Three weeks ago the most respectable girls in my singles ward threw a raging, extravagant, body-undulating Bollywood party. Fake eyelashes, gallons of hair product, body polish, forty-three different layers of make-up—several of the girls even went on-line and ordered gauzy saris and gaudy jewelry. Now, these girls are indisputably the faithful handmaidens of Zion— future Relief Society presidents, every one—but that night they were the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy
about tinkling ornaments, chains, bracelets, ornaments of the leg, headbands, earrings, nose jewels, even round tires like the moon, if you count the bindis we all wore on our foreheads.
I felt like I was seeing Mormon sociology in the making. Gilbert Blythe, Mr. Darcy, and “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton†were being replaced by Abhishnek Bachchan and Bollywood sweetheart Aishwarya Ria, India’s contender for most beautiful woman in the world. What was Bollywood’s appeal? Or perhaps a more interesting question: what does Bollywood’s appeal say about Mormon cultural practices?
Some brief background for those of you not in the know. Bollywood is a prolific genre of Indian film characterized by long, circuitous love stories (~ 3-4 hours each); elaborate, stylized dance sequences; and no kissing scenes. Yep, no kissing. And starting in October, no smoking either. Sound familiar? Maybe Saturday’s Warrior meets Oklahoma? Or Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-day Comedy meets Bride and Prejudice? Actually, I don’t want to suggest that Bollywood represents some new-wave Mormon fusion. But I do want to speculate on why Bollywood and Mormonism might be a good match.
First, these movies are about family, culture, religion, and tradition, but unlike many Hollywood movies, the romantic leads don’t have to break with them in order to find happiness. Innocence and purity are valued (especially in female characters), and the movies usually end with family scenes—large, choreographed, extended family scenes. Bollywood feels no need to be iconoclastic, and that’s probably a relief to Mormon viewers who also seek fulfillment within family, culture, religion, and tradition.
Second, safe sensuality. Mormons—particularly on the Bloggernacle-–like to talk about the erotic, and Bollywood offers all the romantic tension without “that one part in the bedroom.†While Hollywood often opens doors on intimacy, Bollywood veils, defers, and euphemizes intimacy. Sexuality is handled in glances and those crazy dance sequences, not in Titanic-style heavy breathing. Perhaps this is a little juvenile—but then, maybe Mormon sexuality is a little juvenile too.
Lastly—and especially for the respectable singles ward crowd—what’s not to like about arranged marriages? Perhaps more than anything, Bollywood offers a type of Mormon utopia in which all the men are single, all the women are gorgeous, and all the parents do all the work.
I’ve never seen a “Bollywood” film, so I have no way of making an informed criticism of the genre. However, I think there’s a very unfortunate assumption floating around in the western world of arts, which is: art is more meaningful or “artful” because it’s iconoclastic.
I find it interesting that you would juxtapose “Titanic” against the more “juvenile” mormon sexuality. IMO, Titanic is the most “juvenile” narrative ever set to film. Now perhaps you were merely speaking of how explicit erotic content is considered “adult” in our culture. However, in terms of capturing mature romance–explicit or not–I really think it boils down to plain, well seasoned good writing. Something like “Casablanca” comes to mind–passionate, painful, even a little steamy, but not sexually explicit.
Naomi,
Brilliant!
After my first Bollywood, I knew I was hooked. Maybe it was the long, energetic dance scenes and colored saris that first caught my attention. But 20-some Bollywood movies later I think my love runs deeper than that. One thing that intrigues me the most about Bollywood movies is the pure, true version of “love” that is portrayed. Instead of Hollywood’s version of love, which mainly revolves around hooking up and sleeping around, Bollywood offers a different view, where lovers only proclaim and act upon their love when they know it is deep and want to marry.
Another intriguing aspect is the interplay of tradition and personal agency. When love is found outside the bounds of tradition or social roles, characters rarely blantently ignore their family’s honor and tradition. Although bringing tradition and individualism together is not always an easy task (in some movies it takes upwards of 4 hours), there is usually some sort of resolution between the two. The son protects his family’s honor and eventually marries his love. The parents see the error of their quick judgement and invite their son’s wife into their home. Never are tradition or social rules outrightly rejected. Often elements are altered, but never completely ignored. There is value placed in the rules of the elders, and it is through the interation of multiple generations that allows for greater understanding and growth of society.
But if you don’t want to analyze the movies to this extent or ponder about the connections with Mormon values, then at least watch for the snazzy dance moves and wonderful facial expressions!
I am one of the “respectable” girls who dressed up and helped choreographed the dance number for the referenced Bollywood Bash. Briefly, when Naomi and I were talking about this topic, I told her my reasons for enjoying Bollywood flicks. First, it’s different than anything I have ever seen. The first one I saw, I thought it was hilarious but didn’t take it seriously at all. The next one I saw, I was taken with the elaborate costumes, intricate dance sequences, and the fact the director was perfectly content with killing off the main character just before intermission. The next one rekindled my belief in love. Part of the appeal is that it is indeed different than any genre I have been exposed to. But the other part of it is that these movies (at least the ones that we would term “romantic comedies”) truly are romantic. The sacred is kept sacred and the affectionate embraces and lingering, longing looks create more tension and communicate more feeling than any Hollywood movie I’ve ever seen.
The downside to these movies — they are really long. It takes almost a full hour to get into any kind of plot. But if you watch them with the right crowd, they are a lot of fun.
Finally, the dancing. The dancing is great. You don’t realize just how hard it is until you try it. It takes skill, looks great, and is surprisingly liberating.
There is something about partaking in a culture other than your own, whether it be Indian, European, etc. I think for me it is a reminder of how rich and diverse this world is.
Hmm, sounds interesting. Although I’m not sure I could actually watch an entire 4 hour movie unless I was sick and couldn’t get off the couch. I would like to try.
Can you get them on Netflix?
What is a good one and I’ll rent it. Sounds fun.
I don’t know about most beautiful in the world, but Aishwarya is very, very lovely. I’ll stick with Salma Hayek, though.
Jack–What, you don’t like the antics of repressed high-class young ladies and libidinous working-class stowaways? Yes, I was using juvenile in the sense of sexual content rather than insight into the nature of love. Like Brittany and Julie say, I think Bollywood explores love (for hours and hours on end) in different, refreshing, noniconoclastic ways, but I also think that certain elements of the Bollywood love stories are juvenile period, like its dependence on coincidence, letters in the wrong hands, ex nihilo ex-husbands, a monsoon at just the right moment. But that’s okay–the movies are still very entertaining, especially if you’re couch-bound for a day or so.
JKS, I’m sure you can get them on Netflix. Bride and Prejudice is the most recent Bollywood/Hollywood hit–it was distributed to bigger movie houses as well as independent cinemas. Another classic Bollywood is Monsoon Wedding, and the movie that restored Julie’s faith in love is called…let’s see if I can get it right..Kuch Naa Mahor, or something like that.
NB: I hope you all recognize what an achievement Brittany’s 20 Bollywood movies represent: that’s at least 60 hours, and maybe more like 80. I myself have seen 2.75 Bollywood movies and attended one lecture at the Smithsonian (which is, of course, why I consider myself enough of an expert to write a post on them)
Hmm… you’re right, Rosalynde, she is pretty. Why are white women so uninteresting?
Rosalynde,
I used to favor Salma as my choice of fantasy latina lover, but Penelope has just recently eclipsed her. Sorry.
Julie’s favorite (and one of my top picks) is Kuch Naa Kaho.
One of the most beautiful but hardest to watch is Devdas. It was incredibly moving and incredibly sad. I highly recommend it only if you feeling emotionally stable and don’t want to stay that way for the next 24 hours.
Lagaan is another very moving movie. Less melodramtic and more down to earth. Incredibly moving and uplifting. But around 4 hours long.
There are numerous other favorites of mine, but for several reasons (I don’t know Hindi and can’t pronounce half of the titles) I don’t know what they are called.
As good looking white chicks go, I’m a big fan of Jennifer Connelly. She has been in some pretty creepy movies, though.
But speaking of Bollywood, “Bride and Prejudice” was entertaining, but I never could figure out all the social posturing and prevarication typical of the Jane Austen genre. Isn’t it so very tedious (and a bit humiliating) for women to act so coyly and disinterested in order for men to appreciate them?
And I wish my old singles’ ward was as creative as yours is, Naomi! We never really ventured much beyond the standard “Linger Longers”, with the bowls of greasy potato chips and the Oreos that went way too fast.
Not sure, Naomi. It’s a good thing our Cherokee grandmother and Brazilian great-uncle gave us our exciting, exotic good looks, huh?
Davis, that’s quite all right (with me, at least; not sure your admins will appreciate the detail about fantasy lovers). That you would go for Penelope just shows that you’re not worthy of Salma, anyway, and plus that frees her up. Not for me, you understand.
Oops. I just said “chicks” on the bloggernacle. Feel free to delete that comment. Or is it okay for women to call each other “chicks”? I apologize for any offense – I may be behind the times here. I still think Jennifer is hot, though.
Yowza. Bloggernacle women commenting on hot actresses — complete with teasing disclaimers! I’d love to hang around, but I don’t know if my bishop would really want me reading this thread.
Well, I suppose that I could tell him “I only read M* for the articles, Bishop! Honest!”
In the meanwhile, perhaps we can get Bryce to set up a nice brown-paper-bag color scheme around here . . .
Elisabeth: er….. thanks?
On a completely unrelated (?) topic — am I the only one who was disappointed that this post didn’t include a few pictures of Naomi dressed up in tinkling ornaments, chains, bracelets, ornaments of the leg, headbands, earrings, nose jewels, and round tires like the moon? (And what about the mantles, wimples, and crisping pins? You just can’t find a good crisping pin these days!).
It’s awfully cruel to tell us all about how you dressed up Bollywood style, without providing some pictures for us to
laugh atadmire. I’m sure that you looked unforgettable! Won’t you share your experience with the readers more fully by letting us see yourembarrassmentaccomplishment?A picture is worth a thousand words, Naomi. So please, post some pics. You have nothing to lose but your dignity.
Naomi, I have to admit that I eagerly clicked on that link to read the bloggernacle talking about “the erotic.” I was sorely disappointed. This thread is much more erotic than that one. With all due respect you have to reevaluate your definition of the word.
I’ve never seen one. Could you recommend a few?
Kaimi,
Go take a cold shower. Or six.
Rosalynde,
I didn’t mean fantasy like that. I meant it in the “she’s my hollywood girlfriend” sense.
Davis,
I’m blogging from work, sorry.
(Frighteningly enough, though, there is a shower at the office. And a bed! That’s what happens when you work at big evil law firms where all-nighters are routine.
I’ve never used either of them, though. Too weird to be taking a shower down the hall from my office. Or a nap.)
Um – I’ve seen a few Bollywood films with *brief* kissing.
There is kissing – the problem is that the censors are notoriously unreliable and fickle and so the filmmakers usually exclude it just to be safe.
From http://www.bollywhat.com/faq.html
Why don’t the characters ever KISS already?
As you can see in the still from Raja Hindustani, sometimes the characters do. But it’s rare. The censor board is notoriously unpredictable; no one wants to risk getting a rating that would scare away families. Also, Bollywood plays to a diverse range of people, from the illiterate and provincial to the worldly and urban. Ideas of morality differ widely from group to group. Why include a kiss when you can easily leave it out and avoid the risk of offending customers? Also, actresses don’t want to lose their conservative fans, nor do they want to endure salacious flak from journalists. So they’re not too keen on kissing on-screen, and many proudly trumpet their refusal to do it.
——
Not that that means much – just a slight nitpick on my part. I got sucked into through Lagaan, which remains my favorite.
Bollywood rocks!
Wow, I know I’m not exactly in the know, but I have never heard any mention of this genre of films. Thanks for posting on this, Naomi — I can’t wait to try them.
Hi, Jenn- you’re gorgeous, but, in case you think you have a stalker in the bloggernacle, I was actually referring to Jennifer of Jennifer Connelly.
>Perhaps this is a little juvenile—but then, maybe Mormon sexuality is a little juvenile too.
Juvenile is aiming for the lowest common denominator. Leaving something to the imagination is mature.
What sort of Mormon sexuality is juvenile? Good Mormons are chaste until marriage and respectful (yet hopefully passionate) within marriage. Hardly sounds juvenile.
>”What sort of Mormon sexuality is juvenile?”
Perhaps Naomi is referring to some of more superficial and silly facets of single ward life and Mormon dating culture. These can, indeed, seem juvenile. I agree, though, that there’s nothing juvenile about innocence, purity, chastity, and fidelity.
Naomi,
Your post articulates well the attraction of Bollywood for LDS viewers: familiar values in an exotic package; good, clean fun that might be saccharine but is ultimately harmless; and, as the party proved, it can even inspire culinary and sartorial creativity.
Rosalynde–Wasn’t it our Brazilian great uncle’s Pakistani wife who really gave us our flawless bone structure and luxuriant hair? I think it’s sometimes hard on the other girls in my ward, but things started getting better after I began dating that off-season Swedish ski instructor.
Kaimi–Sorry, my digital camera wasn’t working that evening.
Elisabeth–not to threadjack myself, but I’ve heard the Stanford ward does even better stuff than us. The Bollywood party was the most creative social event of the season, but I heard that the Stanford ward once bought a bunch of rain gutters, set them up on someone’s front lawn, filled them with ice cream, and had some sort of contest. Bollywood, ice cream… ice cream might win out with me.
Kaimi–back to those pictures–the thing about the saris is that I was MUCH more covered up than I am at church. Is there something appealing about no skin showing?
Ivan Wolfe–Glad to meet another Bollywood enthusiast. You sound much more knowledgeable than me–feel free to field everyone else’s questions. I was intrigued by that comment you excerpted–it sounded like the film-viewing audience in India isn’t as parsed and compartmentalized as it is here, and that Bollywood directors try to make their movies accommodate the tastes of a diverse audience. Perhaps I’m just idealizing the Other again, but that strikes me as a much more ambitious project than I see going on in the PG-13 blockbusters here. What do you think about that?
Adeline–I guess I was thinking about the “wishing and hoping and dreaming” romanticizing that I sometimes saw in the movies and almost always see in myself. But your description of the best kind of Mormon love was, as you said, anything but juvenile. I think, though, that the best, most mature, most profound parts of love probably develop after marriage, and Bollywood, like most of the entertainment industry, usually dwells on the period before marriage.
Robert–Not to mention terpsichorean prowess and generally stimulating palaver. I’m glad to have won over such a reader as you, Robert. Do you think the good, clean, saccharine fun can explain the appeal of Monty Python to the Mormon crowd as well? Well, saccharine…no. Clean…most of the time. Good…. maybe there’s another explanation for our love affair with MP.
That sounds like the absolute best party involving church members I have ever heard of! What is it about our culture that causes me to doubt I will ever see a member of my priesthood quorum wearing a lampshade home from a social gathering?
The mo’ version of “Put your hands in the air! Like ya just don’t care!” is when the bishop calls for a sustaining vote.
FHLlisa: I’d start with Lagaan, the Gone With the Wind of bollywood film. Very accessible and very moving. And very long.
“…but I also think that certain elements of the Bollywood love stories are juvenile period, like its dependence on coincidence, letters in the wrong hands, ex nihilo ex-husbands, a monsoon at just the right moment.”
Yes, the bad use of coincidence is like signing the narrative’s death warrant. On the other hand, some of the elements you describe remind me of a Jane Austen novel. (I adore Jane Austen, by the way)
Here I am trying to defend a film genre that I’ve never even seen!
“Do you think the good, clean, saccharine fun can explain the appeal of Monty Python to the Mormon crowd as well?”
You’re right, Naomi: good, clean, saccharine fun is an inadequate explanation for all Mormon viewing habits, and our penchant for Python in particular. It is strange that Mormons are, in my experience, as likely as any comparable bloc to be able to quote verbatim entire scenes from Holy Grail and some of the more well-known skits. It is also surprising, to me at least, that my father–to McCarthy’s immediate left on the political spectrum–rarely fails to invite his BYU students over for an evening of Python and popcorn.
Perhaps we simply have good taste in humour: as silly as Python is, it’s much more clever than the written-between-tea-and-supper, low-brow rubbish that generally passes as comedy now. Perhaps this is another manisfestation of a certain Mormon predilection for the postmodern (which has been discussed on T&S, I believe.) I’m no film expert, but I believe Holy Grail is considered a quintessential example of postmodernism on film. One might even argue that behind the irreverence there’s a reactionary message that might appeal to Mo’s. As potentially sacrilegious as it is to see God tell a cowering Arthur that “Of course, that’s a good idea!”, it does affirm that God takes an interest in human affairs. (Just as an anecdote, the father of a friend, who teaches political science at BYU, has met John Cleese–on more than one occasion, I believe–at academic conferences sponsored by ISI and other conservative organizations. Cleese is apparently a closet conservative.) This is all more in jest than in earnest, but you did invite speculation. 🙂
Then again, in my experience, Mormons are less likely to have seen the more outrageous, rather less “clean” Python material (think Meaning of Life or The Life of Brian) so I don’t think we can entirely jettison “clean” as an explanatory criterion for group behavior.
“Hmm… you’re right, Rosalynde, she is pretty. Why are white women so uninteresting? “
Audrey Hepburn.
Long stories, no kissing or smoking or sex, lots of dancing, lots of family scenes,
clichedwell-worn plotlines . . .were we talking about Bollywood here, or Mollywood?
(However, Aishwarya Ria > Heather Beers, by several orders of magnitude).
All this talk of non-explicit on-screen sexuality and non-Western beauties has forced me to include a link to my thoughts on one of my new favorite movies, Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love. It’s way sexier than you ever thought a PG movie could be, and Maggie Cheung is the best actress that you’ve (probably) never heard of.
Naomi –
well, we could chalk it up to my fascination with the “other” as well, but the reason I like Bollywood is I feel the film makers respect their audience. They not only give the audience what they want, they respect theirintelligence, assuming the audience can follow multiple plots with more twists and turns than the average soap opera. Hollywood, too often, appeals to the lowest common denominator, whereas I fell Bollywood tries for the highest common denominator.
Bollywood produces more films than Hollywood and almost all have singing and dancing – plus the industry is financially secure enough to allow filmmakers to take risks – sometimes massive risks. Hollywood is concerned with the bottom line too often . Small wonder moviegoers in the USA are fleeing movie theatres in droves and DVD/video sales are, at best, only stable.
For a humrous take on Bollywood vs. Hollywood, try this site: http://www.bollywhat.com/ramblings/hwfaq.html (I hearby refer all questions to http://www.bollywhat.com – a great resource)
Here’s a good excerpt:
——
Why are their movies so short and simple?
Two reasons. First, understand that the chief modes of entertainment for many Hollywood viewers are playing video games and watching half-hour television sitcoms. Thus most of these people have regrettably short attention spans. This makes it difficult for them to read a newspaper or book, much less concentrate for more than ninety minutes on a film! Now, add in multiple plots and characters, as most of Bollywood’s masala films do, and you’ll have completely lost them! Realizing this, Hollywood directors like to keep their films very simple. They usually stick to two plots at the most. Unrelated comedy subplots (such as those helmed by Johnny Lever in Bollywood films) as well as dance numbers that do not advance the narrative are strictly frowned upon. They distract viewers who are trying to keep track of the main story. They’re just too confusing.
Second, it appears that although Hollywood directors enjoy film budgets far larger than those of Bollywood, they lack the canny financial sense exhibited by our favorite desi directors. (Hollywood fans who monitor trade papers know this; they’re constantly reading articles about how such-and-such director is running way over budget!)Â So, although the wardrobes seen in Hollywood films are not nearly as beautiful and ornate as those used in Bollywood films — and despite the fact that the shooting locations for Hollywood films are usually confined to just one country, rather than switching between, say, America and Switzerland and Austria — they still cannot manage to stay within budget! Thus they cannot afford to make longer films.
——
Ok, here’s my chance. When I was in a singles branch there was this Bollywood film I fell in love with and I’ve been searching for it for years. I would tell you it was about a guy who wanted to be american and about an arranged marriage, and the wife tried to make it work and really sacrificed for him, but the guy was a jerk, until he found out she was pregnant, but then it was too late and he got knifed in the gut, and she fell by slipping on a rug and he carried her to the hospital, but I think that is probably 15 other films too (But not as amazing as this one) Anyway, it featured this song “Papa papia” which went “papa papa papa papia” and he danced around wih Donald Duck. (Or atleast a donald duck clone) While balloons fell from Heaven. If you could name that vid, I’d be eternally grateful.
A few of recommendations:
Yaadein (family saga, happy ending, great songs)
Khabhi Kushi, Khabhi Gham (family saga, happy ending, lousy soungs, packed with the top Bollywood stars)
Munna Bhai MBBS (“Patch Adams” meets “The Godfather” meets Bollywood)
Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (silly, silly plot but great songs and cute male lead [yes, I am male, but Hrithik Roshan is so absurdly handsome that I must acknowledge it])
Koi … Mil Gaya (“Forrest Gump” meets “E.T.” meets Bollywood; yes, there is an alien and a developmentally-disabled adult, and yes, both of them dance)
Lagaan (not standard bollywood, but a great film)
Hum Aapke Hain (I forget, but it’s good)
All of these are available on Netflix. None have inappropriate sex or violence (except as implied off-screen to suggest that certain characters are immoral), all emphasize personal responsibility as well as family duties, and all are melodramatic and good fun.
Matt Witten–I’ve never seen that one! Or rather, the 3 Bollywood movies I’ve seen haven’t included Donald Duck in a new dance sequence. Sounds fabulous, though. I’d recommend going to Ivan Wolfe’s
You guys watch Bollywood films at singles ward? Dude! I am so going to start attending again!
I was introduced to them through such Hollywood/Bollywood crossovers as “Bend It Like Beckham” and “Bride and Prejudice”. These ‘gateway’ movies soon led me to the more ‘hardcore’ stuff like “Lagaan”, which is my present favorite and which I absolutely adore.
My boyfriend (who is Indian) mocks me for adoring these flicks, and says the movies from southern India are so much better. Until he proves it by showing me one that I like better than Lagaan, I generally ignore the mocking.
A frank discussion of Mormon sexuality is crucial to the positive development of the LDS psyche. Often times we, as mormons, are too afraid to discuss our sexuality openly. My blog tries to break down some of those walls while emphasizing gospel truth: LDS Sexuality
i love how they sing this song in the park in the movie. I love this song…its sooo cute !!!!!!