So The Party Financed A Large Number Of Movies To Re-establish The ...
So the party financed a large number of movies to re-establish the traditional social and religious system by means of melodramatic stories which depicted a nation still subdivided into castes but where everybody was happy in that way (see, for instance, Sooraj Barjatya's Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, 1994), furthering the fatalistic philosophy that is even today so typical of the subcontinent. Anyway, it must be noted that the mixing of politics and cinema has been practised by all parties. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), for instance, has always used it to gain legitimacy with the masses, and in 1952 financed Krishnan Panju's Parasakthi, a work characterised by critiques of social evils such as caste, superstition, idolatry, black marketing, and class domination. But the most nationalistic and conservative factions have been the ones most attracted by this persuasive power, and regarded it a powerful propaganda instrument to prompt the population to rebel during British colonisation. It is interesting to stress that it was during that period that female characters were given the highest attention and psychological introspection they ever gained in the history on national cinema. In fact, women (especially mothers and 'amazons' like Fearless Nadia) were taken as symbols of India itself, fighting to survive and attain freedom. Nowadays, these political movements promote even films featuring some of the issues arising from the clash between the Hindu and the Muslim community, such as the explosion of violence that in some areas of the country end up in uncontrollable riots. This does not mean that filmmakers and producers want to help to subvert the status quo, but it is clear that they are perfectly aware of the impact of movies on their specific audience. This attitude has obviously led to the rejection of the life style and some messages communicated by Hollywood cinema and consequently to a sometimes limited circulation of the movies. Indeed, Bollywood films that are deeply rooted in Indian cultural milieu have in some occasions taken over the role played by their American counterparts, as has happened in those regions of the world which are highly populated by Indian immigrants. In fact, Manjunath Pendakur states that in Africa, if there is any competition to Hollywood imports, it is not from the British or the French films but films imported from India... In the colonial period, when Indian workers migrated to the West or to Africa, they seldom kept in touch with India. They did not have the luxury of modern communications such as telephones, tape recorders, video cameras, and relatively inexpensive air travel... These immigrants have now reached middle age and are nostalgic about their homeland. As may be expected, films that rekindle or capitalise on that nostalgia do well.
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