A Year in Indian Movies!
2024 is going to be all about the biggest film industry in the world; India.
I’ve begun reading Sumita Chakravarty’s great book, “National Identity in Indian Popular Cinema: 1947-1987” as a primer on understanding the birth of Indian cinema after Independence versus the decades leading up to it. It’s a great read if anyone is interested in the subject! It’s filled with plenty of historical context going back to the 1500’s, leading the reader through migration patterns, colonialization, the fight for independence, and obviously the films that came after it in 1947.
One hiccup I anticipated was that a lot of films from India aren’t streaming anywhere. Availability was the prime reason I was able to see 212 French films in 2023, but 2024 will be difficult to find 100 Indian films available anywhere. For now, a subscription to Eros Now (only $5 a month if you already have an Amazon Prime account) will open up a lot of entries; especially in the 1940s and 1950s, which are particularly thin.
Because India is such a culturally and religiously diverse place, with multiple film centers, I’m adding another dimension to my research and watching. Indian films aren’t just Bollywood (those refer not just to musicals, but any film produced in Mumbai that’s primarily in Hindi). They’re Bollywood, Tollywood (films in Bengali), Kerala films (known for more emotional subtlety), Pollywood (Punjabi films from India and Pakistan), and so on. Unlike smaller nations I’ve done before, India’s geographical vastness and cultural girth dictate nuance. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, wrote in his book The Discovery, that India is “infinitely absorbent, like the ocean” when it comes to accepting people from around the world. That quote, and knowing already that India has several film centers to accommodate its many dialects and experiences, has led me to the conclusion to also track regions of production for the films I watch. Watching only Hindi movies may show what life felt like to people in Mumbai, but that may not ring true elsewhere. So goes diversity in production, so goes diversity in diet.
If you or anyone you know has any thoughts about which films to watch, directors to follow, sites to buy hard-to-find films, please let me know! Unlike Japan and France, I’m starting without a foot in the door on this years’ project. I’m learning as I go. While I don’t know anyone who has an outstanding grasp of Indian films, I hope to find one or two people to help guide this year along.
Until then, I hope 2023 was fulfilling, and 2024 offers even more.
Ben