NRI Number One
Expats help Hindi films make dollars and sense even at their own expense
By JEANNE E. FREDRIKSEN
The expatriate in films is nothing new. Casablanca starring Humphrey
Bogart as the suave, mysterious Rick in Morocco remains the top favorite
60 years after its release in America. Although expat characters' lives
are traditionally painted as being extraordinary, the simple fact that
they live "elsewhere" adds a sense of adventure, a dash of romance, and
a bit of wishful longing. However, expats have never made the kind of
impact on films that non-resident Indians (NRIs) have with Hindi cinema,
both at the box office and on the big screen.
According to India's 2001 census, the country's population exceeded the
1 billion persons milestone, and there are approximately 11 million
Indians living, working, and studying elsewhere around the world. NRIs
have become a serious market for the Hindi film industry, particularly
in the U.K., where approximately 3 percent of the population is
Indian/Pakistani, and in the U.S., where 1.7 million out of 281.5
million people are Indian. The rupee box office is now augmented quite
handsomely by the dollar-and-pound box office, much to the delight of
directors and producers.
Among the films reporting a half-to-three-quarters-of-a-million-dollar
box office in the U.S. or the U.K. are Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999), Kaho
Naa Pyaar Hai (2000), Refugee (2000), Lajja (2001), and Asoka (2001).
The NRI "million-dollar-box-office club" boasts such films as Yaadein
(2001) and Lagaan (2001) in the U.S. Taal (1999), Hum Saath Saath Hain
(HSSH, 1999), and Mohabbatein (2000) made the mark or better in the U.K.
Taal and HSSH doubled their U.K. intakes in the U.S. and brought in $2
million each. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) tallied up $2.6 million in the
U.K. Most recently, setting a new high-water mark in the overseas box
office, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G, 2001) grabbed the No. 10 spot its
first week of release in the U.S. and earned $2.9 million during its
five-week run. In the U.K., K3G earned nearly $3.6 million over an 18
week run.
Impressive? Yes, considering that promotion of Hindi films outside of
the Indian community is virtually zero, although that may be on the
brink of changing slightly. If nothing else, the figures indicate that
the NRI spends a big chunk of change on the films.
During the past decade, the inclusion of NRI characters in both
commercial and non-commercial films has been on the rise, and in a
circular logic, it's only natural that they have become a part of these
films' stories. Each NRI touches someone in India, and these "global
Indians," as filmmaker Subhash Ghai has called them, cannot be shrugged
off as a passing phase. Films featuring or "made for" NRIs have been
criticized by some in India, but in reality, many of those films have
performed extremely well at the Indian box office. Could this speak to
the lure of adventure and the romance of the NRI?
The first Hindi blockbuster to spotlight NRI characters was Dilwale
Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ, 1995), the story of two young people who grew
up Indian in London. DDLJ introduced us to the mischievous,
prank-pulling Raj, who in the beginning fails to graduate but succeeds
in pilfering a case of beer from an Indian-owned convenience store. In
the end, he steadfastly applies Indian sensibilities in his pursuit of
the rebellious-but-trapped Simran as her unwanted arranged marriage
approaches. Very possibly, because of this juxtaposition of traits,
attitudes, and events, DDLJ enjoys the distinction of being the
longest-continually-running film in Indian cinema history.
Popularity aside, there is the ongoing issue regarding accuracy in the
characterization of NRIs in films. Often they are drawn as stereotypes,
which are easy to lean on, requiring neither depth nor dimension.
Because of this, Hindi filmmakers may be said to straddle the border
separating East and West, staying securely at home and dipping into
their highly-fantasized world of the Indian diaspora.
In many cases, commercial Hindi films present an overly-devised sense of
the NRI as being either corruptly-Westernized or as being more homesick
than a child gone away to camp for the first time. While these concepts
may carry a certain truth, the corresponding misconceptions come from
the minds of the at-home Indians, who wag a seemingly-envious finger at
the NRI's ability to exist in two worlds: one allowing space and upward
mobility, the other offering traditions and history.
Pompous, materialistic, alcohol-drinking, cigarette-smoking,
drug-taking, affair-having, spoiled brats …
The first Hindi film I saw was Subhash Ghai's Pardes (1997). Despite
encouraging me to see more films, it made me wonder if "NRI" actually
meant "Not Really Indian." If the NRI characters weren't silly, whiney
troublemakers, they were mean and nasty, embracing every possible
negative human quality in stark contrast to the pristine Kusum Ganga.
Even the dialogue and song lyrics in the film were designed to instruct
the viewer that the West is inferior but one can still bring India back
into one's life. The film is propaganda at its finest and filled with
relentless reminders of good vs. evil, purity vs. corruption, right vs.
wrong, traditional vs. modern … in short India vs. the West.
But this is not where the negativity ends.
Very often, there is a "dress code" for the female characters to help
the viewer understand her measure of purity or wickedness: the more
traditionally-dressed, the more Indian the woman. Unsurprisingly, this
does not seem to carry over to the men's characters.
Running alongside this can be the "training guide" in which NRIs are
constantly reeducated that "This is not India …," "This is not America
…," "Only in India …," "This is our culture." The repetition seems less
designed to be a natural part of life than to foster reinforcement, as
if NRIs are too ignorant to appreciate it the first time.
When Indians achieve success and wealth, have large homes, and own their
companies in these films, they are industrious, clever, and respected
businessmen. The NRI equivalent is held up to a double standard and
considered materialistic. Even the printed synopsis of Taal in the Eros
Entertainment/B4U DVD booklet refers to the NRI characters' "world of
ruthless materialism." On the other hand, the Mumbai-based, plagiarizing
Vikrant Kapoor character is likeable enough and presented as an
opportunist, which seems to be a step up.
Italy is an unlikely origin for an NRI and offspring in a Hindi film,
but Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (2000) filled the bill. For all the film's
splendor, it was regrettable that the Indo-Italian Sameer was presented
as a naïve, bumbling nerd who had little going for him beyond his
singing ability.
Yaadein gave us a kind and loving, if slightly confused, single parent
from London raising three daughters who suffer enough issues to put a
therapist into a tailspin. As if that weren't enough, the film includes
an American-raised brat who wants nothing to do with parents, settling
down, or having babies—hardly the ideal Indian bride-to-be.
And what happens when a married NRI couple splits into the "modern" vs.
the "old-fashioned?" The wife is tossed out like the garbage and sent
home to India as punishment for being unreceptive to having affairs
outside of marriage. Such is the initial setup for Lajja, Rajkumar
Santoshi's look into the world of Indian women.
Show me the way to go home …
The other extreme of NRIs in film is the homesick, culture-craving,
more-patriotic-than-thou Indian. Building their own mini-Indias for
maxi-memories, this NRI portrayal takes a real issue and magnifies it to
unreal proportions. And no film illustrates that as extravagantly as the
lush and sumptuous Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (K3G).
Not only did K3G enjoy a healthy run at home, it exploded worldwide onto
theater screens in Indian communities last December and played to packed
houses for weeks. And K3G is a film in which everything—homes,
transportation, finances, fashion, holidays, events, emotions, and
tears—sets a new standard for the term "larger-than-life."
In K3G, much of the post-interval footage takes place in England. For
Anjali, life in London simmers with a patriotic zeal and an
all-consuming homesickness manifested in the meticulous maintenance of
Indian customs and rituals while she separates herself from her
surroundings. Her need for India is so overwhelming that she relies on
the false protection of mocking people and places outside of her own
family and home.
Overkill? Certainly, as writer-director Karan Johar's inflated
representation of what have become some of the filmi passions of the
typical NRI. But when it boils down to the common denominators without
the fanfare, flash, and fervor, even those who move across country miss
their families and familiar surroundings; one always retains a credible
amount of home-turf loyalty; and if one's heritage is lost, the person
is rendered as no more than a racial statistic.
"Those living in India are surrounded by our culture every minute, even
if they don't realize it," says Vivek Malhotra, a thirty-something NRI
and business owner in the Chicago area. "Here it's different, but we
will always be Indian," he continues, striking at the heart of the
perceived problem. "Sometimes, I feel that the movies think we've
forgotten that. Maybe the filmmakers should spend some time finding out
who we are. I really don't think they have a clue."
On the upside is a beneficial aspect for the children of NRIs. "It's
good that these films show our kids what happens in India—the
traditions, customs, values," says Parag Gandhi, a long time theater
owner and promoter of Hindi films in Chicago. "They may be modernized in
India, but the traditional values remain." And many popular films target
the late-teens, twenty-something demographic. "Films such as Dilwale
Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and K3G," adds Gandhi, "are
examples of films that are half traditional, half modern, striking a
balance between the two for all of the markets."
Another positive consideration is that not all films show NRIs in a
questionable light. Caricatures of NRIs have been challenged in
commercial films like Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Dil Chhata Hai (2001), Monsoon
Wedding (2001), and the recent Kitne Door Kitne Paas, all of which
present NRIs as more realistic, more human characters. Aa Ab Laut Chalen
offers a variety of NRI personalities from the selfish, the conniving,
and the party animal to the lovable cabbies and the pandit-cop who make
the best of their situations without complaint. Interestingly, the film
also dares to include shop owners, Dunkin' Donuts clerks, gas station
attendants: characters who aren't weighed down by palatial surroundings,
corporate crises, or overseas judgments.
The U.S., the U.K., and Australia are represented in Bombay Boys (1999)
by three young men coming/returning to Bombay, India for personal
reasons. In a refreshing reversal of the typical attitude concerning
NRIs in film, the boys are the "good" Indians, and everyone they meet
has some relationship with the darker side of the city. At its most
basic, the film shows that if something is lost, it won't necessarily be
found in India.
Even the non-commercial, multi-award-winning Bawandar (2001)
incorporates an NRI as a connecting thread in the piecing together of
Sanvri Devi's story. Curious, passionate about women's rights, the
Indo-English journalist represents the fact that the story has a wider
interest than a small, rural village.
Stepping outside of the Hindi film industry for a moment, the
English/Telegu film Hyderabad Blues (1998) and the English/Tamil film
Mitr—My Friend (2002), both smaller-budget films built on delivering
messages without preaching, deserve mention. The former engages in the
questioning of, rather than the criticism of, East vs. West, and the
latter examines the challenges faced by women, NRIs, and their families.
The characters and stories of both films enjoy respect in their
presentation, partially due to the existence of layered issues that are
revealed and resolved (or not) without finger-snapping swiftness or
clichéd answers. Hyderabad Blues enjoyed a 31-week run in Mumbai alone,
and Mitr—My Friend is currently one of the most-rented films in Indian
communities in the U.S.
While the inclusion of NRIs in Hindi films does not guarantee box office
success outside of India, it does send a strong signal that filmmakers
acknowledge this constantly growing and lucrative audience sector. If
the big-budget, big box-office commercial films coming out of Mumbai
often seem to bite one of the hands that feeds it, has the box office
anywhere been adversely affected? Well … no, not by any charted reports
that can be found. And that, itself, sends a loud and clear message back
to the industry in Mumbai: "if it isn't broken, don't fix it."
Nevertheless, when filmmakers who see NRIs as falling only to the evil
side of Western ways look beyond their assumptions, perhaps they will
discard their reliance on stereotypes and start paying their overseas
family an increased measure of respect. And when filmmakers who take the
homesick and patriotic themes beyond believability analyze their own
feelings, perhaps they will realize that what NRIs hold dear in their
hearts is no different from what those at home should be proud of. n
NOTE: All box office figures are reported as US$ and are courtesy of
Variety Magazine online archives. Not all Hindi films abroad report box
office, and not all box office reports are available.
Jeanne E. Fredriksen writes from Chicago. She is family with, friends
with, acquainted with, and works for NRIs with an amazing variety of
personalities, attitudes, hopes, dreams, goals, livelihoods, needs,
wants, and beliefs.
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Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
So globally successful is the film that in 1999 it warranted a billboard
outside Shinjuku train station in Tokyo, Japan, announcing its
screenings sponsored by India Center there. Shinjuku is the
entertainment center of Tokyo, and there is plenty of high-profile
competition for attention, attendance, and box office. In Japan, where
Indian films enjoy a certain popularity with the natives, the country's
1995 population census of 125.6 million persons showed only 4,244 were
Indian with an additional 13,589 being other South Asians. Without
question, DDLJ continues to be a favorite whenever, wherever offered for
viewing.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
According to a report in the South China Morning Post in January, 2002,
all screenings of K3G in December, 2001, were sell-outs in Hong Kong,
while pirated copies of the film were the hottest items circulating on
the island. Hong Kong's 2001 population census of 6.3 million people
revealed that 18,543 were Indian and another 23,581 were Nepalese and
Pakistani. K3G's popularity in the Special Administrative Region was
impressive because Hong Kong enjoys being the third-largest producer of
films by volume after India and the U.S.  
=====================================================
Bhansali's Musical Heaven
By ANIRUDDH CHAWDA
DEVDAS (Universal, 2002). Hindi film soundtrack. Music: Ismail Darbar.
Lyrics: Nusrat Badr
For perhaps the most eagerly anticipated film of the year, filmmaker
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas had to deliver a score that not only met
the hype but also let Ismail Darbar prove that the mega-selling Hum Dil
De Chuke Sanam was no one-time flash in the pan. By devising a
semi-classical, once-in-a-decade, 100 percent "Indian" musical score,
Bhansali and Darbar emerge victorious in baking and serving a 10-layer
monumental soundtrack.
What is most groundbreaking is the powerful one-two punch of lyrics by
newcomer Nusrat Badr and the from-soul-voice of first-timer Shreya
Ghosal. Ghosal's voice, reminiscent of both Suman Kalyanpur with a
slightly thicker pitch and Anuradha Paudwal without the nasal monotone,
is the most original singing voice since Kavita Subramaniam appeared in
the Mangeshkar mold. Ghosal's "Silsila ye chaahat ka" is a sultry
tabla-dominated opening to 52 minutes of sheer musical bliss. "Maar
daala" (Subramaniam, KK) is an excellent example of the use of classical
ragas to complement, rather than fill-in, interludes between verses. On
"Kahe chhed," Pandit Birju Maharaj, using his own tune, adds an
intoxicating opening for Madhuri Dixit's vocals and Subramaniam to
finish out a piercing song of longing.
While a combination of Ghosal and Subramaniam give life to on-screen
lip-synching for Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai, on the male side Udit
Narayan fronts for Shah Rukh Khan. Narayan's on-target "Bairi piya," a
duet with Ghosal, could find company in many Lata-Rafi duets of yore.
The up-tempo "Chalak chalak" again smoothly floats Narayan with Vinod
Rathod and Ghosal while Subramaniam and Ghosal's jugalbandhi on "Dola re
dola" simply shakes the rafters.
Packaged in Universal's Bombay plant, the earliest CD pressings have a
cheap, paper-thin casing. Purists may consider replacing the cheap cover
with a store-bought sturdier one. At a suggested Bombay retail value of
about $2 and selling like hot cakes stateside for $10 a pop, Devdas is
without doubt a huge profit-maker for the multinational music marketer.
But buyers beware: avoid being distracted by bootleg CDs. This
exceptional music and exceptionally well-recorded CD deserve
unadulterated musical glory. Pop in only a properly copyrighted,
original CD and let Darbar & Co. whisk you away on a magical musical
ride.
Lifelong cinephile Aniruddh Chawda lives, works, and writes from
Wisconsin, on America's north coast.
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