Bollywood is not in Punjab
Was forced to watch Babul (nahinnnn) last night with my wife as she did not to want to watch it alone. Movie was going at a very boring pace (Salman barking Buddy, buddy was as irritating as the Himesh Reshamiya’s voice). Didn’t know that this was a Punjabi family I was viewing till the time the engagement / wedding scene came on then suddenly, wolla out of the blue a bhangra song hit me right between my legs.
That was the straw that tickled the camels’ balls.
It’s when I realized that almost every Bollywood movies (Hindi language is what I expect in it) has to have a very strong Punjabi connection. I have no bloody clue why?
Too many Bollywood candy floss movies have a bhangra song, a widowed woman going by the tag of beegi (always in whites), NRI hero or heroine having roots back in Punjab or only people from Punjab eligible to fly abroad.
Even the lyrics have to have words like makhna, soniye blah blah blah. Looks like the lyricist have forgotten Samir’s favorite words (inayat, hidayat etc) and only know some stuff like “tere naal main makhna” or something to that effect. The people from other f**ing states do not exist in India. The directors (or detectives) have been able to discover Punjabi people right across the world, from Australia, Singapore, UK (yes, I know there is a huge population there) and even US is no exception (which I understand has a huggggge Central and South Indian population in IT).
After a lot of thinking, 5 packets of cigarettes (I had quit on Jan 7th 2007 but a bhangra song screwed me up) and about 15 beers (had not drank for last 2 years) bollywood movies have educated me the following points:-
1. Only people from Punjab are eligible to travel out of India.
2. Only Punjabi weddings are colorful in which the whole family dance and sing together
3. Only Punjabi families have etiquettes, values, love and care for their family
4. You have patriotism in you only if your able to deliver loud, screaming dialogues in Punjabi (or Punjabi accent)
5. Only Punjabi women know what love for their spouse is. So they fast for a day (kadva chaud) for their well being.
6. Punajbi cuisine is best in world, sarson da saag aur makai de roti da jawab nahin honda (movies have taught me so much of Punjabi)
Tell you the truth, I am sick and tired of this nonsense and would love to watch Bollywood movies based in areas like Assam, Meghalaya etc. For god sake Indians live there as well. Hope other feel like I do.
Do you??
P.S. This post is not biased towards Punjab, its people or anything relating to it. Its just there is more to India than what Bollywood portrays most of the time.
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Muzzy: Chopras, Johars, Kapoors, Khannas, few Khans, Anands, Deols, Sehgals, Gulzaar, and then lot of Singhs etc etc all belong to Panjab (either present Indian Panjab or Panjab of undivided India). Punjabi’s have always maintained majority in hindi films. in the past 20 years (right from the Tutak Tutak Tutiyan’s success) Indi pop has single meaning Panjabi pop, so no wonder if hindi film is also affected by this factor. They think people like it so they keep it.
Dev Anand and Gulzaar are the only Panjabi directors who dont keep a punjabi song or dance in their films if its not required.
Bhangra is good WWF kinda free style dancing for film makers and actors so they shd prefer it.
Muzzy maamu :D :D
long time some one belled this cat. yes, it’s overtly punjab centric and irritatingly so, sometimes. Admitted that the punjabi weddings are really lively and the kudis are ummmm, but still yaar .. bollywood needs to get a perspective. the only one to break the cycle was HDDCS with the Gujarati dhoklas …
muzzy, couldn’t agree with you more!! since bhangra is known as the “party” music, only people from that region are automatically known to be “fun” and worth making a movie about.
another sad but true fact is that the hindi film industry is as superficial as a mother-in-law who wants a fair bride, not a dark one. this is why you see all the “chiknas” (light-skinned, fair boys) in this industry. which is why i love kay kay menon all the much more.. for coming on his own in an industry that is otherwise biased towards people with fair skin. (also have a personal experience of this bias, so i’m not just making it up)
i’m trying hard to recollect a movie that was based in/around south india or had south indian characters. besides ek “duje ke liye”, nothing comes to mind.. and when you do see south indian characters, the filmmakers resort to the stereotype and make them mere caricatures of cartoon characters.. nothing substantial.
i didnt know karva chaud was only held by punjabi women..
Your blog was cool too read but was too unidimensional. If you notice, most of the filmmamkers who have the Punjabi items in their movies are Punjabis. Satyajit rarely left Bengal, so why blame Ravi Chopra, Yash Chopra etc?
abso fuckin lutely right dude.
India beynod the ’sarson ke khet’
is dying & crying to be explored.
with the chopras (yash, BR, Vidhu), khoslas, sippys, johars, holding the moneybags, the khans, mukherjees, madhavans, bachchans /(srivastavas) WILL break into bhangra? No offence meant, but surely Bollywood can be more representative? Where are the Bimal Roys & Guru Dutts & Sai Paranjpes & Kundan Shahs & Saeed Mirzas?
This is a lose-lose situation. Non-Punjabi’s (I assume non of you are actually Punjabi, am I right?) don’t like the over-dose of “Punjabism” in hindi films. Just because Bhangra beats and music have caught on in a big way doesn’t mean that every other film requires a pseudo-bhangra track.
Guess what? If you ask most Punjabi’s (if you can’t find one your welcome to ask me) will tell you that very very rarely will you see a Punjabi character treated realistically in films. Their cheesy, sterotypical caricatures at best. Its a silly, almost demeaning depiction, but most Punjabi’s won’t overtly take offence to it, accepting it in the name of frivilous, meaningless entertainment.
Ok, so Dhol beats and tumbi sounds have caught on in a big way. Bhangra music makes for good party music. I don’t think we owe anyone an apology for that. However ss a proud Punjabi I can voutch that even the hardcore folk Punjabi singers don’t actually yell out “Punjabi!” or “Bhangra!” in the middle of the song. Balle-balle…err, here and there.
Then again, are we also getting too much of the “sufi” sound? That’s in style now too, is it not?
Now to address the major beef of this article, to say that Hindi cinema doesn’t cater at all to other groups of Indians say is going too far. Hindu characters, customs and traditions have dominated hindi cinema since as far back as anyone can remember. Muslim language, poetry, mannerisms have also had an undenialby strong influence on films as well. Although, admittedly they haven’t always been given a fair shake as far as solid characterizations.
If the issue however is that there is too much Punjabism in Hindi cinema today, then we need to re-examine a few things.
If the film is set in Northern India (Rang De Basanti, Khosla Ka Ghosla) then a fair representation of the setting would include that Punjabi touch. Right? Right. Just like if a film were set it Bihar (like Omkara) or Mumbai (Taxi No. 9211 or Corporate) you would see more of that flavour and almost nothing Punjabi. I don’t recall seeing anything. Do you?
If a film is based on Hindu culture (like, Vivah or Jai Santoshi Maa) then there shouldn’t be that Punjabi touch. Was there?
If its a superpowers film (Krrish or Alag) then I wouldn’t really expect anything on sarson da saag or makki di roti or any of that.
If its a slick crime film (like Gangster) or pretty much any film made by the Bhatts (Woh Lamhe, The Killer) I wouldn’t expect even the music to have that bhangra flavour.
But I think what it comes down to is the point raised by RK & crazyplaywright, that if a film is made by a Punjabi (like Ravi Chopra or YashRaj for example) you should expect a reflection of the makers background/sensibility just like you shouldn’t expect it from the Bhatt’s or RGV or Madhur Bhandarkar or Nagesh Kukunoor or Rakesh Roshan or Prakash Jha or Farhan Akhtar or Mani Ratnam or Priyadarshan or… well, you get the point I’m sure.
the point made by Tony, i think is correct but then again, whats irritating at times is the happy+over-the-top+loud Punjabi/Sikh character in movies added in the movie just for the fun factor.
and you know wats even more irritating, its when Johnny Lever plays those roles.
Oh man, tell me about it. Johnny Lever in Raja Hindustani instantly comes to mind.. so cheesy, over the top, playing the stereotypes to the hilt. But then it was somehow justified as his was a comedic track.
Another one, again justified by its insignificance to the films central plotline, was the young “Singh” in Ken Ghosh’s Ishq Vishk. Throughout the entire film all the guy actually says is “Kya baat kar raha hai yaar?” on like 10 seperate occasions. Except that one time where the group needs an idea fast, the Singh looks as though he’s come up with something (the idea demonstrated by his facial expressions and the “balle balle balle balle” with dhol in the b/g score) only to realize its not such a good idea afterall.
And then I compare that to the way Yash Chopra showed the life in the villages of Punjab so beautifully in “Veer Zaara”. The heart and soul that Amitabh’s character put into the village and ultimately how much it meant to him, the little nuances like the hockey game, the lodi traditions, the way the men mischeaviously indulge in their drinks and card games, the village carnival complete with a classy cameo by Punjabi music legend Gurdas Mann… it all showed that Yash Chopra has great attachments to his Punjabi background, right to its core, and he displays it with pride.
And he’s done so for years. Kaala Pathar, a classic in my book, had a small character of a pure Punjabi truck driver. Here’s quite a typical character, found in everyday life throughout India, and yet only sometimes is it portrayed with a certain level of sincerity. The character was a very tiny part of the the multi-starrer and yet was handled earnestly and with genuineness.
Fine, I admit to having a certain bias being a Punjabi myself however I’m sure that those of Gujrati background aren’t quite pleased when their accent is made fun of (as in Satish Shah’s character in Kal Ho Na Ho). Similarly those of Bengali descent must be equally as happy to see a sincere representation through a well-writted Bengali character as they are upset by a caricature of the same.
Its promising to know that filmmakers are are slowly but surely moving away from such over the top, slapstick characterizations (of any culture) and more so towards more realistic portrayals of individual characters, whose backgrounds reflect certain traits and nuances.
I’d almost rather see characters will less cultural dimension and more mainstream appeal. I understand that these characters may lack depth but I’d still much rather see a character than a cartoon.
Dang….What da heck im i reading??
first of all arent we all r indians?? Punjab is a part of india den wat da F***? What i can think is that u guys r totally jealous cuz punjabi culture more in hindi movies nd more r on way..Singh is Kinng is made in punjabi..if u guys really like Akshay Kumar den im sorry he’s pure Punjabi from Amritsar so i guess u guys gotta hate him cuz he’s punjabi. or if u guys like KAJOL im sorry but she’s married to punjabi guy (AJAY DEVGAN) if u guys like AKSHAYE KHANNA den he’s PUNJABI.if u guys like TWINKLE KHANNA Sorry shes punjaban. KArishma kapoor is punjaban nd she’s married to punjabi boy living in delhi nd she got married at gurudwara.
Its funny d way u guys r thinking about punjabi’s HOW DUMB.
Just Unbelievable..i didnt know u ppl will think like this WOW..thats sad..Im hating this cuz im PUNJABI..its making me mad now..Okay lets play DANDIA nd lets dance on it..nd lets see how many ppl dance on dandia…im not being racist but im just saying.. In bollywood half of the stars play punjabi songs to dance on their weddings..nwyzz dats just disgusting
I really agree with TONY..in Veer Zeera yash chopra showed pure PUNJABI CULTURE…last time i read a article that amitabh bachan loves to go to PUNJAB cuz its relaxing there..staying in MUMBAI traffic nd going to punjab oh boy its feels soo relaxing…with greenery, trees nd have a glass of lassi..with cool winds.maynn love it. Well i dont noe why we r arguing..u guys cant stop bollywood to go punjab cuz its just a starting den next few yrs bollywood will be in punjab..bollywood is runing in punjab’s blood..every movie has punjabi songs..well njoy these articles i wrote..nd yea PRIYANKA CHOPRA is punjabi toooo..SHAHRUKH KHAN the king KHAN OF BOLLYWOOD’s wife GAURI KHAN is punjaban nd she was born in punjab…oooops there’s another punjabi..haha :D
laterzzz
I guess it’s got to do with “what sells”. Johar/Advani in Kal Ho Naa Ho were smart enough to understand that the diaspora comprised of Gujjus as well apart from the Punjabis, the diaspora that they wanted to address/target and make moolah out of . Ek ke daam mein do, so Gujju ko bhi daal do. Kyon? B’choth! kyonki “Gujju” also sells and get in the best representative faces like those of those ladies from Ekta Kapoor’s serials. Mind you not that I haven’t enjoyed Punjabi culture and its depiction in Hindi cinema. I have loved their energy, their spirit amongst other things at least from what movies gave me. I instantly wanted to be transported to some place in Punjab, when I watched Shahid Kapur being stuffed to death in those claustrophobic yet cozy small yet inviting dining rooms of Jab We Met vis-a-vis those Sharmistha Roy’s gargantuan settings in la la lands of filmistan, or film city. It all boils down to depiction and depiction with conviction.
I guess Punjabi culture is the cliche in Bollywood that is welcome, and not for nothing is it a cliche. If some filmmaker were to consciously bring in some other state in northern India for the sake of “different” I feel it would fall flat. If commerce is the point then how many filmmakers would depict Himachal Pradesh, or a Jammu Kashmir beyond post card stuff and do it in a way that has the distributors and Taran Adarshs smiling?! Same is the case with south. I know this comment has been beaten to death but the point remains that Madrasi/Tamil remains the representation of the South. How many movies have Malayalis, Telugus being pictured in a likeable way, or are they in the first place?! Kannadiga is a species that doesn’t exist at all. So till someone makes a really commercially viable venture the stereotypes will remain what they are for a long time to come. I also feel the real winners are those who go for these depictions the first time, may be the pioneers. Or the ones that make the definitive stuff. Marwari wedding cinema cannot get better than HAHK, underworld stuff cannot get better than Company. So it is OK while these guys do it, or we watch the same stuff all over. What drives people up the wall is when other wannabes try to cling to the template and make a formula out of it. Coming back to Punjabi stuff, it is again a choice. A choice between Anil Sharma/Harman Baweja/Raj Kanwar/Dharmesh Darshan type, or the Mira Nair/Farhan Akhtar/Rakeysh Mehra type. Wait you have the Polystyrene versions of Johar and Chopra in between. Choose your choice ;)
May be it is also got to do with what symbols have got really entrenched in popular culture (those pictorial charts used by small kids in schools, for example) over a long period of time. So what we are witnessing today is the cumulative result of stuff that’s been coming from ages. So the Telugus, the Kannadigas, the Malayalis, the Eastern Belt have never had any “solid” symbol or act/icon that could be mimicked/ caricatured. It all boils down to the Babu Moshai of the East, the Balle Balle/Makhna/Sarson Da/Truck Driver/Dildaar of the north, the yennada rascala/idli sambar of the south, the ben/aauche/jaauche/kem cho of the west. You will never have a caricature of a Telugu, or a Kannadiga (ironically they again a major chunk of the diaspora) which is not to say that they have been culturally been weak, but then you know. May be just may be some modern filmmaker in those urban multiplex-friendly fare may throw in a Mallu caricature courtesy the heavy accent. and the Marathis/Konkan will win a consolation in the form of a kai zaala/nine yard saree-wearing veggy vendor offering more expletives than the veggies in her basket.
A poor directed blog…
The author must watch some South movies too, to know that there exits a different kind of industry in South India…
In North India, if the movies are affected by punjabi( Although the urdu words are also used in songs, which the dear author might have neglected in quest of a mere critisicm of punjabi words), the reason behind is the beauty that come in punjabi songs…as it comes in the songs having urdu words also…
The writer can also quote some movies based on North East Indians…I dont think he has seen a single one..Although I agree that they are also indians, but the songs are portrayed in punjabi n urdu words due to their only slight variance from Hindi that can give a different taste to the audiences…
The article is way distracted according to me… Use some good evidences in your support…
Dear and respected friend: I can see your frustration and I will do the same if I am on the other side of fence.
I am from now from Canada for 4 decades and my children are born and grown up here.
They were always involved in Indian things but they were in essence all were punjabi. I asked them many many times how come you do not learn other Indian things always the answer was in school and college etc or friends this what all of them do. According to their small world India was just Punjab, the reasons for this was Punjabis are more in number in these countries and by shear number it became the norm. India is a huge country and all people have great things to offer but in the intial years it were mainly punjabis and to some extent gujrati in the foreign lands.
I believe Bollywood went to through the same process in the intial years by shear numbers of punjabis in the industry it showed more punjabi culture/dresses/songs/ foods/ dances and other stuff punjab based.
I also believe it has to do something with the economics also they have to sell the movie. In the middle east and Pakistan our brothers/ sisters in that part of the world connect a little more to punjabi culture therefore it is kind of better sell than showing some other life style and culture.
Anyway take it what is worth these are my thoughts believe me lots of people have tremendous respect for other parts of India besides Punjab. I went to school with Southern Indians first time I learnt the lesson most of them are extremely bright and we are life time friends. It is very true India is gold mine all over not only punjab but these movie want to sell and make money what ever sells in the world market. It is no reflection of any inferiority of any other Indians. You take any grain of that soil and you will find history of 5000 years and their is no shortage of culture in every grain.
with lot of respect for your feeling
Sam
Ive read with amusement the various views on the Punjabization of Hindi films.
Actually I cant blame the Panjus….they are generally quite an ill informed and change averse breed. They like to dwell in their walled space of “punjabiath” with absolutely no sense of loss.
The angst among “Non-Punjabis” could be a North India vs Punjab dual and not a South India vs Punjab. For me as a South Indian….I really dont have to see a Bollywood/Yashraj movie or a Bollywood Punjabi flick to feel good. So to me its a call to the south to give this a royal ignore.
Bollywood cinema buffs just don’t know what they are missing out from south cinema. Panjus dont want to know. So let them be.
Chumma…ignore…macha. Point ille….pointe ledhu….pointe illa….oru pointum illa.
Bollywood is Punjabi and that really annoys me. I want to see Bollywood lose its market it south India and east India – people should just stop paying for tickets to Bollywood movies and instead promote their own regional cinema. Bollywood can shrink until its viewers are only North Indians and the North Indian/Punjabi diaspora.
If they don’t want to acknowledge India’s cultural diversity, then Bollywood is welcome to become strictly regional Punjabi cinema. The rest of us don’t want Punjab shoved down our throats, thanks. Most of the people in that state have probably never heard of Meghalaya, let alone that there are languages like Telugu and Kannada!
Spot on dude! We have 28 states each with their own unique cultures and languages. Here are some of the movies I’m expecting from Btown.
1. Arunachal – The frontiers of love
2. Nagaland – Ek Prem Khata
3. Chandni Chowk to Chattisgarh
4. Jharkhand Beats
5. Saas, bahu aur Sikkim