Indian cinema = Hindi cinema?

An academy of Indian films and filmmakers with a charter to help them achieve wider coverage across the globe - sounds like a desirable proposition, doesn't it? Well, that is exactly what the IIFA - the International Indian Film Academy sounds like it should focus on. And to as though support this guess the academy has put up its definition of Indian cinema, which actually throws up a very basic question on its face - are Indian cinema and Hindi cinema, one and the same?

Suprising charter this...

While at the outset, a charter to project Indian cinema on screens across the world sounds good and of huge value to movies of all Indian languages, what the IIFA has been actually doing brings big surprise. In one of its advertisements this is what IIFA boasts itself of having achieved...

Wherever IIFA has left its mark, it has promoted the business of Indian Cinema and provided it an impetus. The sale of tickets of Hindi cinema grew by thirty five percent in the UK in the six months after IIFA. In South Africa, Hindi films moved from matinee shows on weekends to mainline theatres and now there are competing distribution chains vying for the rights to exhibit Hindi films across Africa.

The difference needs to be clear!

The IIFA talks about movies from India in the same tune as it talks about Hindi films made in India as though knowing no difference between the two. Well, the real difference, apparently, is not known to the academy. All it has done since inception in 2000 is advertise Hindi film industry across the globe with the label of Indian film industry, thus sending very very false signals about the Indian film industry across the world. This has also led to a noticeably biased growth taking place in the Hindi film industry and a noticeable decline in the worldwide presence of movies of other Indian languages, including movies from the Kannada film industry.

Made in India, not Hindi!

With all these biased stands towads the Hindi film industry, and calling it the Indian film industry, they even boast of having a very qualified advisory panel consisting of not a single character from non-Hindi film industry. What a pity, this board is advising on labeling Hindi films as sole candidates for the Made in India label.

If the stand of IIFA was so clear to project, showcase and promote only Hindi film industry, it would have been apt to call it International Hindi Film Academy (IHFA). Developments under IIFA have certainly benefited the Hindi cinema, but have done little to support their claims of improving the Indian film industry. Instead what is expected of such an academy is a system to enable uniform upbringing and showcasing of film industries of all Indian languages in an unbiased manner. Such academies should eventually pave the way for making Indian entertainment truly representative of the whole of India, which is a union of linguistic states.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I totally agree. If IIFA were to do its duties for the reason it was created, it should propogate movies made in India without the language barrier.

But, who can tackle this? Who will question them? Who will teach them this lesson?

Knowing hindi does not make me Indian, Watching Hindi cinema is not watching Indian cinema, its just Hindi cinema.

Anonymous said...

Dear Friends,

We are facing the same issue in all categories.. not only in film industry..

Basically, the decition of making Hindi as national language was biased. I think considering the number of ppl who speak Hindi couldnt be only the benchmark to make hindi as a national luanguage. I think government is centralize by Hindi speaking ppl, is the main reason for Hindi domination. How can we protest it ot wats the soln for this??

Nice and relevent article. aadre bekkina koralige gante kattuvavaraaru???

Shree
KarnatakaRatna.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

chitra premi

Mungaru maLe went on to run 50 days in many centres outside karnataka.

unfortunatly we could not capitalise on its golden run afterwards due to poor quality films.

This year is ven more worst with 42 films failing out of 44 films released in first 6 months.Apart from gaja and galipata no film could run for 100 days.

Lets improve our quality.Lets get kannada films fully in karnataka itself.Then think of outside.

Immediate task for us is to get good kannada in films.Kannada films have seen increasing usage of hindi(subtitles,dialogues) and english.

Instead of prooting a kannada film which kannada lanuage like this it is better to be quiet.

PS: I see one kannada film every week and i know how worst they are.

Unfortunatly i keep expecting a beter film every time i see a film but end up in dissapointing.

Today i saw merevanige,atleast some what better film.A nice time pass film.

KFI - please give nice time pass films,nt like vulgar movies like inthi ninna preetiya or patre loves padma,kencha or haava or some rowday movies.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely true. For many foreigners Indian cinema means just Bollywood even in the Oscars Bollywood represents Indian Cinema. Actually some of the great works from the south hasn't got that recognition nationally or internationally.

Anonymous said...

I have watched two or three Kannada movies and they are much, much better than the cheap crap dished out by Bollywood which I don't watch as I don't understand the regional language (Hindi or Hindustani or Urdu, whatever) in which they are made. Indian cinema has not won an Oscar only because the cheap crap of Bollywood gets sent to the Oscars. By the way, Bollywood does not even represent all of Hindi cinema, let alone Indian cinema! It is ridiculous and outrageous that people believe that the cheap, plagiarised crap of Bollywood (some of which are financed by terrorists, underworld dons and other criminals) represents Indian cinema. It only shows their ignorance about Indian cinema. One news program showed some top Bollywood actors singing songs of praise to India's most wanted terrorist at his nephew's birthday party! It is enough to make one sick!

Bollywood, which is the term for the regional cinema of Hindia that is made in "Bambaee" no longer dominates its own market (the Hindi states). Bhojpuri films are giving Bollywood films a run for their money in the Hindi states.

@Sridhar: Hindi is NOT the national language of India! It is the regional language of Hindia. Either all languages are regional languages with only English, which IS an Indian language, the only language that can be a link language or all languages spoken in India (including English) are national languages! Don't believe the bullshit dished out by Hindians. Be proud to say that Kannada is your national language!

@Banavasi Balaga: Thanks for writing an unbiased post about Indian cinema and thanks for allowing me to write comments on your blog. Whatever the differences between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, I whole-heartedly support your efforts to oppose the imposition of Hindi. India needs many more blogs like this.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for writing this.

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