Bollywood in the Arms of the West. A Short Study of the Effects of Western Culture on Indian Commercial Cinema with a Particular Emphasis on Songs

• Authors: Daria Dulok
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The process of westernization of Indian commercial cinema is connected mostly with Indian diasporas but also with a fast growing middle class living in Indian metropolises. It is not a matter of the last years. A century-long tradition of Indian cinema shows different forms of this phenomenon and various degrees of its intensity nevertheless the process of westernization has become more radical in last 10 years. When discussing the effects of Western culture on Bollywood the author focuses on one significant element of Hindi films songs divided into two main categories: celebratory songs and love songs. The main function of song is to express words forbidden to be spoken and things forbidden to be shown, it induces in the spectators heart the same emotions that accompany heroes and provokes the viewer to identify with a character. However it is also a kind of interval which provides entertainment and delights the audience. Underlining the importance of film songs the author refers to two main sources of the aesthetic of Indian commercial cinema: the Parsi theatre and the Natyashastra an ancient Indian treatise on the rules of the performing arts. The purpose of this paper is aimed at analyzing how the Western world affects Bollywood and what are the reasons of Westernization to become radical. Compressing the history of Indian cinema the author differentiates three periods of time to show how the process of westernization has changed the style and the function of songs but also the presentation of the Western world. The author considers the consequences of this process and how it has affected viewers perception and his attitude to a character which changes from committed and unquestionable to more reflective and dispassionate.

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Kultur Śródziemnomorskich i Orientalnych PAN
• Journal: Hemispheres. Studies on Cultures and Societies
• Year: 2012
• Issue: 27
• Pages: 43-61

Contributors

author

Daria Dulok