Poll: After 'Slumdog,' Will You Go Bollywood?
Who wants to be a Bollywood movie fan? Slumdog Millionaire has reaped rich rewards -- not only the eight Academy Awards last night, but also box office receipts totaling nearly $100 million in the US.. More people may have seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but Slumdog Millionaire is the clear popular favorite. But will that translate into wider box office appeal for Bollywood movies?
In the US, Bollywood flicks (broadly speaking, Hindi-language films made by production companies based in Mumbai) are distributed by specialty companies like Eros Entertainment and AdLabs, and are booked into a circuit of theaters located near Indian communities. There's very little, if any, advertising in local media, so unless you're already tuned in, it takes some digging to find out what's playing. One of our sister sites, AOL Bollywood, covers the scene, as do sites like Planet Bollywood and Beth Loves Bollywood; the latter is a terrific blog and has many more helpful links. You might also be surprised to discover that a multiplex in your area may have one or two screens devoted to Indian films.
If you've seen Slumdog Millionaire and jammed along to "Jai Ho" and other tunes from the movie, has it made you curious to check out more films made in India? Or are you still a bit wary? Take our poll and let us know.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-23-2009 @ 4:20PM
BloodwerK said...
If the movie looks interesting I don't care where it comes from...
Reply
2-23-2009 @ 4:34PM
Kelsey said...
I very much enjoyed the film. I thought it was a wonderfully artistic adaption that was very moving and affecting. The cinematography was outstanding and, in a sense, breathtaking. I particularly enjoyed the scenes of the boys running through the slums of Mumbai. But what really stunned me was the way they managed to make the slums look alive and colorful, while the Millionaire set seemed to be a tomb...dead and scary. I watched an interesting video that talked about how Fox Searchlight seemed to steal the show at the Academy Awards, which I whole-heartedly agree with. Fox Searchlight brought us, not only Slumdog Millionaire, but Juno as well.
http://www.newsy.com/
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2-23-2009 @ 5:20PM
Beth said...
Wow, thank you for the glowing link! If anyone here wants to talk about ideas for "starter films" or learning about Bollywood, I'd be honored to help out.
cheers!
Beth
Reply
2-24-2009 @ 9:00AM
Annika said...
Hi,
I regularly watch bollywood movies. From expeience I can tell that most movies aren't watched by all Bollywood audiences either. There are a few movies by certain directors and actors that take prefrence. The majority of movie goers are hard working lower class that watches movies to escape reality, hence you see a fantacy world in most movies.
If you want to try some good different Bollywood movies you should watch movies like
Gajjni (starring AAmir Khan)
Taare zamin pe
Black
For a typical bollywood style see:
Bunty aur Babli
Paheli
Jane tu yah jane na
Dhoom
Jodha Akbar
Kuch kuch hota hai
Mohabbate
Kabhi khushi kabhi gham
Good luck exploring a compleatly different world.
I enjoy ibollywood, especially because I like to travel and this is a great way to enjoy a different world from your own couch.
Each movie I see is usually recommended by a Indian friend , that help in choosing movies that are better then the last one.
2-23-2009 @ 5:21PM
section545ster said...
Uh...how is Slumdog Millionaire a bollywood flick, being made my Danny Boyle?...
Reply
2-23-2009 @ 6:10PM
Peter Martin said...
Sorry I didn't make it clear that "Slumdog Millionaire" is not, actually, a Bollywood film.
2-23-2009 @ 5:35PM
aaron said...
yea slumdog is standard american fare even though it was made by a brit. standard english fare i guess then.
just cuz it was shot in india doesn't make it bollywood. adding one dance number at the end doesn't make it bollywood.
Reply
2-25-2009 @ 12:06PM
sibasish said...
Aaaron,this film was made in india,all the actors were indian,story was indian,many crew members were indians,all the heart touching songs were made by a.r. rahman(indian) who won 2 academy awards for this.so do u still think it was not an indian film?????/
2-23-2009 @ 6:22PM
Jeff said...
If we choose to say that we are not interested in seeing any other Bollywood-type movies, then we are relegated to being classified as "wishing to remain ignorant towards other cultures?" Are Bollywood films the only way to learn about Indian culture? And just because we may not be into that style of filmmaking, that means that we have no interest in other cultures besides Indian? I think that there could be many people who just didn't enjoy Slumdog Millionaire, but that doesn't mean that they/we are any less interested in learning about the rest of the world than those who did enjoy it. It's just a movie.
No offense, but I think that last choice (and the only real way of saying "no, I am not interested") could be worded a little differently.
Reply
2-24-2009 @ 10:14AM
Kevin said...
Hey buddy, don't say no offense at the end of that post. The choice was total shit, tongue in cheek no doubt, but still total shit. I've seen some bollywood movies (hell, my sister travelled through India and was actually cast in 2 of them) so I know I'm not interested in that style of film. But not wanting to watch anymore of them makes me disinterested in other cultures. Riiiiigggghhhhttttt...
2-23-2009 @ 7:03PM
John said...
Bollywood is mostly copycat (check bollycat.com) and wealth-porn industry. Realism is missing there, so are acting/filmmaking in mainstream movies.
Reply
2-23-2009 @ 10:56PM
joker said...
Producing thousands of movies each year just like Hollywood, the Indian film industry too copies from other cinema. However, rare and precious gems are not recognized: I suggest BLACK FRIDAY ... a far superior movie than Slumdog Millionaire ... it is a little longer but far superior in filmmaking terms with a gripping yet frustrating storyline.
2-23-2009 @ 8:18PM
me said...
I love how you skewed the possible answers to make it seem like you're ignorant if you choose no. I choose no because i have seen a few supposedly good bollywood movies and they're all a joke. They're dumb and a good (Non-bollywood)movie like slumdog isn't going to change that especially since the end of the movie where they all dance nearly ruined my enjoyment of the rest of the movie. It was a good thng it was during the credits so i was able to leave. I understand that in their culture its a wonderful thing and is very well supported at times they can be on a level with an average american musical which i'm not a fan of either but it's still on a lower quality type of art than most other movie styles. Maybe this whole topic isn't for me, but i wish in the future you wouldn't make the choices skewed like that. Just simply put, yes, no, maybe, Etc... and then let us tell you why we chose our answers here in the comments section.
Reply
2-23-2009 @ 8:23PM
me said...
Oh yeah, and in Slumdog millionaire, did anyone else think it would have been a better ending if he had gotten the answer wrong on the game show? Then the whole fate subject would be solely focused on the fact that the game show was supposed to bring him and latika back together instead of about winning money which I felt took away a bit from that heartwarming tale. I understand that money was also a running theme through the film but i still think the movie would have been better had he lost. Anyone else? Plus again, ditch that dancing at the end. I hated it. It's like how a few years back every movie had blooper reals during the credits even if the movie had been a serious one or an action movie . It was just so out of place.
Reply
2-23-2009 @ 9:28PM
OmKara said...
If Hollywood has any hope or desire of remaining relevant to the 5 billion "non-western" people in the world they would be wise to look to Bollywood. By the way, I think it's time we stop calling the Indian cinema industry Bollywood because it's no longer second fiddle to Holywood. Sure it may not have the same technical wiz-bang stuff but that's only a few years away. For content it can match or better anything out of Hollywood. I mean who except stupid western adoloscent males wants to see spandex clad idiot fantasies. Give me a break!!
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2-24-2009 @ 10:18AM
Kevin said...
LOL. You, sir, are an idiot.
2-23-2009 @ 10:08PM
Jim said...
Yeah, seriously, what's up with the last choice? So if I don't like singing and dancing Bollywood movies, I'm ignorant of other cultures? News for you: I hate singing and dancing in *Hollywood* movies as well. I couldn't make it past last night's opening song and dance number during the Oscars. I saw Wolverine start singing and, ZAP, I switched to a Seinfeld rerun.
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2-23-2009 @ 10:32PM
Ashok Kumar said...
No wonder it is SO good...it is NOT a Bollywood movie! Being an American originally from India, I agree wholeheartedly that Bollywood will never take over Hollywood. In fact, a few years from now, nobody in America will know, or care, what and where Bollywood is. Bollywood is, at best, a cheap replica of Hollywood, and will remain so in perpetuity. The real acting is not in Bollywood...it is in Hollywood. Just compare the quality of acting in mass-produced Indian fodder and of that in Hollywood classics. Case closed!
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2-23-2009 @ 10:36PM
Ashok Kumar said...
No wonder it is SO good...it is NOT a Bollywood movie! Being an American originally from India, I agree wholeheartedly that Bollywood will never take over Hollywood. In fact, a few years from now, nobody in America will know, or care, what and where Bollywood is. Bollywood is, at best, a cheap replica of Hollywood, and will remain so in perpetuity. The real acting is not in Bollywood...it is in Hollywood. Just compare the quality of acting in mass-produced Indian fodder and of that in Hollywood classics. Case closed!
Reply
2-24-2009 @ 1:34AM
Lowell said...
I find it hilarious that the population believes that there is social mobility for the Dalit Caste in India. You people haven't been paying attention to the news for the past 5,000 years. News Flast!!!!! There is no social mobility for the low Caste in India. They are slaves and discriminated against in the worst way. "If a Dalit eats off the plate, it must be broken" "If a dog eats off the plate, it can be washed" Explain that to your ignorant offspring.
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