusive

ideas and identities. However, there are some attempts to change this outdated thinking

through the addition of current ideas and issues to the plot of films. While Bollywood’s

charm lies in its celebration of tradition, family, and culture, there are some steps in the

way of adapting to modern times and society. This new era of films is exposing the

writes, “Hindi filmmakers frequently describe Hollywood films as ‘dry’ or ‘lacking in

emotion’ and claim that in order to ‘Indianize’ a film, one has to add emotion” (Ganti

2002). There are many films that have pioneered this level of influence and have changed

both the industry and Indian society over the span of its history, altering both social views

use of emotional weight..

The first notable film that cropped up the potential of the film industry in India is

the first full-length Bollywood silent black and white movie, “Raja Harishchandra”,

which was made by Dadasaheb Phalke in 1913. This 40 minute film is based on the story

of the legend of King Harishchandra, who is a family man with a wife and a son, goes on

a hunting expedition into the woods on the request of his kingdom’s citizens. While

hunting, he comes upon a sage performing a ritual for the kingdom to get extra power, but

Harishchandra was unaware of this intention. King Harishchandra interrupts this ritual,

releasing these powers, resulting in the sage becoming angry and threatening to curse

Harishchandra. In order to escape this, Harishchandra renounces his kingdom and gives it

(Krasilovsky et al. 2015). The initial showings of the film had full houses, leading to

Phalke extending the screening of the film, and demands to show the film in more

locations across India. This success in the box office gave aspiring directors the seal of

acceptance and the narrative style of showing myths and legends became a major source

of inspiration, causing the film industry to grow to produce around 200 movies per year

came in the coming years, as the first sound movie, “Alam Ara”, was released in 1931,

and the first color movie, “Kisan Kanya” was released in 1937.

The shift from these themes of myths and legends occurred in the 1950s, as India

gained independence from Britain in 1947 and thus began the violence of the Partition,

which is the division of India and surrounding countries created by the British. The

changing frame of mind and views of Indian society influenced filmmakers to make films

with more serious themes. Many of these serious themes reflect on these previous

historical events, and focus on one person’s experience throughout such an event. These

main characters are on extreme ends of the system, in which the protagonist is either a

politician or a military general with power, or the story of an extremely powerless

and respect for India’s rich history and culture.

One of these early historical stories, though heavily fictionalized due to lack of

records, is the story of the Emperor Akbar and his son, as an epic historical drama called

“Mughal-E-Azam”, 1960. Emperor Akbar was the third emperor of the Mughal empire

and ruled in the late sixteenth century. He long prayed for a male heir to take the throne

wife had given birth to a son, upon which Emperor Akbar gave the maid a single wish to

make as he was overjoyed by the news. Over time his son, Salim, becomes a

distinguished soldier and falls in love with a court dancer, resulting in a forbidden love

due to her low class in society. This forbidden love is exposed and Emperor Akbar is so

furious that he imprisons the court dancer. Salim rebels against this by starting a battle to

free her, but this is in vain. The emperor sentences Salim to death by entombment, and

sets the condition that his life will only be spared if the court dancer chooses to take

Salim’s place to be entombed. As she is being entombed, the maid from earlier intervenes

and it is revealed that the court dancer is the maid’s daughter. The maid, who still hasn’t

used her wish from delivering the news of a male heir, pleads for her daughter’s life to be

benefited. This system was called the caste system, that essentially separated people by

socioeconomic status and deemed a person’s worth based on where in the system they

ranked. While the actual time period within the movie is set before British rule, it is still

influenced by the conditions of the system, so much so that even sincere love can not

combat its effects of inequality. These themes are prevalent in various films around this

faced by its people. However, the same righteousness and duty to one’s country is

portrayed in this film as in “Raja Harishchandra”, setting the standard of loyalty to one’s

country. The notion of duty and loyalty to one's country, as depicted in "Raja

Harishchandra" reflects a deep-seated patriotism that has often been a driving force in

Indian society. Nationalism is absolutely imperative to the people of India who have all

experienced oppression through either British colonialism or the lasting impact of the

ideologies that stemmed from British rule.

A film that showed how this level of nationalism can occur at any level of the

social chain is “The Legend of Bhagat Singh”. This film is based on the true story and

life of Bhaghat Singh, who was an Indian freedom fighter who was a member of the

believed was the officer that killed their friend, but it was the wrong officer. This group

then ran and planned to cause a peaceful explosion with no casualties, in order to bring

attention to freedom fighters, but not incite violence. During this attempt, they were all

arrested. In prison, the group took on a 116-day hunger strike to improve the living

conditions of Indian prisons, which caught on across the country, which worried the

given the death penalty as a way to cut off motivation for the Indian public (The Legend

of Bhagat Singh 2002). However, Bharat Singh became a martyr that inspired many to

join in the fight against the injustice of British rule. This film truly shows the underbelly

of the revolution, in that it was not a peaceful and smooth sailing journey, but rather a

rocky one that did not end well for many involved. However, it displays the unity of India

and how one individual inspired masses to initiate great change.

Despite being able to tell history from their own perspectives, Indian history can

often be skewed and differ among people of different regions. This is largely due to the

fact that early history is only remembered by word of mouth, through stories passed

down generations. However, along with historical stories, myths and legends were also

Jayasi, which is considered a work of fiction. This Film does not infer or claim historical

authenticity or accuracy in terms of the names of the places, characters, sequence of

events, locations, spoken languages, dance forms, costumes and/or such other details. We

do not intend to disrespect, impair or disparage the beliefs, feelings, sentiments of any

person(s), community(ies) and their culture(s), custom(s), practice(s), and tradition(s).

develops, which was the case in “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham”. “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi

Gham” also demonstrates that adopted children are just as much family as biological

children, which is quite modern thinking that came with the 21st century.

Up until the 1990s, adoption was a taboo in Indian society as having blood relation

with offspring is a key component in carrying one’s legacy. In the event of a man not

reproducing himself in his son specifically, and in his offspring of any gender more

generally, the situation where a man is faced with the possibility of a genetic death means

complete oblivion (Bharadwaj 2003). Even if this offspring turns out to be deceitful or

have any negative qualities, at least it is one of their own. However, through adoption,

families feel as though they are letting a stranger into a sacred inner circle, no matter the

involved with adoption that can discourage potential adoptive families as well. These

procedures are expensive and time consuming. Prospective adoptive parents must

navigate various legal requirements, paperwork, and approvals from adoption agencies

and government authorities. During this time, there was also a lack of awareness about

adoption, and how much both the children and the families could benefit from adopting.

to the family as biological children, from “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham” to “Dil Chata

Hai” to “Bahhban”. It has estimated the idea of adoption and has raised awareness that it

is a possible option without any worry of a lack of belonging.

Movies in the 21st century have also focused on other social issues such as this,

bringing more concepts known as “Western values” into Indian society. These values are

often taboo and undesirable to be seen in common society. Those who supported such

notions were seen as outsiders who were determined to tarnish the great motherland of

India and its rich culture. In older films, there was often a strong critique of pre-marital

sex, with heroines expected to embody virginity and modesty. Conversely, "vamps" were

typically portrayed as having loose morals, wearing Westernized clothing, and engaging

society. By presenting the issue as more human, Indian society is more likely to accept

differences and change.

LGBTQ+ issues have been another discussion that have arisen with the turn of the

21st century. The first pride parade in India took place in Kolkata in 1999, as Kolkata was

a leading city in human rights. This walk was held with the intention of making the

this parade (Tandon and Rao 2021). Since then, pride marches in India fill the street now,

as people not only celebrate their sexuality, but more of India has become accepting and

allies. This change has primarily occurred in major cities, which is what these newer

Bollywood movies tend to reach. These newer Bollywood films that have these aspects

often end up finding a home on Netflix, allowing both the western and eastern spheres of

the world, influencing both Indians and American Indians.

The first film to debut on Netflix with these elements was “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha

Toh Aisa Laga”, 2019, translated to “How I Felt When I Saw That Girl”, which not only

showed the side of someone who is LGBTQ+, but also the side of someone who is not

aware of what this means and educates themselves as an ally. The film takes place in

comes to chase Sweety and Sahil helps her run from him, ending up in the police station,

where he learns the man was Sweety’s brother, Babloo, and finds out they reside in

Moga, Punjab. He decides to shift to Moga with an older colleague, Chatro, who is an

amateur actress and a caterer, as he believes he can write a successful romance play now

that he has felt true love for Sweety.

company but actually wanted to be a cook. However, his mother discourages him, as men

do not belong in the kitchen, but instead it’s a woman’s job. Babloo, upon return of the

chase of Sweety, tells Balbir that Sweety has a Muslim boyfriend, which both of them

disapprove of. This entices Balbir to heighten the search for an acceptable man for

Sweety to marry. One night, Sahil sneaks by Sweety’s house to speak to her, but is

mistaken as her boyfriend by Balbir, who was cooking in the kitchen late at night to avoid

being taunted by his mother. After having a conversation with a friend, Balbir chooses to

accept this interfaith relationship. However, Sweety reveals to Sahil that she’s in love

with Kuhu, a woman, and that she’s been in pain ever since falling in love as she knows

she will never be accepted by her traditional family. Sahil initially thinks she is joking

supportive of Sweety's relationship. The play's success prompts Sahil to consider

presenting it in other places, and Balbir starts a relationship with Chatro while also

pursuing his passion for cooking by opening a restaurant. The story ends on a note of

acceptance and celebration of love across boundaries (Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa

Laga, 2019).

homosexuality on September 6, 2018. This film started off as a typical, traditional

Bollywood romantic comedy film, which set it up as just another lighthearted movie.

After the reveal of the twist, Sahil’s creation of the play acts as a commentary on how not

only the characters in the film would react, but also the viewers in the audience, as the

view on homosexuality was still fairly close minded. During the showing of the play that

essentially followed the plot of the film thus far, the audience was shown protesting their

objections against this homosexual relationship, and much of the audience left the theater.

However, some people choose to stay and continue to watch, with many of these viewers

getting emotional, which is the intent of “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga”, to move

as many people as possible. The audience is the film directly related to the audience that

Sumi Singh. She has had a man stalking her after he catfished her on a lesbian dating app,

and threatens to reveal her sexuality unless she sleeps with him. Shardul keeps this secret

and proposes the idea of marriage to Sumi, as both of them have external pressures from

family to get married, but have no intention of having the traditional heterosexual Indian

marriage. They enter into a marriage of convenience to appease their families but struggle

their new relationship, Sumi finds solace in a blossoming romance with Rimjhim, who

herself has been ostracized by her family after coming out. Their home becomes a

sanctuary where they can freely express their identities, even as they maintain the facade

of a conventional heterosexual couple to the outside world. Shardul's encounter with

Guru, a proudly out criminal lawyer, prompts him to confront his own truth and embrace

his sexuality openly, despite the risk of rejection from his conservative family. However,

their carefully constructed world comes crashing down when Shardul's mother discovers

Sumi and Rimjhim together, leading to a cascade of revelations and confrontations within

both families. As they face the fallout from their secrets being exposed, Shardul and Sumi

find unexpected allies in their journey towards self-acceptance, culminating in a

when revealing to Sahil her secret, contemplates suicide as a means of escaping the

situation, ass she understands this would bring shame to her family in society. In

“Badhaai Ho”, when Sumi and Shardul are outed to their families, they are met with

rejection and disappointment, as their parents question where they went wrong with

parenting to have such a curse brought upon them. While these movies focus on

object of criticism by family, with an outer influence of Indian society’s views. Mental

health in India, particularly in the context of education, is a complex and pressing issue

that demands attention. The immense pressure to excel academically, coupled with

societal expectations and competition, often takes a heavy toll on students' mental

well-being. According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, the

prevalence of mental health disorders among Indian students is alarmingly high, with

factors like academic stress, fear of failure, and parental pressure contributing

significantly to this burden (Ahad et al., 2021). This situation is further exacerbated by a

lack of awareness, stigma associated with mental health issues, and limited access to

mental health services, leading to many students suffering in silence and not receiving the

support they need.

career choices are determined by societal value, not passion is “3 Idiots”, 2009. "3 Idiots''

education, societal expectations, and mental health. Set in an Indian college, the story

(Ranchhoddas Shamaldas Chanchad). Rancho, the central character, embodies a

free-spirited and unconventional approach to life and learning. He challenges the rigid

and often oppressive education system, encouraging his friends to pursue their passions

rather than conform to societal pressures. However, amidst the humor and camaraderie,

the point where he attempts suicide out of fear of failure and disappointing his loved

detrimental effects of societal expectations on mental well-being. Through Raju's journey

approach to education and life, highlighting the importance of mental health awareness,

2009).

an unserious, lighthearted group of boys. "Chhichhore," a Bollywood comedy-drama film

released in 2019, delves into the pressures and challenges faced by students and the

middle-aged father whose son, Raghav, attempts suicide due to academic stress after

shockwaves through Anni and his college friends, prompting them to reminisce about

National Institute of Technology (NIT) where Anni and his friends, including Sexa, Acid,

Bevda, Mummy, and Derek, navigated the highs and lows of college life together. Each

character in "Chhichhore" represents different aspects of the academic struggle. Anni,

once a carefree and spirited student, now grapples with the guilt of not being able to

success is not solely defined by academic achievements. They learn valuable life lessons

"Chhichhore" delivers a powerful message about the need to prioritize mental health,

for their resilience, character, and personal growth rather than just academic success. It

expectations on mental health, resonating with viewers on a deeply emotional level

Both of these films run high in emotions, moving the audience to tears and have

led to parents developing more compassion towards their children’s education. By

understanding and supporting children's individual paths. While higher education is

some parents have turned to supporting their children, rather than pressuring them. While

on the children and teens who have grown up watching these two films. As these films

continue to resonate with audiences over time, their messages of compassion and

understanding will likely continue to shape parenting styles for generations to come.

Ultimately, they contribute to a collective shift towards a more nurturing and empathetic

Bollywood. From promoting popular films, melodic music,and energetic dance moves,

"Slumdog Millionaire," which garnered international acclaim and several Oscars, helped

become global icons, influencing fashion trends, music styles, and even social

multitude of Bollywood and Hollywood films, along with being a UNICEF Goodwill

"The Lunchbox" and "Lion," further demonstrate the industry's reach and its ability to

bridge cultural gaps. Bollywood dance, characterized by its fusion of traditional Indian

hip-hop and contemporary, has gained immense popularity on the global stage. Iconic

professionals, leading to the establishment of Bollywood dance schools, workshops, and

across the world, making it a fusion of genres that could appeal to a wider audience.

Iconic songs like "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire, "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Dil Se,

and "Tum Hi Ho" from Aashiqui 2 have not only topped Indian music charts but also

gained immense popularity internationally, showcasing the global reach of Bollywood