Wait a second…who said American films aren’t real??
February 16th, 2010
“I say this to everyone: Our fantasies are about earning a good living,” he says. “Having maybe a car — not two. Getting an education for your kids. Our fantasies are not about getting to be president of the country, to sit in a rocket and go and break a meteor. Our fantasies are very real.”
Shah Rukh Khan, one of Bollywood’s biggest film stars speaks of the difference between American and India films in an interview with NPR just prior to the release of his new film, “My Name is Khan.” Now, I must admit, my first experience with Bollywood was on an Air India flight from Chicago to Frankfurt nearly six years ago and I vaguely remember it being much more than a love story with lots of singing and dancing. Oh yeah, and there was this other time that I find myself on a tour bus with an Indian film crew in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, but that is whole other story I won’t get into. Since then I have watched only bits and pieces of Bollywood films, outside of American releases such as, Slumdog Millionaire, Monsoon Wedding, and The Namesake. However, Khan’s comment made me reanalyze my experience with Indian films to discover that he makes a very good point…a little singing and dancing is nothing outlandish compared to aliens taking over earth and a super hero spitting spider webs from his fingers.
Khan describes Indian films as being very real, scripted after real India fantasies like getting an education, owning a car, and earning a living. Not all American films are super fantasies, in fact there are thousands of American films telling tales of love, family hardship, and personal success stories, but when was the last time you heard of an Indian film about heroes in outer space stopping a giant meteor from hitting the earth?
Are our fantasies much different or has our film industry just tainted the minds of our viewers with extreme entertainment? How do you think our dreams in America differ from those in India? Of course, we are not battling equivalent poverty levels as in India, but there are thousands of Americans scrapping for pennies and living in substandard conditions. As children and students, don’t we dream of making a good living and being successful? What do you think is the driving force behind many of the extraordinary American films?
Though some argue the Khan is performing outside of his typical role in his upcoming film, he affirms that he is once again acting out an India fantasy that few Indians get to realize…he is going to America.
To see the movie trailer for “My Name is Khan”, click here.
Check out the full article on NPR here.
- Emily Schaapveld
Entry Filed under: 2010 Student Blogs, India, Misc.
3 Comments Add your own
1. Lindsay Leaver | February 18th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
It’s true that millions of Americans live below the poverty line… According to trusty wikipedia it fluctuates between 13-17% over 5-10 year cycles. That means that at any time over 35 million people live in poverty in the united states.
However the standard of living of our poverty is VERY different from the rest of the world. People below the poverty line in America often times have homes, phones, and cable TV. These are not families living 10 people in a tin shack with a dirt floor, no electricity, and no fresh water.
Our fantasies are probably similar to those of India as far as the percentage of the reach that being successful is. Let me rephrase that… a middle class life to an Indian kid - a car or two, education, and food - probably feels equally out of reach as being wildly successful in America. Furthermore, the American culture has become focused on being incredibly successful, while being incredibly successful in India is still owning a mid-size family business.
2. Chase Janvrin | March 2nd, 2010 at 11:27 pm
Fantasies are just that; fantasies. Per Kirk’s blog ‘Globalization Re-visited’, he points out the Indian work ethic as a driving force behind their rapid economic success. Of course Americans still fantasize about economic independence, even wealth, but for better or worse we’ve reached a level of success that allows for time to dream bigger dream. Maybe outlandish ones at times, but bigger. Whether aliens or money, films are meant to inspire, touch, inform, and make you feel. I’ll be the first one to agree that many American films are crap. But as my friends in the industry have taught me, those bad films, especially the “B” movies, are meant as launching pads for bigger and better. Some of Peter Jackson’s (the Kiwi director made famous from the Lord of the Rings films) early films are HORRIBLE! But like anything else, baby steps are needed at first. But because America seemingly has been successful for so long we’ve become bored with it, Bollywood does inspire, touch, and inform, they just do so about the one subject that they are most focused on, one that in America is no longer a fantasy: success.
3. Matthew Perez | March 19th, 2010 at 11:23 am
This blog does provide some perspective on why Bollywood focuses on less extreme fantasies. I always assumed the dancing and romance were simply things enjoyed by standard Indian movie goers. However, this article provides a deeper reason behind their interest. Bollywood movies are a reflection of what the aspirations of the people are in India; a feeling of love and success. In a previous post, I compared Indian movies to those that were common during the Great Depression here in America. After reading this, I think the reason for their similarity is that both Indians and Americans during that time shared similar values. Both groups were searching for a hope in a medium that shows in a comical and amicable light without the seriousness that usually revolves around such issues. In my opinion, people who still enjoy musicals in this country are able to grasp the value of this.
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