Indian movies: an observation

[The waveguide]

I've been to India some time ago, and in almost every hostel we had a TV in our room.

What completely irked me in the movies: the actors do not look Indians! Outside the door, in the streets - you see noisy, colorful, smelly, dirty India.

You put on an Indian movie- white people, clean India. The white people completely pissed me off. May be they are only 5-10% of their population, but those are 100% of their actors!

I never ever seen a nation who like so heartedly their own cinema, which discriminates them so much!

Or is it a self-denial? What is that?

The last movie I saw was Om Shanti Om (I suggest actually to see that one). There, at the end they present the actors and the camera crew. The actors do not look Indians, but the camera crew does. I was really shocked at this discrimination!

Any thoughts on why is it so?

 

[sparkchaser]

I am trying to think about the few Indian movies I saw while I was in Kansas City and am drawing a blank.

It is an interesting question though.

 

[saliotthomas]

I don't get it at all.I lived 2 years in India ,crossed it twice on a bike,from the montains of Ladack to the sea of kerala.People have different shades,From near white to deep black.I have seen far to many Indian movies!jesus!!!And i can assure you that they are absolutly the same.
Indian movies are not only popular in India,in all meddle east,north africa,...they are N° 1. Do you think Sha rukh khan, or Aishwarya do not look Indian?

 

[The waveguide]

I don't get it at all.I lived 2 years in India ,crossed it twice on a bike,from the montains of Ladack to the sea of kerala.People have different shades,From near white to deep black.I have seen far to many Indian movies!jesus!!!And i can assure you that they are absolutly the same.
Indian movies are not only popular in India,in all meddle east,north africa,...they are N° 1. Do you think Sha rukh khan, or Aishwarya do not look Indian?

I mean, I crossed it from east to west, from Orissa to Rajastan. I've spent hours in a train, in planes, in Rickshaws.

Typical Indian do not look like Shah Rukh Khan. Or like Hrithik Roshan:




What you won't see in a movie, is a typical Indian (typical photos taken by a traveler in India):

(I wanted to put some of my photos but I stored them at Yahoo pictures and I realized that Yahoo closed them all... So I took them from another traveler)

I mean, the actors are Indian, but from Kashmir or north - the rest are all discriminated!

 

[helgi]

The reverse Columbus effect; I came into this thread expecting the discussion to be about western movies.

I've ridden through India on a monocycle.

 

[saliotthomas]

I can do the same with photo's of americans on the side of the road or in supermarket and they sure won't look like Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts.
All popular cinema show's good looking wealthy peoples.

 

[saliotthomas]

I've ridden through India on a monocycle.

Did you,Emfield ?

 

[The waveguide]

I can do the same with photo's of americans on the side of the road or in supermarket and they sure won't look like Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts.
All popular cinema show's good looking wealthy peoples.

Since when "good looking" means "less dark"?! THIS is what annoys me! It hearts!

 

[helgi]

and I wore out a pair of flip-flops through Kafiristan.

 

[saliotthomas]

Since when "good looking" means "less dark"?! THIS is what annoys me! It hearts!

Sure!!!poor love!

still what you said was the dirty ones you saw on the street (on your 2weeks trip holiday) were not the one you saw on the movies.
The proof by photo was very good to!
India is the one country i hear the most clichés about,and that's one of them.

 

[Kenny Shovel]

I've been to India some time ago, and in almost every hostel we had a TV in our room.

What completely irked me in the movies: the actors do not look Indians! Outside the door, in the streets - you see noisy, colorful, smelly, dirty India.

You put on an Indian movie- white people, clean India. The white people completely pissed me off. May be they are only 5-10% of their population, but those are 100% of their actors!

I never ever seen a nation who like so heartedly their own cinema, which discriminates them so much!

Or is it a self-denial? What is that?

The last movie I saw was Om Shanti Om (I suggest actually to see that one). There, at the end they present the actors and the camera crew. The actors do not look Indians, but the camera crew does. I was really shocked at this discrimination!

Any thoughts on why is it so?

Waveguide: You really need an Indian to give you an answer to this question. And it is a serious question, that deserves more thought than has been given to it so far in this thread.

You are correct that there is a preference for 'light-skinned' actors & actresses in Bollywood. With the use of skin-bleaching products fairly wide-spread within the industry. There is an article on the subject here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7010885.stm

As has already been stated, there are a range of different skin tones found amoungst the Indian population, that is not always reflected within it's cinema. I used to work on a team that had three Indian contractors, two where from the very south of Indian and had the much darker skin you would find with a Sri Lankan. If you asked those two guys the chances thier daughters had of a career in Bollywood you might get the answer you seek...

Regards,

K_S

 

[The waveguide]

First, I did not say it was two weeks. It was looooonger and it will continue soon.

Second, I do not see how you, a painter, are not sensitive to what you see outside and what you see on the screen. Is it a white balance ?

I just say - if you are a good actor, if you know to dance, if you look good but you have a darker skin - in India you will never manage to get on the Bolliwood screen.

However, I will be VERY happy if you could show me a dark-skinned actor in Indian cinematography. Better if you could show me at least 10, but one will be already good. Similar to those people on the photos above, whom you for some reason call "dirty". BTW - Why?!

 

[The waveguide]

As has already been stated, there are a range of different skin tones found amoungst the Indian population, that is not always reflected within it's cinema.

K_S

Thanks, Kenny. I will investigate further. I like Indian culture, but this part of the culture I don't respect.

 

[saliotthomas]

the bleach stuff is called "fair & lovely" it's dangerous and is use in all country with dack skinned people,meddle east,african,north africa..
It's a fact that lighter color is seen as more elegant,more hight class.But was it not the same in Europe 100,200 years ago.light color and smooth hands.
And as we are at it ,dark color,and tan are also in the oposite way praised in our countries.
So i agree with your there mister,actor are very light skinned in Indian movies.But what you said was "the actors do not look Indians" and that originaly got me to disagree.They look like light skin colored Indian.

And thanks Kenny for the "As has already been stated",is my name so distastfull to you.

 

[Kenny Shovel]

And thanks Kenny for the "As has already been stated",is my name so distastfull to you.

If I were a more patient, humane soul, like abcedarian, I might take time out from my day to explain that just because someone doesn’t trawl back through a thread so they can name check every previously mentioned point of information used by their post, it doesn’t mean they’re handing out a full on bitch-slap to your human dignity.

Unfortunately, I’m not as patient and humane as abecedarian. So I’m just going to leave you sitting at your computer, in your little tin foil hat, to work it out for yourself.

 

[silverseason]

As an outside observer of Indian culture, I think that there is considerable color consciousness. I looked at a matrimonial website (U.S.) and most of the posters mentioned skin color: light skinned, fair, wheat complexion.

 

[saliotthomas]

Guess that mean you have a cruch on me!Kenny

The problem of India is not of skin but of cast.That were it really get sore

 

[silverseason]

The problem of India is not of skin but of cast.That were it really get sore

True enough. Yet some of the expatriate Indians seeking spouses would say "caste no bar" but describe skin color. I speculate that, living in the U.S., non Indians don't know what caste you are but may react to skin color.

 

[saliotthomas]

Unfortunately, I’m not as patient and humane as abecedarian. So I’m just going to leave you sitting at your computer, in your little tin foil hat, to work it out for yourself.

I might have to ask sparkchaser to lent it to me! I not sure he will agree

 

[Luft]

I used to surf this site since long but this thread got me in .

I am a indian and might give you inside view of india. India is divided in 2 major parts if you consider skin color. North and central india is white skinned (nearly 2/3rd of total indian population) while south india is dark skinned (about 1/3rd population). Besides south indian languages are quite distinct from north indian ones. Bollywood means hindi language which is only prevalent in north. So basically they cater to what their target audience is.

I would like to say that if you take out the makeup/glamour part from the stars pictures they would look very much like next door indian boy or girl. What you have depicted in above photos of india is rural india (which is more than half of indians). Thats not all of india. In metropolitan cities or even in average towns girls or boys would look like hritik or aishwaria. You should also consider actresses like Kajol or actors like Nana Patekar who are very dark skinned and yet they are/were part of bollywood as much as hritik or aishwaria.