Where am i at with the study

So far i have done textual analysis (at the moment the t.a for 2 films is on paper which i will be transfering onto the blog soon) and collected institutional data for all three films. I have also collected and commented on popular criticism for the three films using on-line reviews and YouTube user comments.
In terms of academic criticism, i have aquired information from the book 'Bollywood- sociology goes to the movie', which is summarised on the blog, also from 'Bollywood- the cinema story' (which is yet to be typed up). I have also got some articles about the bollywood industry from The Times website which i thought might be useful for a wider understanding of my study.
I will now be trying to find film theories in general.

Rang de basanti- popular criticism

Review by Jaspreet Pandohar on the BBC Movies website:
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2006/01/27/rang_de_basanti_2006_review.shtml)

The review is extremely positive, commending the actors for their performances and the director/writer Rakesh Mehra for his ‘smart writing and direction’ that is said to engage the audience into the ‘absorbing plot’. The reviewer believes that the success of the film is also largely due to the fact that it breaks the conventions of the average Bollywood film and goes beyond ‘the standard musical melodrama’, with its balanced mix of ‘romance, history and social commentary’. The reviewer comments on the way the film is divided into two parts in terms of the attitudes and ideologies of the characters, which move from a mentality submerged in western culture (‘Beer, babes and US visas seem to be more important to the MTV generation than their country's colonial past’) to an internal revolution to patriotic beliefs.


YouTube user comments:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL7iq3CVuac&feature=PlayList&p=2C2BA7A9FA578695&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=29)
Due to themes in film, it managed to get a much more serious (and political, and deep) discussion running on you tube. In a way it worked in awakening Indian youth to question about their own heritage/ ‘colonial past’ (e.g. Gandhi’s policy and the British raj)

hemantmehndi:
The main idea of the movie is right. Indians today are a bunch of cowards and are still serving westerners ..only for cheaper salaries now. We'e achieved nothing. India needs revolutionaries. After independence Indians have grown desperate for sex and cowardice has climbed to the max. Everybody tries to copy Americans. Something is wrong. Gandhi didn't do crap my friends. British left by their own will, if they wanted to they would still be in India.

abhinavdhere1993
Reply to hemantmehndi: Also I wish to remind you that British had to leave because due to the war, they were not in a condition to suppress the mass struggle for a long period.Another thing is that Gandhiji was a very brilliant & brave person.His policies were situation specific and normally tough to understand for common people.He suggested non-violence because at that time, Britain was 1 of world's biggest military powers and it is next to impossible to defeat them by violence

MsAmplified
Such a beautiful, beautiful movie. So awakening, and so moving. I cried, I laughed, and truly enjoyed this. Superb performances by the actors. Wanna say thank you to the kind person who uploaded this. Thank you. Also, to all the youths of the world, we gotta stand up man. It's about time. I don know how, but its time. Have a rockin day, everyone. Cheers, Gaya (from Singapore)
dramygirl2510
Very touching movie...its great..hmm

chanugaya
one of the best movies iv ever watched,superb casting...no one can replace neone...

sharzcv
I luv d title track...I love my country...
(maybe diaspora don’t need western values to be shown in indian films, they’re comitted to their own culture and watch bollywood films precisely to get that cultural experience)

Gurleen29
haha me too, India Is Home Sweet Home!

singh792730293
lol aamir rulessssssssss, hes the est khan in bollywood by far SRK nothing compared to him AAMIR DOESNT GET ENOUGH CREDIT LIKE SRK DOES BUT AAMIR MUCH BETTER ACTOR BY FAR!

ungore18
It's not Bollywood. It's something more, I think. But I like Bollywood ;)
(in agreement with bbc reviewer that the film is outside of the Bollywood conventions)

Luckycooly
This much better than SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. The only thing that was good in that was MUSIC
(there’s always comparison with western movies, showing how they are available worldwide and have an impact on how indian films are viewed by audiences)

Kal ho na ho- Popular criticism

Review:
http://mrbrownmovies.com/movierpt04-01.html#khnh

Like many reviews, this one also includes a plot summary of the film at the beginning, once the critic has declared his/her love for the film. The review is largely positive, commending not only the narrative of the film- which is regarded as a successful version of a conventional story-line but with “further complications”- but also the cinematography and the “Tinseltown-level of production polish”, which are considered to be progressive for the Indian film industry. The unconventionally long review means that the critic also comments on specific filming techniques like the traditional "day one," "day two” labels denoting the passing of time, being delivered verbally directly to the camera by “passing extras”.


You tube comments:
MillionareGal
hehe, he is an angel! XD lol Sharukhan is the perfect actor for this movie, i bawled

achug1996
i love this movie its sooo aawweessoommee

vudulaydi
i love all the different ethnicities at the street party!!

draga88
its funny hw all da americans der can speak indian lol dis film is awsome

marko1na2eks
the best film i'ever seen

babyvlova09
saif: *crying*
srk: wat happend to u?
saif: i miss papa
srk: im sorri wen did he die?
saif: HIS ALIVE!!! cant i miss him
srk: oh
lol i was lmaol

CelebLover786
Staying Alive Loool. Thats So Funny!

wazildhum12
the sadest classic in bollywood.sharuk is timeless.i think we should have more movie slike this.


Due to the nature of the website, the comments are closely focused on the narrative of the film rather than the any filming techniques used or any background information. The viewers leave positive comments mainly about the performance of the actors and the effects the film has on them personally ( a lot of people commented for example that the film made them cry excessively). Since the comments are an example of audience criticism, it is interesting to see how they respond to the characterisations in the film. Responses such as “i juz hate their dadi” show the extent to which the construction of certain characters by the writer/director has been successful.

Don- popular criticism continued

YouTube user comments
(http://www.youtube.com/watchv=W4_pwGwiIZE&feature=PlayList&p=9B7062A2869580F2&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=43)
dilipkul: don is cooler than any hollywood movie.
(immediately someone attempts to compare the film to a hollywood movie, showing the extent to which bollywood films face competition from western films and thus the directors perhaps try to imitate them in order to satisfy their audience)

ZainUddinKhan: hmmm greatest movie ever:)
Luv u srkK
keep rocking

bhavnasood: fantastic movie

dilipkul: clothing background score music everything is cool.

imeshsk: This is very best. we cant expect whats happening in the end until we watch the complete movie.. Briliant Acting by Sharukh khan.. he is the king of Cinema. he has nominated to the best Actor in 2006 for this movie.. every movies he is doing becomes a Super hit. King khan we respect you. - Indians and the rest of the world are lucky to have him. he is a uniqe Diamond.
(Judging by many of these comments it seems as if one of the main reasons behind the success of the film is the success of the actor)

linmaya21165: wow..i love the martial art...watcaaa......
(once again martial arts is an element associated with films produced outside of India, and yet people seem to be familiar with it and actually 'love' it)

marathiman1: main tumhe alvida kehna aaya hoon. ramesh have a nice life. that was really cool

XxXCilginKizXxX :
we all love srk and his films too...
no matter how bad they are....
I love the film phir bi dil hai hindustani although not as successful...

kkoolgurl16:
i luv this movie the amitabh version is BORIIIIIING...............SRK is the best
(the 1978 version is condemned as being 'BORIIIIIING' perhaps because the lack of special effects and glamour do not appeal to the young generation of today)

Arsh7777777: I wouldn't say that amitabh bachchan one is boring. I would say people didn't appreciate this one as much because the legendary don is in their minds.
BUT I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!! I like the Amitabh Bachchan version too though.

niharjhatn: kya crazy movie hai yaar :)

Don- popular criticism

Don:
Reviewed by Aparajita Ghosh on www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20061021-2.html

"Twenty-eight years after Chandra Barot’s hit movie Don (1978) with Amitabh Bachchan in the role of Don, Farhan Akhtar comes up with a sleek and stylish tribute to the original. This ‘Don’ is certainly bigger and bombastic. Whether it is better, is debatable.

Barot’s ‘Don’ was quite modern for its times. So is Akhtar’s. The story of new ‘Don’ is set in the cityscape of Kuala Lumpur, Paris and India (few portions). The don in the film operates on an international level. He uses state-of-the-art technology, fights like a martial arts expert and has a zany taste in fashion. He is like an Indian James Bond, but obviously on the wrong side of law.

In a nutshell, Farhan Akhtar does succeed in giving a just tribute to the timeless ‘Don’ starring Amitabh Bachchan. But Farhan relies too heavily on style rather than substance."

Conclusion: The main aspect of the film that audience seem to be impressed by are the special effects and the action. The plot has been criticised to lack 'substance'. It is worth noticing that even audiences compare the films to hollywood counterparts like Bond, indicating that there is an international level set by Western films that is used for comparison of indian films.


http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/reviews/2006/don-221006.html

Film theories

Auteur theory

The view that a director's films reflect that director's personal creative vision, as if he were the primary "Auteur" (the French word for "author"). In some cases, film producers are considered to have a similar "Auteur" role for films that they have produced.

In law the Auteur is the creator of a film as a work of art, and is the original copyright holder. Under European Union law the film director shall always be considered the author or one of the authors of a film. [1]

Auteur theory has had a major impact on film criticism ever since it was advocated by film director and film critic François Truffaut in 1954. "Auteurism" is the method of analyzing films based on this theory or, alternately, the characteristics of a director's work that makes him an Auteur. Both the Auteur theory and the Auteurism method of film analysis are frequently associated with the French New Wave and the film critics who wrote for the influential French film review periodical Cahiers du cinéma.


Italian neorealism

Italian neorealism is a style of film characterized by stories set amongst the poor and working class, filmed on location, frequently using nonprofessional actors. Italian neorealist films mostly contend with the difficult economical and moral conditions of post-World War II Italy, reflecting the changes in the Italian psyche and the conditions of everyday life: poverty and desperation.

http://www.freeonlineresearchpapers.com/western-cultures-overbearing-influence


Times on-line
'Saawariya (Beloved), which opens around the world tomorrow, is the first Bollywood film to be produced by a major Hollywood studio, Sony. Saawariya, on the other hand, is radically different: it is in Hindi, it has 11 songs and it is the traditional three hours in length. Hollywood studios are desperate to penetrate the Indian and global NRI (nonresident Indian) market. This is because, with a few exceptions such as the Jurassic Parkand Spider-Man series, Hollywood films usually flop in India. Moreover, the overseas audience for Bollywood films remains predominantly South Asian. With five Bollywood films grossing more than $2 million (£950,000) in America in 2006 and with films routinely making their debut in the British Top Ten, it is an astute recognition by Hollywood of a potentially lucrative new market. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. Indian films will now gain access to possible new audiences through a much wider worldwide release.'
Posted by Alishba at 15:43 0 comments

'Bollywood- Sociology goes to the movies' Sec. research
Bollywood & the south-asian diaspora:'A non-resident Indian (NRI) is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides outside India.' wikipedia
Estimated Indian diaspora worldwide= 11 million one of fastest growing global diasporic communities)'
Bollywood not only signifies the large number of films made and viewed in the city of Mumbai...but also the distribution, subtitling, dubbing and watching of these motion pictures worldwide.'
'...with the emergence of the diaspora as an important export market for the films since the 90s, film-makers are re-thinking their approaches to established conventions and genres in the light of temporary audience expectations.'
Familiar features in past Bollywood films: '...binary oppositions in the representation of East and West, tradition and modernity, rich and poor, the village and the city.'
Old films: West & western values seen as evil and a threat to tradition and culture
Now: they're seen as desirable.Films in this sense are reflective of social change and change in the mind-sets of people.
"Urban themes with style and attitude are the order of the day...The tide tilts towards contemporary themes concerning the urban Indian, while paarivaarik issues are consigned to television soaps."-

http://reviewsfm.blogspot.com- HINDI FILM REVIEWS,BOX OFFICE COLLECTIONS,PUBLIC COMMENTS OR FILM

In the past, there were big diasporic communities in the UK ('The UK has the largest audience for Indian cinema outside India (Neilsen EDI)')hence many Bollywood films were set in the UK and portrayed the lives of British Asian characters.

Now there are big diasporic communities in the USA, so films focusing on the lives of American Asian characters are being set in places like New York.

'The naming..."Bollywood" not only reveals on a literal level an obvious reworking of the appellation of the cinema of Hollywood, but, on a more significant level, that Bollywood is able to serve alternative cultural and social representations away from dominant ethnocentris audio-visual possibilities.'
So instead of accusing it to imiate Hollywood, perhaps Bollywood offers antidotes and alternatives to the diaspora who are constantly exposed to Western films about western culture. Bollywood can give them something reflecting their own culture, yet the western influences still have to be there since that is what the diasporic community relate to on a daily basis.

Question for thought: Do the diasporic community actually need Bollywood films to reflect the western culture in which they live, since they most likely watch the films to escape that culture or to view something that reminds them of home?

But what impact does the westernisation of films have on domestic audiences?
Overseas revenues allow film makers to persue films with bigger budgets and better facilities

Domestic audience:More exposure to Hollywood films means audiences expect better quality, action, sfx, modern plots with characters who have a modern mentality.
So maybe film-makers don't seek to follow Hollywood conventions, but have to, in order to satisfy audiences (engage the interest of young audiences)and keep business running.

Indian classical and folk music in past with traditional instruments, being replaced by western genres (pop, rock, rap) or mixes/ re-mixes

Textual analysis 3- Rang de basanti

This film is a reflection of the mentality and perhaps insecurity of the young Indian generation today torn between western influences and cultural identity. I chose this film to use as a contrast with the other two films that are much more solely westernised and do not focus on the Indian identity as much.

Mise-en-scene:
In terms of mise-en-scene, the film has got all the western elements that can be expected in a modern Indian film targeted at a young audience. Yet most of the time these elements are mixed with and complimented by traditional elements.

Cotumes:

• Sonia wears a kameez (traditional south-asian tunic type top) but with jeans which is a visual signifier of the intermingling of the eastern and western cultures in the lives of the young characters. The British character Sue also starts to wear a kameez
• main characters all, with the execption of Aslam, are dressed in jeans, t-shirts, jackets etc...
• The porotagonist is introduced with a bottle of alcohol in his hand, excessively drinking, which could be regarded as a more western image

Setting:

• Their university name 'Institute for International Studies' is evident at the beginning on a big sign post outside the building, which immediately introduces a set of characters who are more interested in other cultures than their own.

Special effects:

• Characters are shown jumping into a stream/lake in slow motion, making it appear almost as if they are flying. This could be a patriotic symbol for the freedom for which they fight later on in the film
• There are no other sfx apart from this, indicating that the film aims to be realistic and is not designed to be a selling point for a main stream audience conditioned to generic Hollywood films.

Editing/Cinematography:

• W/L establishing shot of London bridge, introduce British character Sue and the western influence that is to be found in India also before the narrative moves on to questions about indian identity
• Aerial views and long/wide shots of Indian monuments, cross-cut with the interior of the taxi when Sue arrives in India. Emphasising the patriotic narrative.
• Simultaneous shots of the characters in their normal lives and playing the roles of the revolutionaries in the documentary, to show how the latter are coming to life in their own lives. Suggets the revolution is not something left in the past but they also need it in their lives today
• Low angle shot of characters jumping up towards air force plane- represnting freedom through sky and flying.
• Slow motion and blurred camera effect used to make viewers feel as if they are part of the protests (encouraging action/reaction in audience)
• Close-ups of people's faces during protest lets audience identify with their fellow citizens

Sound:

• Sue's narrative voice over in english, assumes people will understand it, suggestive of the film's young audience who most likely will.
• Diegectic dialouge:- Sue: "I've been going to bloody Hindi night classes!"- shows a western embracing Indian culture rather than the other way round for once.
• The dialouge between the friends represents the mind set of different young people in India today: "I'm proud of this country"..."Proud of what? The population?"...."Or the unemployment, or corruption?"
• Unlike other bollywood films there are no synchronous songs that interrupt the narrative. Instead songs are used a background music, often to aid the progression of the narrative, or to set the mood, which is a more widely used technique in hollywood.
• The score is a mix of western genres like rock and rap music, with south-asian genres like bhangra, which corresponds with the mixed cultures and values shown in the film

Narrative/Representation:

• Documentary within a film- As the story of the revolutionaries progresses, so do the lives of the characters as they find their true identity.
• The character of Sue - a foreigner- brings awareness to the others about what it means to be Indian and to fight for their country. Perhaps this shows the confusion of today's indian generation about their own identity.
• This insecurity embodied in DJ's character who's afraid to leave university from fear that he will have to identity in the world
• The film is very socially realistic. It involves characters that represent the three main religious groups found in India (Hindus, Muslims and Sikh)
• Some scenes such as the visit to the 'Gurdwara' seem to be interrupt the main narrative purely to reflect Indain culture
• Instead of emulating hollywood completely, film uses western elements to ornament a traditional/nationalistic story
• The conciliation of Pandey and the gang signifies the conciliation of western and traditional lifestyles

textual analysis 2- Don

Mise-en-scene:

• Title sequence= green & black- remeniscient of the Matrix

Costume:

• Kamini: low cut top, tight jeans, green contact lenses- very westernised
• Big hoop earings, fashoinable in UK in 2005/2006, burrow from western fashion- advertised in India?
• No traditional dress present in the whole film
• Don: Black leather coat: reminiscient of matrix costume
• Tie worn around neck rather than underneath collar, yet looks sophisticated- shows he's got his own style, doesn't abide by the rules
• Vijay wearing Jackie Chan t-shirt - has all the globally famous elements

Setting:

• Mostly shot in Malaysia, starts off in Paris
• Ballet studio- innocent cover for dangerous and criminal activities
• Van Gogh painting in background in secret vault- educated/internationnaly aware people will recognise it's value, also shows the gang to be operating on a global scale
• All the latest technology- Motorola V mobile, sleek sports cars, Mac laptops, thumb print system access control

Special effects:

• Abducting whole ambulance- so much more exaggerated than the original, stunts like never before in Bollywood films
• jasjit hacking into system: black clothes, opposite of climbing down building with rope, cutting glass with laser- choreography of action = very hollywood style (perhaps not even used in hollywood anymore, but still new for Indian audience). Maybe copying hollywood techniques is an easy way to Indian film makers to provide the audience with exciting stuff that's new for them, and consequently gain success.
• Car chase in streets of India- typical hollywood style, broken door, broken glass, blood on one side of face.
• Packed with pyrotechnics that actually look like a fiery explosion, not a big 'boom' sound followed by lots of smoke like in the old version

Editing/Cinematography:

• Establishing shot of central Paris, with eiffel tower in middle- overseas setting, one of the most well-known european cities, glamorous
• CU on €20 tip- shows he's rich, audience thinking where does the money come from?
• Cross-cutting; fighting and red lights on device in pocket, builds tension
• BIV and CU of hand when introducing Roma, keep audience in suspense
• CU and W/BIV shots cut together with fast continuity editing- speed (more and more importance on speed and spectacle)
• Small window on side showing Disilva taking out gun- seems to let audience play omniscient role, they know all the intenions of all characters by intermission, but shocks them at end by revealing the real Don- clever narrative structure
• Screen black-outs when disilva hit on head and fuzzy when he regains consciousness- not used in old indian films, but here camera= character sometimes to enhance character-audience relation
• swipe cuts when crossing between high buildings, shows passage of time
• CU of "Don's" face looking pointedly at disilva just before dying- audience will realise why at the end

Overall, the cinematography is very sophisticated, well thought out and effective.

Sound:

• English dialogue: Don 'Where is my money?'    TJ: 'Right here'

textual analysis

Indian cinema as a reflection of Indian society

Indian cinema meets Hollywoodhttp://entertainment.indianetzone.com/films/1/bollywood_vs_hollywood.html


Cinema of each era = a reflection of society.Early bollywood films portrayed concepts that were purely Indian at heart.
During the times of freedom struggle, cinema was used as a medium to show anger and voice the opinion of nationalist leaders and parties demanding independence from the British rule. Then, the Indian cinema focused on mythological stories and great epics eg. Phalke's pioneering 'Raja Harishchandra.'
cinema portrayed a society that was both desired and achievable. Bollywood of that time showed the India which was both rural and traditionally rich and vibrant.
The traditional values and cultural celebrations formed the basis of the conservative Indian cinema of that time.
Films showcased relationships,cutoms, norms and ethics of our culture eg. a young desi from village who comes to a big cityIndian cinema now portrays the changing face of our society and the cultural mix due to western influence e.g., movies like Murder, Aks, Page 3, Corporate, Monsoon Wedding, Rang De Basanti...

Today, movies dish out what the youth wants and what the youth is inspired from.
Again, the cinema reflects our culture. But, with western influence getting a strong hold on young Indian minds, culture promoted is heavily influenced by western culture and media
One view: Cinema as part of mass media is heavily influential on a nation and should therefore, be used to preserve the cultural heritage of India, in order to prevent the loss of the Indian identity in people- especially the younger generations.
Inspite of the foreign flavour being added to the treatment of a film, movie should not be ethically inappropriate or hamper the sentiments of any Indian.
A movie trying to portray the changing trends of the society should learn to keep a balance with what’s trendy and what’s ours.

Q: But, is everyone in India willing to accept the issues and mind-set portrayed in modern films?
Another view: Even with loopholes in the fusion and blend of the culture, cinema is striving to keep alive the unique indian cinema culture- so films like Kal ho na ho are fine because despite the western influences they still give (the world) a taste of what bollywood is all about i.e the dance, the costumes, the music, the colour...

http://daily-bb.com/bollywood-talk/6905-indian-cinema-promoting-indian-culture/

Posted by Alishba at 15:01 2 comments

'Bollywood conventions are changing, however. A large Indian diaspora in English speaking countries, and increased Western influence at home, have nudged Bollywood films closer to Hollywood models. Film kisses are no longer banned; the once-ubiquitous "wet" scenes, with damp saris molded to an actress's curvaceous form, have been replaced by skin, pure and simple. Plots now tend to feature Westernized urbanites dating and dancing in discos rather than arranged marriages. Plots can be less melodramatic, more sophisticated. Some Indians think that this is "progress"; others miss the masala films of yore.'

http://listing-index.ebay.com/movies/Bollywood.html

Rang de Basanti trailer

The duration of the trailer above seems to be divided into two parts, with the first portraying the normal life of the young group of friends, which as in many other films aimed at the younger generation of Indians, includes evident western elements in the costumes, the props, and their general lifestyle.
The second half concentrates on the patriotic side of the film. The movie is in essence embedded with patriotic values and the notion of the young Indians of today realising their true national identity. Unlike my other two case studies, this film is not set abroad, yet it manages to marry the western culture embraced by many young south-asians with their national identity in an optimistic way; leaving its audience with the impression that western culture can go hand in hand with eastern culture.

Kal Ho Na Ho trailer

This film is a great example of the intermingling of western influences with a conventional bollywood narrative. The entire film is set in New York, the first city that springs to anyone's mind at the mention of Western locations. Yet the trailer also shows shots of traditional dancing with colourful costumes that could fit into any conventional bollywood film. In terms of the story-line the film is based on the traditional love triangle interspersed with the issues of an extended family.
This film is also an interesting case study for my project as it seems to be aimed just as much towards an indian audience living in the west as the national indian population. The setting, the costumes shown through most of the film, the amount of English present in the dialouge, and some of the issues represented in the film can be related to by south asians living in countries like the UK and the US.