I began watching Hindi movies the fall I started my Hindi class. My original intent was just to get more exposure to the language. What I discovered is that I actually enjoy the singing and dancing.

For those of you not familiar with Bollywood, as the Bombay film industry is affectionately known, I will give a brief introduction. Bollywood movies are always 3+ hour long musicals; usually romances about the struggle between tradition and freedom. These are romances where nobody actually kisses. There are colorful costumes. People are likely to break into song and dance at any time for any reason. There is always at least one wedding, and almost always one funeral. Sound crazy? It is. And I watch them all the time.
By now, I have seen more Bollywood movies than virtually all of my Indian friends. I’m sure they think I’m somewhat soft in the head. But, these movies are a wonderful window into Indian culture and the Indian psyche. Art films may portray a people’s intellectual aspirations, but popular cinema speaks to their real hopes and fears.
In many ways India is stuck between two worlds. At least in the urban areas, there is too much education and exposure to the wider world for people to blindly follow tradition. At the same time, there is still a deep respect for family and tradition, and poeple don’t want to turn their backs on them. In many ways the movies remind me of the movies and television shows of the 1950’s. I don’t mean to imply that India is somehow behind us culturally, just that in our mad rush to embrace individualism, we have dropped many of the questions about family and tradition by the wayside. India seems to be taking more time and effort to reflect on these issues.
I can’t leave this entry without giving you some of my favorite Hindi movies: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Lagaan, and K3G.