And, just as the American film industry skewed toward glitzy escapist musicals during the Depression, so too did Bombay. Indeed, the tumult of India forced the films to become even bigger and glitzier. The film industry realized that most people were incredibly poor, and that it may as well provide a proper entertainment for the few rupees the people had in their pockets. As such, the Bollywood ethos became one of paisa vasool (or “money’s worth”). They’re not going to distract you for a mere 90 to 120 minutes. They are going to own your life for at least three or four hours. A film is not going to be a simple approach to a single story (snore), but a genre-blending musical extravaganza of epic proportions every time. If you don’t get more than your money’s worth, the film is doing something wrong.
Bollywood films are so enthused about their musical numbers, they all typically have what the industry refers to as an “item number” featuring an “item girl.” That is: A famous Indian pop star will have a plot-unrelated cameo just to sing a notable musical number. Hey. I’m down.
A curious detail: Indian films are always about romances, and there are plenty of sexy men and women cavorting about, but they are all typically very chaste. Indian culture is traditionally somewhat prudish, and onscreen kissing and sex scenes are rarely featured in Bollywood films. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t Indian sex symbols. Look up Aamir Khan sometime. Or Aishwarya Rai. These are staggeringly attractive people. But real sexuality is not often alluded to, and outright nudity is simply not done. Even the most hard-edged of Bollywood films would only perhaps garner a PG-13 rating in America.
Bollywood films have leaked into Western culture in small ways over the years. The most obvious example being Danny Boyle’s 2008 Oscar-winner Slumdog Millionaire, which wasn’t strictly speaking a Bollywood musical, but which did end with a teary, romantic song-and-dance number in the tradition of Bollywood films. It also starred a few notable Bollywood actors, including Anil Kapoor, often cited as one of India’s best. Seven years previous, in 2001, the Bollywood musical Lagaan (which I mentioned in last week’s lecture on sports movies) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It was the first Bollywood film to receive that honor. Sure took Hollywood long enough.
Some have even pointed to Baz Luhrman’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge! as an example of a Western Bollywood film. The overwrought production design, the dreamy love story, the dumb plot, the musical ubiquity. These are all details of Bollywood films. Although, tonally, Moulin Rouge! is, I would say, a very different animal.
I kind of wish more Hollywood films would adopt the paisa vasool philosophy. Although most mainstream Hollywood films are also melodramas, they very often try to bank on notions of “realism” and “relatability.” Western audiences want melodramas fitted into a realist mold. How much more refreshing if the shackles of perceived realism were tossed away, and all big-budget Hollywood action blockbusters tipped into four-hour musicals. Instead of just fight after fight, we’d have fighting, singing, dancing, loving, pratfalls, romance, and every single conceivable tool in the glitzy entertainment piñata.
Homework for the Week:
Some major cities outside of India regularly show Bollywood films. If you live in one of those cities, I implore that you find that theater and see a Bollywood film on the big screen. If you don’t live in one of those cities, many Bollywood films are available on home video. Watch one. Any one will do, although I recommend Lagaan to start with. How does the film differ – in ethos – from a film made outside of India? Do you like your films to go for broke, or do you prefer a more subtle approach? Once you’re familiar with Bollywood tropes, what kind of Bollywood film would you write? What would the story/stories be?
Witney Seibold is a featured contributor on the CraveOnline Film Channel, and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. You can read his weekly articles Trolling, Free Film School and The Series Project, and follow him on “Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
