Hollywood versus Bollywood: comparative analysis of film industries

Hollywood vs. Bollywood

Society has started to express more and more interest in Bollywood during the recent years, as the Indian film environment experienced significant progress. In contrast to Hollywood, Bollywood is not a physical place, with Indians having built a motion picture industry meant to reflect Western film style. Even with that, Bollywoodian films are adapted to Indian cultural values and are apparently meant to principally address local audiences. The general public has become supportive concerning this particular industry, however, and Bollywood's actors and films gained recognition in the West. It is difficult and almost impossible to determine whether Bollywood is better than Hollywood or vice-versa, as these two film industries largely address different publics and put across thinking that can be associated with the Indian, and, respectively, the Western environments.

While most people considered that Bollywood was a simple imitation of Hollywood, films produced by the Indian motion picture industry in the recent years demonstrate that it can actually be a rival to the Los Angeles film business. Bollywood no longer addresses a local audience as some films that have been created by it in the last few years were provided with particular attention from an international public. Although most people are likely to believe that Hollywood cannot even be compared with Bollywood, it is probable that the latter will experience a significant evolution in the near future.

Bollywood is traditionally considered to be the result of a South-Asian public interested in having access to Western films. Given that people in India were unable to see Western films in the second half of the twentieth century, the authorities got actively engaged in providing them with an equivalent that was even better because it contained a series of elements present in their culture. "South Asian diasporic filmmakers have gained access to resources in many different ways, including Hollywood financing, state funding, and multinational sponsorship"(Desai, 2004, p. 38). Even with that, the Indian film industry does not rival Hollywood's businesses, as it simply inspires from it in order to employ the perfect formula in achieving success while presenting its motion pictures to an international public. Trans-national corporations in the U.S. dominate the global media and virtually make it impossible for film industries from other countries to rival its enterprises. Moreover, Bollywood is not only faced with Hollywood's contemporary actors and films, as it has to deal with a long history of successful films that were provided with credit from the international public across the twentieth century and in the last few years.

In contrast to Bollywood, Hollywood "operates within a postindustrial mode so that it seeks to acquire and distribute "independent" alternative films without involvement in production" (Desai, 2004, p. 38). However, the Indian cinema has recently expressed interest in expanding its influence and in having international audiences identify it as Bollywood rather than associating it with India in particular. Bollywoodians are concerned about having the world know that they are capable of producing films that are not only meant to address Indian viewers and do everything in their power in order to succeed.

Danny Boyle's 2008 motion picture Slumdog Millionaire is one of the last of a series of Bollywoodian films that have impressed the international public through the concepts that it put across. This film managed to have audiences feel less hesitant about liking a motion picture made in what they previously associated with a cheap imitation of Hollywood. In spite of the fact that it addresses an international public, the film contains a great deal of elements related to Indian cultural values and most of the actors playing in it are Indian. Films such as this one have influenced the masses in acknowledging that Bollywood is no longer a local alternative to Hollywood, as it is almost as important as the real thing, especially when considering that the film received eight Oscars. The director cleverly introduced elements related to globalization, a new India, and the harsh conditions of Mumbai's streets with the purpose of having viewers familiar with the general environment in India. What is surprising about this particular motion picture is that it is very difficult from typical Bollywoodian musicals. While some might argue that the film is not 100% Indian because of the nationality of the director and the protagonist, the fact that it was co-directed by Loveleen Tandan, one of the leading Bollywoodian motion picture directors, refutes this claim and supports the belief that Slumdog Milionaire is, in fact, an authentic Indian film. This is the kind of film that changes the international public's opinion in regard to Bollywoodian motion pictures.

While Slumdog Millionaire essentially presents the central character as he undergoes a series of adventures filled with intense colors and feelings coming straight from the slums of Mumbai, most Bollywoodian films focus on concepts such as dancing, singing, and surreal stunts performed by characters that appear to have supernatural powers. These are the motion pictures that are generally associated with the Bollywood film environment.

In contrast to Slumdog Millionaire, Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island puts across elements characteristic to Western culture in general. The film relates to concepts such as the Second World War, Nazi prisoner camps, and American cultural values. It is basically the result of some of Hollywood's most renowned individuals and it manages to address an international public without actually focusing on the importance of the actors playing in it, as it is actually concentrated on the storyline.

With Scorsese directing it and Ben Kingsley and Leonardo DiCaprio starring in it, Shutter Island is a typical Western film addressing an international public and using elements that are Western in character, but that are likely to have people coming from diverse backgrounds identify with the characters and their experiences. This film is not necessarily meant to be American or Western, as it simply follows a recipe that is considered to be effective in the case of individuals who want their motion pictures to receive support from viewers. It uses a clever script, efficient filming techniques, and renowned characters, virtually having everything that it needs in order to attract crowds in large numbers. This is why Hollywood is in some cases better than Bollywood: it has access to a wider range of renowned actors, directors, and film crews.