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Smash the patriarchy |
I know, I know, longest intermission ever. But what's five years in the great expanse of time? Appropriately long considering our subject matter. Which of course is: Bollywood! I started this blog six years ago as a way to talk talk talk (well, write write write) about my favorite films, stars and songs in the Bolly-verse. At some point I switched to a bit of first hand storytelling from my time in India which was fantastic fun and as an added bonus helped me remember why I fell in love with the country in the first place. If you read those posts and enjoyed them that makes me happy. If you didn't, I'm still pretty happy, so win-win! Now I find myself missing a creative outlet and perhaps more importantly needing that masala-style escapism that only Bollywood can provide. Feeling stressed by a demanding job? Country not-so-slowly descending into chaos? Sit back and get your Bollywood on.
So, Back to Bollywood. Getting back to Bollywood means returning to the world of mistaken identities, star-crossed lovers, over the top villains, and all the dream sequences your heart can handle. It also means exploring the influence of traditional Indian folk theater in Bollywood's early development, the portrayal of social issues such as caste, women's rights, and religious intolerance, and the continual redefinition of what it means to be Indian. In truth, the films that expertly mix elements of escapism with these very real issues are what attracted me to the genre to begin with, and in turn have been some of the most successful blockbusters in Hindi cinema.
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Newest library book! |
Dancing Queens. I went to a Bollywood dance once. Well, twice. The first was a surprise; one of the greatest gift ever given to me. It was in Pushkar, India while we stayed with the lovely Pandey family. Vasu, the Pandey's teenage daughter, brought a boombox into the room and played Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle (neither of whom I had heard of at that point). We all stood up and danced in a circle mimicking her precise hand movements, twirling our arms, not having a clue what we were doing but knowing it didn't matter. My second Bollywood dance was at a swank Milwaukee hotel and ended up being less classic Bolly and more, "Wait, are they playing Nelly?" I feel a true Bollywood dance party is certainly in my future and until then I'll continue to indulge in the best of Bollywood's dancing queens. For my first in-depth post I'll share my top five Bollywood dance numbers, complete with behind the scene tidbits. Who knows, maybe you'll find inspiration for the next time you find yourself at a wedding, a few drinks down, and dateless. Until then, please enjoy the unique actress Helen in a classic "item number."
