Most people wouldn’t even begin to imagine the humble origins of Bollywood. Indian cinema can be attributed to the two great ancient epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata which have provided a solid foundation for much of India’s commercial cinema today which is fondly referred to as Bollywood.
During the Mahatma Gandhi-led national movement, Indian cinema was at its peak taking on a distinct moral code and acting as the social vehicle for moral messages. During this time, most Bollywood directors and screenplay writers for the most part, followed the Gandhian philosophy. Many directors were passionate about making their films a vehicle for messages of social reform.
Mahatma Gandhi had many social concerns and the films that came out during his era reflected many of them. For instance in Dil Ek Mandir the underlying story was about the oppression of women in family and society. Caste based inequalities were tackled in films like Sujata, Acchut and Haasil. And most prominent perhaps which seems to form the basis of most Bollywood films even today, is the divide between rich and poor, as depicted in films like Pyaasa, Lawaaris and Jaagte Raho.
Now Bollywood is very commercial and as ever before remains an integral part of Indian culture. Just as in the West, many people like to read about the lives of A-list actors in Grazia or Heat magazines; pages brimming with celebrity diets, fitness regimes and DVDs, fans of Bollywood actors and actresses fall over themselves to emulate the lives of their screen icons whether it be their clothes, makeup, dance styles or workout regimes.
In India the trend to copy the lives of Bollywood screen idols reached fever pitch when the Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor dropped down to a size zero. Last year, her nutritionist brought out a book describing Kareena’s size zero diet. The foreword of the book was written by Kareena herself, endorsing her eating regime every couple of hours. Suddenly women in India were obsessed with becoming the ultimate size zero. On Western catwalks the size zero is frowned upon. However, it seems bizarre that Indian women once celebrated for their natural fuller figures are choosing to be pin thin in favour of their European counterparts.
Before you book your hen night, check out this article on Bollywood hen parties and Bollywood hen night.
categories: Bollywood,women,Bollywood culture,Asian culture,Indian culture,Kareena Kapoor,Entertainment,Women,Hen Party,Entertainment,Cooking,Dancing
Tags: Asian culture, Bollywood, Bollywood culture, Cooking, Dancing, entertainment, Hen Party, Indian culture, Kareena Kapoor, women
