Brands Bollywood Down Under Review: Where India Meets Australia | Screenhub Australia
The latest feature-length documentary from Indian-Australian director Anupam Sharma. brand bollywood down under Maps and traces Australia’s connection to India’s film industry, ‘Bollywood’, and how an otherwise underdeveloped location began taking over some of the biggest Hindi films in the early 2000s.
But despite an impressive package containing interviews with some of the biggest names in the Hindi film industry, including veteran actor Anupam Kher and an Oscar-nominated director. Lagaan Ashutosh Gowarikal, brand bollywood I have a hard time running for 90 minutes.
Understanding why Bollywood is so hugely culturally influential yet embarrassingly misunderstood is an age-old question, and Sharma, who also co-wrote the film, recognizes the challenge at hand. are doing. This post-colonial country, embroiled in tragedy and expressing itself through dance and music, is home to a $3 billion industry, producing more than 1,000 films a year in some 30 languages.
solid honesty
Scratching the surface of why Bollywood continues to garner attention beyond South Asia despite not following a ‘typical’ storytelling format (Like jumping into a “dream song” when thinking about someone you love) A certain amount of honesty is required. And while Sharma’s focus requires creative choices, such as giving Bollywood an actual character with a female voice who declares “I am Bollywood” over and over again in her documentary. was. It’s offensive and detracts from an important story.
brand bollywood He is particularly skilled at unraveling the history of Bollywood and Australia. The iconic but little-mentioned Mary Ann Evans, also known as Fearless Nadia, lived in Perth and rose to fame as a stuntwoman in Indian films. hunter wali In 1935, before India released its first ever color film, it found significant screen space in documentaries. One of the first female-led Indian films. hunter wali ‘ was a huge hit and Mary subsequently settled in India permanently.
Fearless Nadia is a unique connection between two countries that struggle to find common ground beyond curry and cricket.
diaspora
The diaspora is the fastest growing in Australia, with the Indian-born population projected to reach 1.07 million by 2035. Along with this comes a deeper understanding of India’s love for movies and dance. Natu Natu From the highly acclaimed Telegu movie RRR Winning Best Original Song at the 95th Academy Awards probably means it’s a good time to retire the “unplug the light bulb” dance move.
“It started with laughter, laughter turned to ridicule, ridicule turned to attention, and then curiosity. Now we’re surprised.” – Director Ashut Gowarikar on the evolving perception of Bollywood in the West It sums it up almost perfectly.
when brand bollywood It focuses on Australian producers who began working with Indian production companies to coordinate filming in the early 2000s, and explores not only how films are made in India, but also how Indian crews function off-camera. reveals large cultural differences in what to do.
“They wanted to bring in a ‘chaiwala’ (tea vendor)! quipped Australian producers about the demands of Indian staff. “I said I could definitely arrange for someone to make tea here.”
From spot boys to “umbrella boys” (people who hold umbrellas for actors between scenes), a typical Bollywood set would seem unnecessarily large to an Australian producer. Two worlds collide and Harbor tries to work with Chaos while focusing on dancing against the Bridge and Flinders Street.
It’s so nice to hear stories of people who stumbled across this cross-country collaboration 20 years ago, with little idea of what it would be like.
A big Indian movie like Dil chahta hai, salaam namaste and Chak de India! Filmed in Australia. And while culture is often also a business, economics has been a major driving force in bringing the two countries closer together through film. The Indian diaspora will be a boon, allowing Australia to maintain its dream destination tag and attract more tourists from the country.
lift
However, racist attacks against Indian students in 2008 caused a rift between the two countries. It also led to India’s biggest film star Amitabh Bachchan being denied a PhD from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, which honors his contribution to the world of entertainment.
Sharma’s brand bollywood It outlines the impact of 2008 on India and Australia, but quickly moves past it and attempts to highlight community sentiment towards the Melbourne Indian Film Festival, Australia’s only Indian film festival. It seemed out of place in this documentary.Towards the end, the voice and purpose of brand bollywood It starts to look unclear.
Sharma shines when he talks about the past, but the story falters when he looks to the future. As a former international student who studied film in Australia himself, he thought it was interesting to hear about current Indian students who want to make independent films in Australia. Will they be crushed by big Bollywood production companies, or can Australia create an appetite for alternative Indian films?
“I hate the word (Bollywood),” Anupam Kher says in the documentary. It’s a loanword and we’re stupid for accepting it. ”
As we move beyond the shackles of what the West wants India to look like, it is essential to ask what Indians want to see. unfortunately, brand bollywood I didn’t go there much.
brand bollywood downunder It’s currently showing in Australian cinemas.
