Bull-ywood: Masking the Real India

Bull-ywood: Masking the Real India

The beautiful scenery, the spectacular music numbers, the fast-paced dance sequences, these are all components needed to create a truly successful Bollywood film. From the beginning of classic Bollywood, and even now, we have experienced the rich culture of India through these films, yet are slow to question the underlying issues involved within the country.

As a British Indian, the majority of my experience of my native country comes from Bollywood films, although this may come across as a naivety, it also causes me to wonder whether we are given a realistic portrayal of the country itself. Remembering my first and only visit as a young child, ready to soak up my roots, and heartbroken to find that I wasn't prepared for the reality faced when I got there.
The country was ridden with poverty and disease, and the beautiful mansions with their vast rooms and swimming pools seen in the films were difficult to find amongst the villages and slums that encompassed most of India. The cities thrummed with activity, yet still lacking the simple facilities we take for granted in our affluent countries, and I was beginning to see why Bollywood was so popular not only in India, but around the world; escapism.

Slums in India

Why is it that Bollywood create silly films with the typical casting of Akshay Kumar in these horrendously un-funny comedies, where he usually shows off his ripped, muscular body and how he can throw a girl around on the dance floor, when they are slow to show the reality faced in their own countries. Hollywood seem to be making films of the real India better than the Indians themselves, with films like Slum-dog Millionaire becoming blockbusters, and winning multiple awards as well as raising awareness of serious issues in India.

Madhuri Dixit in Bollywood film 'Devdas'

Danny Boyles blockbuster 'Slumdog Millionaire' shows the real India.

I remember an interview with Danny Boyle, where he tried to find a skinny Indian actor to play the role of Jammal, yet all the actors were big and muscular, trying to become the next Salman Khan or Amir Khan. Is the glamorisation of India so eminent to these people? I understand that we all want to watch these fun films, but would it not hurt to have a serious  once in a while, that isn't action-based but issue based instead. Hopefully they'll soon realise how bad their current actors might be, when faced with a role that really questions their abilities.