By Dr Terrence O. Kommal, Editor-in-Chief: SUTRA Magazine.

Never before has South African soils seen feet dance to the Thandava (Divine dance by Lord Shiva in his eternal dance of creation) with such great technical perfection as in the Merchants of Bollywood!

Based on a true story, this amazing performance goes beyond the barriers of stage; it showcases the very spirit of Indian Dance. It details the transition of both Bollywood and more importantly Indian Dance from its ancient Heritage of Invoking the Gods to its spectacular relevance in this age of modernism.

In a very superficial perspective the musical is simply spectacular with a huge array of bursting colours and fantastic dance sequences, yet with a technically trained eye and a deep knowledge of Indian Heritage one knows and understands that there is more to this musical!

The basis of the musical is the story of Shantilalji (grandfather [dada] of Ayesha Merchant) and his pioneering of Indian dance in Bollywood, and the journey of Ayesha through Bollywood and then her journey back home to Shantilalji and the ‘Thandava’.

The story for Shantilalji in his paternal role in Bollywood gave great reverence and acknowledgement to the legends of Bollywood like Raj Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Helen, Amitabh Bachchan, and how Bollywood and specifically the dance in Bollywood has been nurtured not just as entertainment but as a sacred portrayal of a more than 5000 year old Heritage of India.

The technically flawless rendition of Kathak and Bharatiya Nathyam, the ancient indian dance forms for worship of the Gods, and their fusion with modern dance and gymnastics, was used cleverly to show Ayesha’s growth in Bollywood and entertainment. This was deeply and passionately contrasted by Shantilalji’s wish for her not to prostitute a form of reverence into a Fifty Rupee portrayal of scantily dressed women representing the ‘perfect dream’ for the Indian cinema, for both viewer and producer.

Shantilalji’s and Ayesha’s story detailed that just as Thandava and worship was the original Indian Dance, Bharat (the original name of India) and its Heritage is the original India.

The amazing and profound exposition in this musical of the philosophy of the ‘circle of life’ confirmed that this philosophy was deeply enshrined in the culture and worship from the ancient and mystical land of India.

The Merchants of Bollywood detailed that just as when India had gained its independence, that that was not the end of the struggle but the beginning of a new one. This aptly fitted in here in South Africa as these were exactly the sentiments of the great Former President Nelson Mandela for South Africa as a nation!

Merchants of Bollywood was a spell bounding dedication to the great and fantastic industry of Bollywood and its spiritually based heritage from the Motherland of India!

www.sutramagazine.net

 

Bollywood the name itself tells us that it is name given to Bombay film industry which is having highest viewers in the world and also produces films in market terms that create some kind of challenge to Hollywood. In spite of its large contribution english cinema does not really have any distinctive status. Due to Oscars most European films are getting recognition and reaching global audience otherwise they too are viewed within the country of origin. Most of the remaining parts of world watch French, Italian and Polish films that concentrate on art and culture and they does not really make any good money in other parts of world.

 

Indian cinema on the other hand not only rules in its home country but also viewed in other parts like Middle East, South East Asia and even Africa. Even thought most of them do not understand the language they are familiar with the films and actors. Generally most of the bollywood movies are watched worldwide as Indian population is more through out the world. Indian movie lover watch bollywood movies though they are made in similar way. It is said that on daily basis fourteen million indian’s go to the movies to watch over 800 films produced each year that is more than double the number of movies produced in United States. Bollywood movies are produced more than 1,000 a year and are watched by 3.6 billion audiences. The countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh are also having high number of viewers even after watching indian movies was official ban by the government.

 

Based on analysis bollywood movies now make good money in UK and US as they are produced more in number throughout the year and also due to huge NRI population. Hollywood is also trying to make its influence on Asian country but it could only make its influence on some metro city in India with its blockbuster hits like Titanic, Jurassic park etc. The US films in India are estimated to be 150 in a year which is no way comparable to bollywood movies production each year.

 

In this globalized world it is expected that there will be a sharing of knowledge which is already done between Hollywood and bollywood. Movies in hindi are dubbed from Hollywood movies and there titles changed. This dubbing business has become big with american’s dominating the business and a small extent is contributed by Indians. Some film making aspects are also outsourced to bombay

 

This tells us indian film industry is getting a good recognition in global market and is

Becoming more and more conventional around the world.

All ye’ Bollywood fans and Bollywood lovers are interested in knowing which indeed was the most successful Bollywood movie of 2008. Is it Ghajini or Golmaal Returns? Or is there other clear winner? What do trade guides show? Which Bollywood movie truly rocked 2008? Is the most successful Bollywood movie of 2008, also your favorite movie?

Presenting here are the hits, superhits and blockbusters Bollywood movies of 2008, including a brief review. The movies are arranged according to their time of release.

1. Jodhaa Akbar : Released on February 15′ 2008, Jodhaa Akbar, directed by Bollywood most prolific director Ashutosh Gowariker, was a semi hit. It went on to do a business of Rs. 62 crores . Hrithik Roshan was the USP of the film, he played Akbar so well that the historic figure is now synonymous with the actor.
2. Race: Released on March 21′ 2008, Race was the first big hit of 2008. An edge of the seat thriller, the movie directed by Abbas-Mustan was full of twists and turns. As of May 30, it grossed Rs.63,67,00,000 ($14,886,600) in India, and $9,505,321 in other parts bringing a worldwide total of $24,391,921. Race is actually the fifth biggest hit of 2008.
3. Jannat: Jannat, directed by Kunal Deshmukh, was a Mukesh Bhatt film, released on May 16. Based on cricket betting, the movie extracted the career best performance of Emran Hashmi. Debutante Sonal Chauhan made a pretty picture in the movie. Jannat grossed 32,47,00,000 in 5 weeks, quite higher than its cost of production.
4. Aamir: One of the dark horse hits of 2008, Aamir directed by Raj Kumar Gupta released on June 6. The movie starring Rajeev Khandelwal was a story about how an innocent man gets trapped in the hands of religious extremists who want to bomb the city. An interesting premise, the movie did good business.
5. Sarkar Raj: Sarkar Raj, directed by Ram Gopal Verma released on June 6 2008. The movie was a semi-hit; people compared Sarkar Raj to its prequel Sarkar, and found that the sequel was not as effective as the first one. Nevertheless, it grossed 34 crores in India in its first two weeks and over $1 million in the USA.
6. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, released on July 4 2008; directed by Abbas Tyrewala and produced by Aamir Khan, was the iconic movie of 2008. The movie was a blazing hit and it is still the favorites of the youth segment, which forms a major part of the movie going audience. The youthful movie had a cliched but entertaining story with fantastic music by A.R.Rahman. in 5 weeks, it earned approximately 52.96 crores.
7. Singh is Kinng: Singh is Kinng was a movie, all Akshay Kumar fans were waiting for. Released on August 8, 2008; the movie recorded the biggest advance booking in the history of Bollywood, second only to Ghajini. With a fantastic figure of Rs.44 crores in the first week, Singh is Kinng was the fourth biggest hit of Bollywood 2008. By September, it had already earned Rs.73 crores.
8. Bachna Ae Haseeno: Released on August 15, 2008, Bachna Ae Haseeno proved to be a solace for Yash Raj films which had only given flops before this, in 2008 like Tashan and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. Made on a budget of Rs.18 crores, this Ranbir Kapoor earned Rs.31.20 crores in its second week, and was declared a semi hit.
9. Phoonk: Phoonk directed by Ram Gopal Verma was probably the least expensive movie, which did good business. The movie based on black magic was a success because of the subject.
10. Mumbai Meri Jaan: Mumbai Meri Jaan, released on August 22′ 2008 was a movie based on 7/11 bomb blasts. A slightly documentary style film, it focussed on the repercussions of the bomb blasts. The movie was an an above average hit. The USP of the film was a power packed performance by Paresh Rawal and Irrfan Khan.
11. Rock On!!: Rock On(released August 29′ 2008), directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by Farhan Akhtar, was another youth favorite, like Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Based on friendship and rock music, Rock On was treated like a sequel to the cult movie Dil Chahta Hai. It made singer-actor-producer-director(phew!) Farhan Akhtar, a household name.
12. A Wednesday: A Wednesday, released on September 5 2008, is the dark horse success of 2008. A powerful script, impeccable dialogues and a unique treatment by director Neeraj Pandey, made this probably the most watchable movie of 2008. Naseerudin Shah proved that he is inimitable when it comes to stellar performance.
13. 1920: A spooky movie directed by Vikram Bhatt(released Sep 12′ 08) was high on horror around a haunted palatial house. Newbies Rajneesh Duggal and Adah Sharma gave a spirited(no pun intended!) performance. The fantastic English locales and visual effects proved to be the USP of the film.
14. Welcome to Sajjanpur: Welcome to Sajjanpur, released on September 19 2008 was director Shyam Benegal’s entry to commercial cinema. The movie shot in rural set-up brought back memories of Malgudy Days and fared well at the box office.
15. Fashion: Fashion directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, gave a push to Priyanka Chopra who went down-slide with four back to back flops in 2008. It appealed to the youth and the upper crust and did good business.
16. Golmaal Returns: Released on the same date as Fashion(October 29′ 2008), Golmaal Returns was a run-away super hit. Though marred by critics, it was declared a huge success by the masses. It surpassed the first day totals of Om Shanti Om, last year, by collecting 22.03 lakhs on day one. This Rohit Shetty venture earned Rs.48 crores in the first week, making it the third biggest hit of 2008.
17. Dostana: Dostana directed by Tarun Mansukhani for Karan Johar released on November 14′ 2008. The story of two men Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham, who pretend to be gays, and fall in love with eye-candy Priyanka Chopra made the box office smile. By December 12, it had already earned Rs.80 crores.
18. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: One of the much awaited movies, the Shahrukh Khan starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, released on December 12’08. Made on a modest budget of Rs.22 crores by Yash Raj standards, Aditya Chopra directed this movie to success. The movie also featured debutante Anushka Sharma. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi earned 7.5 crore net all over India and by day 1, and earned Rs.44.5 crores by week 1. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the second biggest hit of 2008.
19. Ghajini: The most awaited movie Ghajini, proved to be a record breaking success. The most successful movie of the year and perhaps one of the all time big hits, this Aamir Khan movie directed by A.Murgadoss proved recession cannot beat quality. Released on December 25, 2008, this remake of the Southern movie of the same name is running quite strong, thanks to the Aamir Khan brand power. On Day 1, Ghajini earned Rs.33 crores,(compared to Rs.18 crore of Rab Ne) worldwide, something which is unheard off. Ghajini is all set to pass Rs.100 crores in three weeks, overtaking the lines of previous two years biggies Om Shanti Om(Rs.80 crores) and Dhoom 2(Rs.85 crores).

Conclusion 2008: Ghajini has proved to be a big money spinner for Bollywood. The year 2008 has pooled in 15 percent or Rs.900 crore more than last year. Call it the Pareto Principal, if you will but Rab Ne and Ghajini have added another 20 percent more to the box office collection of movies preceding them. Masala films and movies based on ‘terror issues’ dominated 2008.

So, here is the countdown of the top 5 films of Bollywood 2008:
5. Race
4. Singh is Kinng
3.Golmaal Returns
2. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
1. Ghajini

No one could resist the hard-boiled penguins, the egg fish with fins of carrot, and the fish eggs spooned out to resemble the ship’s pool. Standing between Styrofoam busts of Napoleon and Josephine, the head chef, a Swede, nodded in response to innumerable compliments. His staff had succeeded in creating sculpture from food and in transforming the cruise ship’s dining room into a floating museum.

It was the fifth night of our European cruise-a gift from a generous parent- and we were accompanied by more than one thousand merchants who had received the trip as a business incentive. A queue of these passengers, many of whom wore formal attire, began to form by quarter past eleven, though the French doors would not swing open until midnight. Ushers informed them that during the first half hour of the midnight buffet the food was to be seen but not eaten. Inside, a windmill and a cannon fashioned from bread would greet them; so too would a Styrofoam Eiffel Tower and casually leaning Tower of Pisa. There would be vases carved from watermelon rind that resembled pieces of Venetian glass, game fowl carved from apples, Gaudí-inspired pastries, and numerous questions about the tools that had been used to craft the radish mice. It would be a sensorium of edible art, camera flashes, and compulsive eating; a race to consume,both visually and gustatorily, the icons of Europe and la bonne vie.Yet, embedded within this display of European taste and decorum, other flavors were also present. At both ends of the buffet, we detected a bovine presence – namely, matching cow and bull heads carved from butter and garlanded

with fruit and vegetable flowers. The Scandinavian cruise ship employed 720 people from over fifty countries, but we had learned that many of the hundreds of members of the kitchen staff hailed from the Indian subcontinent, particularly from Goanese Christian communities on India’s west coast. Though the waiters,servers, sommeliers, and assistants had been hired from port cities throughout Asia, South America, and the poorer countries of Europe, ethnic difference was either put on the proverbial back burner or rendered palatable. During dinner one night, for example, our Romanian waiter and his Indian assistant joined the rest of the kitchen staff to entertain the guests, singing a few lusty verses of “O Sole Mio” in English, in what was described as “fifty-two different accents.” Australian and British staff members, nevertheless, stood closest to the microphones.

Despite the multicultural character of the crew, the cruise catered primarily to travelers from the United States. The food presented at most dinners was pseudo-continental fare, tailored to North American palates and waistlines, complete with low-sodium minestrone and nonfat crème brûlées. One ship employee bore the lofty title of “foreign ambassador” and sat at a small, walnut-paneled table ringed with a United Nations of miniature flags. When we inquired what her job entailed, she answered that she assisted passengers who couldn’t understand English.

Even the waitstaff used English as a lingua franca; notwithstanding the occasional Indian film song sung under a waiter’s breath as a table was being set, no other language was heard during meals or in public spaces.Many members of the waitstaff were young, with lofty aspirations, which ranged from completing medical school to sending money home to relatives who were finishing other professional degrees. No country could tax the crew’s wages;once on board, they became citizens of the vessel. In exchange for months of

grueling hours, last-minute calls for overtime, and few moments of privacy in their shared rooms, the ship’s employees would receive free room and board and a healthy salary, though little free time to spend it. Crew members had few opportunities to leave the ship and indulge themselves; one such occasion did occur,though, when the ship arrived early in Barcelona. We invited our Romanian waiter to go dancing, and upon departure he was made to deposit his ship’s identification card as collateral with the only crew members obligated to remain on board-a core of Filipinos, the lowest group on the ship’s totem pole. The staff had no need of passports. The ship was their floating nation.

In struggling to define the style of art represented by the midnight buffet, one may be attracted to the notion of kitsch, yet absolutely no irony was evident in the display or reception of its edible sculptures. In fact, the midnight buffet may have more in common with the Dutch still life, especially seventeenth-century pronk paintings (“pronk” meaning “to show off”), which offered lavish displays of food to the viewer in order to “lubricate man’s gaze amid his domain.”1 In any case, the cow and bull heads require a different interpretation. Made from butter-which along with milk, urine, dung, and curds constitute the ritually pure and purifying “five products of the cow” for many Indians-these divinely garlanded bovine heads physically bracket the midnight buffet. While this may suggest the midnight buffet as a sanctified arena, such a reading could hardly have been anticipated for the predominately American passengers on the ship. Since these bovine heads were the only edible objects at the buffet that were never even tasted, their role was more performance than discourse, produced by and for the staff-perhaps in play but surely not in jest. Still, questions linger: To what extent does a visit to the midnight buffet, replete with its symbols of the cities that the ship had visited (or those that could and should be visited by a sister ship on the cruise line), constitute a visit to every site/sight in Europe worth eating? What are the logistics of such consumption by proxy? As an Indian parallel, consider the twelve jyotir lingas, or fiery phallus emblems of the god Shiva. Although these lingas of light are conventionally located in twelve different Indian cities, they have their counterparts in the city of Banaras so that by visiting the one, many locals claim, one can visit the other. Or better yet, as is inscribed on a souvenir plaque that contains representations of all twelve sites, a devotee can have darshan or an embodied visual engagement of all the jyotir lingas through darshan of this plaque. As one scholar has written, “the important thing about the location of these . . . is not that by being in one place they be visited more conveniently, but rather, by being in this one place, they need not be visited at all.”

ProVFX Visual Effects and Editing School has been written by Pranay Rupani who is a Freelance Writer.

For any self-respecting nation, patriotism of its citizens is its heart-beat. If it is there, not only is the nation’s continued existence across centuries and millennia guaranteed, but is progressive evolution is also ensured. It if is not there, the nation suffers decline, debility and eventual doom.

India is fondly called ‘Bharati’ by its people. The name harks back to its epic past, whose beginnings have defied determination. Hence, India evokes a sense of timelessness. Of course, India has been changing perpetually ever since its hoary antiquity. It has also suffered such vicissitudes of history as have pushed several other ancient nations and civilizations into extinction. How then has India faced all these internal changes and external assaults, and yet managed to remain alive as a vibrant and ascendant nation in the 21st century? The answer is: Patriotism – the common emotion and self-awareness that unites our people in spite of the unmatched diversity they exhibit.

As an art form that strikes the chords of both emotion and intellect, the power of cinema is unmatched. Naturally, Indian cinema has contributed immensely to the cultivation of this uniting and uplifting feeling of nationalism. Patriotic films, as a special and much-admired genre of Indian cinema, have had a tremendous impact on our people, cutting across religious, regional, linguistic and economic identities. Moreover, they have also proved their unsurpassed power of communicating both to educated and illiterate masses.

For most Indians, cinema is the enduring source of the image of their nation as a vast and diverse land bound by the Himalayas in the north, surrounded by oceans on three sides, girdled by sacred rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna and Godavari, and blessed with captivating natural beauty and rich resources. For them it is also the primary source of knowledge about our national heroes, martyrs, the struggles and sacrifices of our forefathers, the work of our social reformers, the wars of the pre-and-post-Independence era, including the recent and ongoing war against cross-border terrorism, and our achievements as a free and democratic nation.

Thus, few can contest Indian cinema’s, particularly Hindi cinema’s, unmatched contribution to strengthening the bonds of national integration, countering divisive feelings, educating the people about our shared national history and, through all this, re-enforcing in them pride and love for the Motherland.

Ananya Bharati is a documentary that encapsulates the spirit of patriotism that the Hindi film industry has captured on celluloid and nurtured in the hearts of Indians. Produced under the banner of my company, Swayam Infotainment, I thought the most apt beginning to this documentary would be ace musician A.R. Rahman, bowing to the motherland with his rendition of Maa Tujhe Salaam. This forms a part of his album VANDE MATARAM produced by BharatBala Pictures. Ananya Bharati categorises Indian patriotic Indian patriotic films primarily into three categories. The first category comprises films associated with terrorism. The second, features films about martyrs of the freedom struggle and events linked to the partition of the country and the third category has war films that depict the India-Pakistan conflict.

Ananya Bharati also talks about films on nation-building like the recently released Swades. The documentary concludes with an emotional punch in the form of a bouquet of patriotic songs that have captured the national imagination.

Patriotic Films – The Beginning

The Hindi film industry’s adoption of patriotic themes happened at its very inception, when India was engaged in a unique struggle for freedom from the British colonial rule. The first film which boldly ventured in this direction was Sohrab Modi’s Sikandar. This 1941 film carried the message of patriotism indirectly by praising the valour of King Porus in his war against the invader, Alexander the Great. Other films of this era were Bandhan (1940) and Kismet (1943).

When freedom dawned on 15th August 1947, ending 200 years of alien rule, the Indian film industry was there to celebrate this historic transition. The air those days was filled with the hopes and dreams of building a New India, most inspiringly articulated by our first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Bollywood captured this mood in films like Naya Daur (1957) and Hum Hindustani (1960). Anand Math (1952), Jaagriti (1954) and Leader (1964) focused on the freedom struggle and the sacrifices made by its martyrs. Some others like Sikander-E-Azam (1965) and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Beheti Hai (1960), through their songs, talked about the greatness of India. Then there were films that were inspired by the violation of the country’s barriers by its enemies. Three notable films made on the subject were Haqeeqat (1964), Prem Pujari (1970) and Lalkar (1972). Of these, Haqeeqat, which is about the Chinese aggression in 1962, has left a lasting impact.

Some recently made films on the subject:

Also set against the backdrop of the Partition is the 2003 film Pinjar, a cinematic adaptation of Amrita Pritam’s famous novel of the same name, by Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi. Incidentally, he had made a highly popular TV serial Chanakya, which chose an Indian hero of ancient times to transmit many contemporary messages. Showing the trauma of partition, the film powerfully conveyed that atrocity does not have any religion and sounded the warning that history must not be allowed to repeat itself.

The great revolutionaries of the freedom movement like Sardar Patel, Udham Singh and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar inspired many film make to make films on them. Veer Savarkar’s inspirational life was the subject of a film – Veer Savarkar by Ved Rahi in 2001.

Any description of the films in this category would be woefully incomplete without reference to Indian cinema’s fascination with the life and martyrdom of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, who kissed the British gallows at the tender age of twenty four. His life story has never failed to inspire the masses. Innumerable songs have been composed about hi, and the youth throughout the country have idolized him. He ahs been a symbol of bravey and nationalism. Manoj Kumar’s SHAHEED (1965), which contained the immortal song Mera rang de basanti chola, was the first of the series. The year 2002 alone saw five films added this series! Two of them featured mega stars in the lead role – Ajay Devgan in The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Bobby Deol in 23rd March 1931 – Shaheed.

ProVFX Visual Effects and Editing School has been written by Pranay Rupani who is a Freelance Writer