Comments on: There Once Was a Man From Tajik

By: Justin Binder

Justin Binder — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:00:59 +0000

I fail to see how this is newsworthy. What does he do differently that a million and one Indians don't do everyday?

Cheap Eastern European Knock-off

By: jackal

jackal — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:01:09 +0000

it’s worth pointing out that ‘tajik’ jimmy is ethnically uzbek — i suppose this reflects the current russian tendency to group all those central asian ‘others’ into some mental category for easy harassment and beatings. charming indeed..

By: Sapna Samant

Sapna Samant — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:52:52 +0000

Why should you be stunned that Bollywood films have such reach in ‘restrictive’ countries? Before Bollywood became ‘Bollywood’, before films were being made for NRIs and the diaspora living in the Western world, old Hind films were seen from across South-East Asia to Africa, the Middle East and even in the Caribbean. Communist countries could identify with Raj Kapoor’s take on the poor, honest Indian man and the socialist theme and even later Mithun Chakraborty’s films did well. Ask any Russians to sing ‘Awara Hoon’ from Raj Kapoor’s Awara and they will. Sholay has screened in China and so have other old Hindi films. Seems like you need an education in ‘Bollywood’. Perhaps you know that Mother India was nominated for an Academy Award in 1958? Maybe not. Jaagte Raho, produced by RK Films (Raj Kapoor) won the Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1957. (That was in the former Czechoslovakia, a communist country.) These are precursors of ‘Bollwood’. You tell a good story and anyone will watch it. Nothing is as off putting as a bunch of songs put together with fake characters for the sake of a ‘Bollywood’ film. Anyway, my two bits. I suggest you actually do some good research before you write. Tchuss. ps I reckon more people across the globe will watch Kaminey and end up singing/humming ‘Dhan Te Naan’ simply because it is a good film. Not ‘Bollywood’.

By: AK

AK — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 09:53:54 +0000

@ jyotsana, your torrenting comment is only true for people who have computer, who are a distinct minority of individuals worldwide. I would venture that the ratio of people who have access to movie theaters to people who have computers is gigantic. As such, torrenting would not come into it, but getting cinema reels would.

By: jyotsana

jyotsana — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:41:43 +0000

Pedro, But then in those days, you had the ubiquitous camera print and v.lax anti-piracy operations. Until some of the biggest movie pirates became audio/video cassett makers and then finally movie producers. No names please, or I will get sued! Among the first illegal movie shows must be the special screening of Raj Kapoor's Sangam the Hindujas organized for Empress Farah of Iran.

By: Pedro Alvarez Espinoza

Pedro Alvarez Espinoza — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:40:30 +0000

@jyotsana 7:26,

Yes, it is be cheaper today to download off of torrents; but it was a non-existent in 1990's when Indian movies dominated almost all african countries

By: Eurasian Sensation

Eurasian Sensation — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:32:11 +0000

Indian movies are massive in Indonesia as well. Last time I was there, the video clip of "Bole Chudiyan" (from "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham") was on TV virtually every hour. My cousin kept singing it, but not knowing Hindi, changed the title words to "Mobil Curi ya" which basically means "my car has been stolen". Since a lot of people in my extended family knew my girlfriend was Indian, I was asked on numerous occasions, "She must be a good dancer, right?"

Oh and I once saw a documentary on the West African country of Burkina Faso, and apparently Indian cinema is big there also.

By: jyotsana

jyotsana — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:26:43 +0000

Indian movies are cheaper than english movies.

Not really. Not in these days of torrents, file sharing etc., The growing popularity of Indian cinema worldwide wrt to Hollywood (which still makes more money by orders of magnitude) is because people have begun to see through the latter as well. Without any malice to anyone, Hollywood too is very soon just another formula. Especially after I came here to the US 9 years ago, Hollywood changed for me, I now recognize the wooden acting, the typecasting, the cliche, the steretyping, bad accents and all that. C’mon you have to make money – nothing wrong with that – and still fulfill your creative aspirations. That is as old as art itself. It’s not cynicism but being realistic!

By: Pedro Alvarez Espinoza

Pedro Alvarez Espinoza — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:04:46 +0000

Indian movies are widely seen in Africa, not so much because africans like Indian culture, as it is more to do with financial reasons. Indian movies are cheaper than english movies.

By: hati

hati — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:22:10 +0000

indian cinema is more watched than hollywood, It is the biggest cinema industry of the world and the most dubbed. It’s been huge everywhere except the western hemisphere for decades, and only now with the diaspora has the west caught up to the love of bollywood people. Regardless of if you like the films or not you have to agree that they are pure escapism which is why they are so popular.