Why Radical Islam Fears Bollywood Culture

[Vehl]

Shikha Dalmia, a Senior Policy Analyst with the Reason Foundation, discusses why the forces of radical Islam fear the rise of Bollywood culture on the subcontinent.

She says: "The hope was that if can't change the middle east by pointing guns at it, then Hollywood is going to do it. But the problem is that Hollywood is very, very different. It's very alien. But the one force that actually speaks to their concerns is Bollywood, India's film industry. "

"Young people in the middle east are just lapping up Bollywood.. It comes from the same cultural cloth. It reflects the kind of issues that Muslims are dealing with. The same kind of clash between tradition and modernity that Bollywood and India are dealing with."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/03/radical-islam-fears-bollywood_n_857020.html

While I disagree that "it comes from the same cultural cloth"(there are significant differences between Indian and ME cultures) I do agree with her that the Bollywood movies speak to the ME audiences, especially the younger generation in a manner that is not found in the usual Hollywood staple.

Her Video interview is found in the link given above.


This report tallies in well with What the former UN undersecretary general Sashi Tharoor mentioned in his TED talk about soft power.
(Which by the way is one of the best speeches I've heard in recent times..not surprising that it was by Tharoor an eloquent orator)

Shashi Tharoor: Why nations should pursue "soft" power
http://youtu.be/EiTrl0W1QrM

^^ from 7.50 min mark onwards on the video


Bollywood movies are "officially" banned in Pakistan and were Banned in Afghanistan during the Taliban rule(now they are not)but were still the most popular form of entertainment in those countries. The same goes to most of the middle eastern and African nations.....making up the constituents who make the Bollywood reach an audience of nearly 3 Billion...more than Hollywood's reach

It's not surprising indeed that the spread of Bollywood threatens Islamic fundamentalism at a deeper levels than bombs and missiles can. The latter can destroy buildings but the former can target fundamentalist ideologies itself. At the end of the day, Islamic fundamentalism cannot be defeated by the gun, but only by changing the perception of the people.. by offering them something better than that which the fundamentalists are offering.

[panader0]

1. If we airdropped 100 Valley Girls into Afghanistan, it'd be over.

(not actually advising this)

[Vehl]

2. oh the accent! oh the accent!

It is like like totally not awesome! :P

[elfin]

3. Bollywood is so cheerful

In that aspect alone, it represents the greatest threat to the dour fundamentalism in so much of the region.

However, the fact that it is "Indian" is an even greater threat to Pakistan in particular.

If it sparks a Pakistani or Iranian or Egyptian etc. equivalent, that could even be more significant long term than the recent actions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya etal.

Perhaps it already has and I am not aware.

Hooray for pop culture, cheer, music, dancing and finding ones own love amidst poverty and despair. Pure and cheerful escapism can have its place in a charged political atmosphere.

[KittyWampus]

4. and colorful, I might add. Who doesn't love a spectacle? Even if secretly in their hearts?

[Vehl]

6. If you like colour, check this out! I know ill be going to Utah for this next year!

Festival of Colors, Utah
http://youtu.be/zqsRFAJVN9c

[Vehl]

5. Spot on!

I could not have said it better!

If it sparks a Pakistani or Iranian or Egyptian etc. equivalent, that could even be more significant long term than the recent actions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya etal.

Perhaps it already has and I am not aware.

You are right on the mark. Bollywood movies are dubbed/subbed into Arabic and a host of other languages, and the movies made on those countries are taking on a decidedly Bollywood look.


Turkish Wedding Bollywood Style in Istanbul
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqjVbq_Y574

Iranian wedding Bollywood style
http://youtu.be/I76P4IxUMT0

American wedding Bollywood style :P
http://youtu.be/Q6w53xIUcYQ

Miss Afghanistan a now a Bollywood Actress
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDcp5vee4ZY

In Armenia
http://youtu.be/uonMrMkowv8

But this is my personal fav(probably cos ive seen the movie this song was based on)

Japanese Kids doing Bollywood dance
http://youtu.be/sREtay7J3Wc

^^ Their skills and Choreography would rival any Indian Bollywood dance!

[Keith Bee]

7. Same Damn Reason Radical Christianity Fears Hollywood

Unrecced

[Vehl]

8. well

If you actually saw the video, the person mentions why this is a much bigger issue for the middle eastern countries than for other countries...for example..some of the themes which are core to the Indian Bollywood stories ( How do lovers tell their parents about their wish to marry?...a conundrum which really does not arise in America) are ones which the ones in the middle east can relate to.

I'm sure some radical Christians might deplore Bollywood..but the theme of most Bollywood movies are so far removed from the daily lives of their(the radical Christians) daily routine that it does not even count as a viable threat.


cheers