Many years ago, I recall reading Amitabh Bachchan’s blog where he had narrated an incident which took place sometime after the release of Sholay. Listen to the Uzbeki girl sing lines from Mehendi Lagaa Ke Rakhna and Bhole Chudiyaan here: She even sang songs, one from SRK-Kajol starrer Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and other Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.
Wherever he travelled, people would great him with words “Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan…” In fact, at a local eatery, the moment one of the girls working there came to know he was from India, she rattled of her favourite stars and songs. And Afghanistan would love to believe that Hema Malini is actually an Afghan! Such is the clout of Bollywood and look how we bring them to the knees.Īt a recent visit to Uzbekistan on work, my brother experienced first-hand, the power of Bollywood. Not to mention, how popular Rajinikanth is in Japan. Raj Kapoor still enjoys a cult status in Russia, Amitabh Bachchan has an avid fan following in Egypt while Indonesians drool over Shah Rukh Khan. Our stories are universal and touch a chord everywhere.
From Brazil to Russia and Canada to New Zealand, people recognise the song and dance routine. The irony is that Bollywood remains the single most potent force and flag bearer of India (after, of course, Gandhi and yoga). The government, which should ideally have been a mediator between the two parties, sits on the fence. The manner in which its director and its leading heroine have had to face the wrath of a section of public, not the mention tension to the producers, makes one wonder how vulnerable Bollywood is. However, the opposition to it has been stiff and often very intimidating. The film, which was to release on December 1 last year, is finally set to release on January 25. Was it as bad as things are today? The manner in which the film Padmaavat and its team have been harassed, intimidated and threatened, it is hard to imagine anything like that happening back then.īased on an episode from medieval Indian history about the attack by Alauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi, on Chittor (Rajasthan), Padmaavat was expected to be a visual extravaganza, as visualised by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and a tale of valour, bravery and sacrifice. The film was banned and released only when the Janata Party’s Morarji Desai succeeded Gandhi. It was reportedly based on the life of the then prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi. I was too young when Gulzar’s Aandhi released in 1975 to know how the then government tried to scuttle its release.