Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 11:19:19 -0400
Subject: Re: FW: globalization and Indian film


Salil and Shoshanna,

You're right, Salil. My questions was too vague. Your response has helped
me clarify things a bit more.  I guess I'm interested in work that might
tackle the way the Cocacolanisation of Indian films is being reconciled (or
not) with the rise of Hindu majoritarianism. I'm wondering how the
traditionalism vs. Westernization binary that informs Hindutva plays itself
out in the film industry with regards to Cocacolanisation, the increased
emphasis on international shooting locations (film plots always seem to
include trips to Europe or North America)  and the way the industry has
been redirecting its films toward the NRI (Non Resident Indian) crowd. For
instance, I just read that this summer's Bollywood blockbuster (Laggan?
sp?) is currently in the top ten in the U.K.

Do you know of work that examines the convergence of these influences in
the film industry?

Jill. 



At 02:52 PM 7/17/01 -0000, you wrote:
>
>Shoshanna,
>
>I'd think your friend the art critic meant Raj Kapur, not Raj Kumar. Raj 
>Kumar was a relatively minor actor; Raj Kapur was a big film-maker.
>
>The question posed by Jill is not detailed enough to offer an answer easily. 
>Of course there is a lot of material on Indian cinema: Ashish Rajadhyaksha's 
>critical work, Andrew Robinson's study of Satyajit Ray, Wimal Dissanayake's 
>dissection of Bollywood, Rajadhyaksha's monograph of Ghatak -- if 
>globalization is to mean the impact of international cinema on Indian films, 
>then there's a lot of material to look at: the Indian new wave could indeed 
>be traced to Italian neorealism and its impact; many Left-wing Indian 
>film-makers swear by Dovzhenko and Eisenstein as their inspiration. If Jill 
>is looking for popular cinema, Uma Vasudeva's magazine, Cinemaya should have 
>a lot of material, as would Siddharth KAk's defunct magazine Cinema Vision 
>India. If the question, however, is the Cocacolanisation of Indian films, 
>there's little to go by: the basic plot line of a Bollywood blockbuster has 
>not changed over the years, though there's greater sophistication and good 
>use of cinematic techniques. And if globalization is to mean impact of 
>Bollywood overseas, there's growing evidence of it. Many critics have seen 
>Bollywood's influence on Moulin Rouge, the recent film starring Nicole 
>Kidman, and Andrew Lloyd Webber is making a Bollywood-style musical on West 
>End next year.
>
>In other words, much water has flown down the Ganges (or Ganga) since 
>1965..... whether it has been captured in academic writing/scholarly 
>discourse, I don't know, as I don't read such publications.
>
>Salil
>
>>From: Shoshanna Scholar <scholar-AT-appliedsemantics.com>
>>Reply-To: postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
>>To: "'postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu'" 
>><postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>
>>Subject: FW: globalization and Indian film
>>Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 18:39:45 -0700
>>
>>Jill Didur -
>>
>>I asked an art critic friend who specializes in indian film about
>>globalization and indian film - this was her reply:
>>
>>Actually, it's harder than it looks...I searched long and hard for stuff
>>that was "critical" but also knew about contemporary Indian film. Anything
>>of any academic stature at all stops at around 1965 with classics by Raj
>>Kumar and the like...and then anything that deals with contemporary popular
>>film is usually just a glib magazine article talking about how big the
>>industry is...
>>
>>I want to know where all the good stuff is too!!! TX
>>
>>Shoshanna Scholar
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Shoshanna Scholar
>>Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 6:33 PM
>>To: Tessa Laird
>>Subject: FW: globalization and Indian film
>>
>>
>>thought you might have something to say to this lost canadian academic!
>>
>>s
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Jill Didur [mailto:jdidur-AT-alcor.concordia.ca]
>>Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2001 6:40 AM
>>To: postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
>>Subject: globalization and Indian film
>>
>>
>>Hi All
>>
>>I'm looking for references on recent critical work examining the impact of
>>globalization on
>>Indian cinema. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>>
>>Thank you,
>>Jill Didur.
>>Concordia University
>>Department of English
>>1455 de Maisonnneuve Blvd. W.
>>LB-505-2
>>Montreal, Quebec
>>Canada
>>H3G 1M8
>>PHONE: (514) 848-2340
>>FAX (514) 848-4501
>>
>>
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>
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Concordia University
Department of English 
1455 de Maisonnneuve Blvd. W.
LB-505-2
Montreal, Quebec 
Canada
H3G 1M8
PHONE: (514) 848-2340
FAX (514) 848-4501


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