The British in Bollywood
There was an interesting story in Eastern Eye about how in the future we are likely to see more British Asians in Bollywood (and presumably regional cinema), thanks to a £13 million deal signed between the Indian and British governments, to encourage more Indian films to be shot here, as well as hiring more British actors and actresses. There are already a number of white British actors and actresses in Indian cinema, including Chris Patten’s daughter (Alice), Toby Stephens and Paul Blackthorne. All in Aamir Khan films, curiously.
British Asians include Upen Patel, Katrina Kaif, one of the rising starlets of Bollywood (English-born) Genelia D’Souza (pictured below) and the quarter-British Ayesha Takia, who had to learn Hindi before becoming an actress. While researching this piece I found that Sarfraz Manzoor had written a much more detailed article on British Asians in Bollywood. Is this trend likely to continue?
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Katrina kaif seems to be in almost every film these days, at this rate she’ll be so overexposed it’ll get tiring.
It’d be good if the brit Asains could provide some feedback to film producers about life in the West..lol
Maybe some form of reality to the Bollywood films that cater to NRI …eg not everyone walks around in skimpy clothes like in namastey London , and few families (even business people)live in the type of mansions / estates as portrayed in films like KKKG….
I won’t even go into all the non desi dancers …. nothing wrong with it but again …yawn.
Bollywood is on the whole superficial and formulaic, but if it gives British Indian actors or performers a chance to succeed in an arena away from the limited opportunities and stereotypical and racist caricatures on offer in Western cinema and TV, then good luck to them.
Commercial Hindi cinema is generally ephemeral, harmless fluff, and their depictions of diaspora life very poor and innacurate, but if it means Upen Patel can go over there and become a stud and a superstar good luck to him!
In the future hopefully more British Indian directors and scriptwriters will emerge and bring fresh ideas and talent and originality to British cinema and break away both from lame western stereotypes imposed on them, as well as the formulaic simplicities of Bollywood convention. Let’s see Satyajit Ray’s and Quentin Tarantino’s emerge from the British Indian community.
That’s a very big picture!
Genelia D’Souza was born in Mumbai, according to her wikipedia page. Never even heard of her before though. Might be better illustrating the story with a picture of Upen Patel, who is English through-and-through, and talks with a strong, ‘innit geezer’ north London accent.
Pablo, Bollywood is on the whole superficial and formulaic, but if it gives British Indian actors or performers a chance to succeed in an arena away from the limited opportunities and stereotypical and racist caricatures on offer in Western cinema and TV, then good luck to them.
Commercial Hindi cinema is generally ephemeral, harmless fluff, and their depictions of diaspora life very poor and innacurate,
I can count one caricature – Bollywood, a heartily detestable term that reduces the world’s largest and most diverse film industry to a parody – a few stereotypes – ephemereal, harmless, fluff, inaccurate etc.,
I think we have enough wannabe Rays and Tarantinos from the global people of Indian origin community. We need some Guru Dutts, SS Vasans, Raj Kapoors, Mehboobs, and Dev Anands.
“I think we have enough wannabe Rays and Tarantinos from the global people of Indian origin community.”
Really? Where?
A call for more Guru Dutts is one I’ll support too.
Pablo, sure, Hindi cinema offers opportunities that might not be open to brown skinned British actors. But we’re hardly in the days of waiters and taxi drivers being the only roles for despians, so I think you’re missing another factor.
Many of these British wannabe actors are deluded. They are British born and raised, yet still idolise the vacuous glitz of Mumbai films. Some, a few, will go to be serious actors. Most go cos they want to be stars and have little going for them apart from a pretty face – and more often than that, not even that. Just Daddy’s money. There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to be a star, but let’s not portray them as wronged artists hounded out by a racist white industry. That’s not true.
I’m quite looking forward to Tarsem Singh’s The Fall, which I first heard about in 2006 yet unfortunately still has no British release date (whilst we’re on the subject of NRI filmmakers)
“Maybe some form of reality to the Bollywood films”
HA HA HAH.. reality check- bollywood isn’t about reality – its FANTASY! and never mind reality in London, why should they focus on reality in London when they dont bl**dy focus on reality in India??! if you want reality, watch London to Brighton or something like that, or Satyajit Ray or something. Not hollywood nor bollywood.
Nice picture Rumbold
“I won’t even go into all the non desi dancers”
What, you don’t like the validation of a film that blonde dancers give to Bollywood films?
“British Asians include Upen Patel, Katrina Kaif, one of the rising starlets of Bollywood (English-born) Genelia D’Souza (pictured below) and the quarter-British Ayesha Takia”
As long as they don’t feature Anil Kapoor, who needs to stop acting. And Amitabh Bachchan as a gangsta– he also needs to stop. Time is up.
BTW, Upen Patel is too pretty to be considered hot and handsome. And I just saw several pics of him with a hairless chest! He’s Gujju man, no way in hell he ain’t got no hair!
How is Genelia D’souza a British Asian she was born in Mumbai and is a thoroughbred Bandra girl.
From Manzoor’s article:
“In the 70s, a large proportion of Indian films were about Indian themes,” says Shekhar. “They would be about an angry young man, usually Amitabh Bachchan, trying to deal with institutional corruption: one man against the world. But today’s films are about the great life that Indians are having in London and the US and so on, so a large part of Indian life is not actually being represented in Indian films.”
That’s why the older Bollywood films were better: the young, angry Amitabh’s Tupac-esque lament of “It’s me against the world, baby” coupled with endearing songs such as how one says “I Love You” in various languages produced firecracker days. Ah, the Golden Days of Bollywood.
Now, Bollywood films are all wimpy: men with tweezed eyebrows and waxed chests who are big-time consumerists, women who look like they don’t eat, and their equally self absorbed, name brand-toting friends all trotting the globe in various wealthy locations around the world. Where is the angst against the status quo and establishment, the rebellion against injustice, and values on social relations? Can you imagine an original film along the lines of Sholay these days? Yeh dosti, hum nahin chhodenge!
heh yes just googled this genelia woman and unless someone knows she has a british passport and therefore is ‘grabbed’ by british asians as one of theirs
good points desi, but like i say, will have to look to art-house films for that sort of thing, mainstream cinema in India seems very much built along the concept of entertainment of Hollywood, and we know everyone loves those handbags..;-)
Sonia,
“good points desi,”
Do you mean my observation that no way in hell is Upen naturally unhairy on his chest, given the fact that he is a Gujju man?
The picture is rather large, but that was the smallest size it would go down to.
Klav:
Do you have a link for that?
Why, then, I wonder, are British Asians prepared to take a gamble on India, rather than trying to succeed in Britain?
Succedding in Britain is a nightmare for any struggling actor – I’ve lost count of the number of unemployed trained actors I’v met who’ve now turned to carpentry and plumbing..
And everyone connected to tv or movies in the UK leaves – usually the states it would be seem … but seems clever to go to Bollywood as the industry is so big.
Though if beauty opens doors for you in Bollywood we would struggle to send British Asian actresses – India simply has too many pretty starlets a dime a dozen and they all end up being back ground dancers – though now even this market is being crowded out by Bollywood wanting to use blonde dancers and so on.
Desi – you know you loved Hum Tum – admit it!
Guys. There are some naive statements here.
1. Halima – there are plenty (actually numerically a HEEEELL of a lot more) of struggling, penniless actors in India who turn to other jobs to pay the bills. There are less jobs in India – TV is appalling tripe which employs a handful of talentless producers’ and politicians’ kids, film employs about eight actors who are in everything and stage is horrifically underfunded and underattended.
2. Desi It: Bollywood – as said above – is a generalisation. There are plenty of genuinely good films coming out of India these days. The ‘golden age’ of Bombay films is like the golden age of Hollywood. We romanticise them and remember the gems. There was bollocks made then too. I feel positive about the Indian film industry. There are talented, smart people there. The educated audience is growing.
The main problem is twofold. One: The good films are not recnognised, funded, publicised. Two: The vapid, brainless blockbusters take all the bacon and multiplexes cash in on them.
So – exactly like the West.
But on the ground in the urban sprawls, young people are after something new. This has shown itself in slasher pics (not cerebral, but new to India), tentative steps into sci-fi and gritty criminal underworld movies. Corruption is being targetted.
Let’s not treat India as a homogeneous entity that makes one type of movie, but let’s also not pretend it’s any better for an actor than the West.
halima, do you think it is easy for struggling actors in India to get into Bollywood? the film industry is highly nepotistic, because they are the same colour doesn’t mean they will take you on..in fact we know how they discriminate, and everyone is related to everyone. its the same the world over. obviously if you’re from somewhere else you have something that makes you stand out.
heh rohin just seen your comment, yeah id say there are some highly naive comments out there!
in fact one is less likely to get into india with “brown” skin – hah you’d have to be wheatish at the very least!
“British Asians include Upen Patel, Katrina Kaif, one of the rising starlets of Bollywood (English-born) Genelia D’Souza (pictured below) and the quarter-British Ayesha Takia”
eek Ayesha Takia is quarter British? Surprising but then again Milind Soman was born and raised in Glasgow, i just recently learned!
@Rohin: Dude Tarsem’s The Fall is an amazing bore =/…
Yes, yes, it is very difficult in Bollywood and hard an all -especially for the exploited back up dancers that make the music and dancing come alive -some also double up as prostitutes as second jobs…
I was thinking that there is virtually NO industry in the UK for any actors – whatever colour and size sheer size alone might mean more opportunities! there is certianly a lot of roles for European/white actresses just coz of the novelty! But yes, not forgetting discrimination and exclusion is rife, an would be more so in the elite world of film/media – as it is in the UK.
But that said – acting is pursuit few can afford to get into – so they take other jobs like the rest of us, there’s a lot of artistic expression budding in a lot of people but they end up taking jobs to pay the rent.
I used to laugh a long time ago when people used to say Kajol broke into the movies, despite being ‘dark’ etc …
You seen it Vikrant? I have only seen two trailers. I like that visually-amazing-not-much-script stuff from time to time. Robert Ebert raved about it and I have a similar taste to him I find. Intrigued by the shooting in Agra and Jaipur…well I think he shot in 20+ countries actually. Plus with Spike Jonze on board it can’t be all bad. I like sweeping, slow-moving feasts for the eye. I loved the Warrior, many found it boring. Likewise Space 2001, Solaris (1972), many of the classic westerns, Metropolis, Piccadilly, old Chinese Imperial movies and of course newer ones like Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower etc.
We don’t talk about film enough here. It can be political! I’ll write something soon.
How you been Vikrant?
I’ve been brutalised by freshman year Electrical Engineering, but i’ve weathered
… Right now i’m in a basement sheltering from torandoes… my part of mid-west has taken quite a hit recently 
.
as for The Fall… yeah the visualisations were amazing, but the script didn’t hold enough substance for me.
Halima:
“Desi – you know you loved Hum Tum – admit it!”
I will never, ever, trust certain people’s judgments again on Bollywood films.
Rohin:
“Guys. There are some naive statements here.”
Maybe you think so because you are not reading the comments all the way through!
“2. Desi It: Bollywood – as said above – is a generalisation. There are plenty of genuinely good films coming out of India these days. The ‘golden age’ of Bombay films is like the golden age of Hollywood. We romanticise them and remember the gems. There was bollocks made then too. I feel positive about the Indian film industry. There are talented, smart people there. The educated audience is growing.”
Has the general trend in Bollywood films not changed? That is the point I was making. I wasn’t talking about Indian films in general, I’m talking about Bollywood specifically. And the person whom Manzoor quoted is correct: before, it was the man vs. the system, and now it’s everyone having really, really lavish weddings, etc. Back in the days, the village figured prominently in films; nowdays, it’s the big cities, international locations, etc. This is BOLLYWOOD I am talking about, not Indian films.
Let me requote from Manzoor’s article:
“In the 70s, a large proportion of Indian films were about Indian themes,” says Shekhar. “They would be about an angry young man, usually Amitabh Bachchan, trying to deal with institutional corruption: one man against the world. But today’s films are about the great life that Indians are having in London and the US and so on, so a large part of Indian life is not actually being represented in Indian films.”
Then, my response:
That’s why the older Bollywood films were better: the young, angry Amitabh’s Tupac-esque lament of “It’s me against the world, baby” coupled with endearing songs such as how one says “I Love You” in various languages produced firecracker days. Ah, the Golden Days of Bollywood.
Now, Bollywood films are all wimpy: men with tweezed eyebrows and waxed chests who are big-time consumerists, women who look like they don’t eat, and their equally self absorbed, name brand-toting friends all trotting the globe in various wealthy locations around the world. Where is the angst against the status quo and establishment, the rebellion against injustice, and values on social relations? Can you imagine an original film along the lines of Sholay these days? Yeh dosti, hum nahin chhodenge!
NOTE: People would know, after having read the article, that when he says “Indian”, he means Bollywood specifically.
Desi .. did you write a nice piece in your blog about how lazy journalists are…? Totally right, and we tend to listen, quote them on things that they spend 2 days writing blah. No – I would much rather watch B4U for my Bollywood supplements!
I will never, ever, trust certain people’s judgments again on Bollywood films.
It wasn’t me – it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me …it was all the people that told me this was a statement on modern romance … and I believed them, until I watched the Baywatch re-hashed scene on the beach….no, no, no, keep your clothes ON!
Rohin:
“Maybe you think so because you are not reading the comments all the way through!
”
Just to let you know, I wasn’t trying to be snarky. I ain’t got no bones to pick with you, so don’t want to step on your toes (but still make my point). Smooches.
Halima:
“It wasn’t me – it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me …it was all the people that told me this was a statement on modern romance”
This is a filthy lie. I remember someone spending a good 30 minutes on convincing me why Hum Tum was a ‘meaningful’ film about relationships, and that it made you ‘think’. The only thing that the film made me think was ‘What a bunch of baqwaas, yaar’.
“halima, do you think it is easy for struggling actors in India to get into Bollywood?”
Based on highly trustworthy and reliable sources, it’s not so easy if you’re a struggling female star to make it if you’re willing to do the casting calls on the couch, and personally audition for the badmaashes that make or break you.
Ok, OK, I’ve been rumbled…
though still think that the reason why it was a meaningful statement on relationships is because there is nothing meaningful to learn about relationships – boy meets girls-boy meets boys – that’s all there is to it. Those other movies that look at those issues – what’s the one set in Paris ( Before or After Sunrise) same plot and story line…. No meaning but good entertainment …
“halima, do you think it is easy for struggling actors in India to get into Bollywood?
Come on guys as if anyone doesn’t know getting into acting is hard in India – point I was making is the British industry is difficult, too – that’s why every actor leaves – and yes some go to the States and find it’s hard there, too and some go to India and find it’s harder and harder.
Desi – yes, the sleazy side to female casting is more interesting …
No meaning but good entertainment …
What is striking about Bollywood, is that the biggest movie industry in the world is reduced to a single genre. This, I believe, reflects Indian society today – not particularly brave to do something new, and not interested in untapping the vast potential that exists in its people and diversity.
No meaning but good entertainment…
the genre i had in mind was ‘relationship’ movies .. bollywood ones, hollywood ones and even kollywood ones.
Italiana, who said that YOU were responsible for a naive comment? You inferred that
OK, Manzoor meant Bollywood when he said Indian, you meant Bollywood when you said Bollywood. It depends how you define Bollywood.
If you mean any film that comes out of Mumbai, then my point stands. Some topnotch films are being made there. Sure directions change over time but please, compared to some of the twaddle being made in the so-called golden age, it’s no worse.
If you mean the glitzy, Russian-backing-dancers, superficial, bare-waxed-torso, airhead babes films then you are applying a selection bias by using the word Bollywood. Remember this word did not exist in the 70s, the era of Sholay etc. When classics from the 50s-70s were made, they would have been classified as Indian cinema. The mindless stuff was available then too.
Manzoor is wrong. There were angry young men movies, sure. But India has always specialised in one thing – love stories. It’s central to Indian film and always has been.
Look, I hate the shitty, SHITTY films coming out of India as much as the next guy (providing the next guy really hates them). But I get fed up of people suggesting India produces no good films apart from a few independent arthouse movies. That’s not true. There are big-budget, intelligent films. Their audience is growing. I also get fed up with romanticisation of the past.
Ravi:
“What is striking about Bollywood, is that the biggest movie industry in the world is reduced to a single genre”
True. The people most culpable of this are Indians. Educated, smart young people, whether in IIT or MIT, would rather see KKrapp by Farah Khan than something cerebral. But things are changing.
Rohin,
Hey, I never said Bollywood films are stupid. In fact, they are ingenious. They transmit messages about all sorts of things– socially, politically, nationally, etc. I just finished watching Veer Zaara for the second time, and really, I have to hand it to the directors to take contentious themes, deflate them, make them innocuous, and turn the movie around into something about puppy love actually coming true.
But I don’t think it’s wrong to point out the general themes that have defined each decade in Bollywood, which, Rohin, you seem to keep deflecting and not responding to! And those trends reflect the zeight geist of the times. Back in the 70’s in socialist India, the themes were different than they are now, which is a globalized, ritzy, and flashy India. Why you cannot address this point that I have alluded to in two comments is beyond me!
Bollywood is never to be dismissed, I say.
“Look, I hate the shitty, SHITTY films coming out of India as much as the next guy (providing the next guy really hates them). But I get fed up of people suggesting India produces no good films apart from a few independent arthouse movies.”
Rohin, yaar, not sure if you are taking my comment and running with it regarding other issues, but I never said anything about the Indian film industry. I never said that there are no good films coming out of India. I’m talking about BOLLYWOOD and decennial trends,etc
Some topnotch films are being made there.
Can you name me a couple of such films? I really want to see a film made in India that is outside the realm of Ballaland: I mean, no dancing, lip-synching, cheesy dialogs, and if possible a film with a script that does not write by itself.
Hindi movies can bring deshi diaspora peoples together in the UK.
For example, Indians and Pakistanis generally dislike each other due to various historic, political and religious reasons. Yet both Brit Indians and Brit Pakistanis love Bollywood movies. There is also cross collaboration, for example the Pakistani film Kuda ke liye aroused much interest in Mumbai. Pakistani bands like Junoon are also quite populart with Indian audiences.
Well, you don’t see an actor like Art Malik going to Bollywood. Would Art Malik go to Bollywood? Has he done that, even though he was born in Punjab?
“I mean, no dancing, lip-synching, cheesy dialogs, and if possible a film with a script that does not write by itself.”
The movie ‘Page 3′. Very good fillum.
The late master film critic Hameeduddin Mahmood – who is reputed to have memorised the screenplay of every Mehboob and Shantaram movie and watched 100s of Indian films with out subtitles as he understood >12 Indian languages – was fond of ripping up pretentious distinctions between “art” and “commercial” cinema in India. The mainstream Indian film-maker knows life, while the pretentious arty type assumes so. Lacking any depth the arty types latch on to some fashionable vacuous idea (and India doesn’t lack for them) and churns out a badly crafted film. Films must make money and as Sai Paranjpe puts it a good movie maker knows to make artistic movies commercially successful. Naseeruddin Shah and many others who walked in full of ideals into the “art movie” camp left some years later in disgust. Shah decided to call it quits after he worked with that master of mediocrity the one time medical rep Mrinal Sen. Shah put it very well when he said, “Parallel cinema mar nahi raha hai, murda hai. It’s not dying, it’s dead.” I love to read vacuous crtics like Rustom Bharucha and Sadanand Menon railing against a politically incorrect “Roja” or “Yuva”. And what better to set the pompous one’s into a flap than a Suraj Barjatya movie?
“I mean, no dancing, lip-synching, cheesy dialogs, and if possible a film with a script that does not write by itself.”
Also, Salaam Bombay.
Kelvi #43,
Thanks for stating Mahmood’s name– his thoughts seem really interesting,I’ll look into it.