Nationalizing International Films

Hollywood, being the largest and most prosperous film industry in the world, inspires the creation of many other films around the world. Bollywood, perhaps the second most prosperous industry, located in India, has many movies inspired from Hollywood. While such movies do not necessarily represent the true idea of Bollywood, and are rarely the most successful, it still shows how many different ideas can be changed to be represented nationally. The most successful Bollywood films, such as Lagaan, were composed of distinctly Bollywood aspects. A Hollywood inspired film is known as hybrid cinema, a film combining aspects of two different industries, and tweaking an idea to fit nationally. In my argument, I will discuss the relationship between two such films and which parts were carried over effectively. I will also mention those which the directors changed in order to allow the film to fit for Bollywood. Another aspect I will discuss is the parts of the movie which could not have been translated, or were not translated effectively.

One example of a Bollywood film inspired by a Hollywood one is Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, a Bollywood film released in 2002, inspired by My Best Friend’s Wedding, a Hollywood movie made in 1997. My Best Friend’s Wedding, was much more successful and according to IMDB, it received 11 wins and 14 nominations, including an Oscar nomination. On the other hand, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, only received 1 nomination. While the objective of directors of such films may be to mirror the success of the original, tweaking an idea to fit nationally can be a difficult task. Also, translating such ideas may not work as well as directors have hoped. One major difference between Bollywood and Hollywood cinema is the amount of singing and dancing which occurs in Bollywood films. This characteristic can be seen as the trademark for Bollywood films. It is very interesting to see how the directors have picked the most meaningful scenes from My Best Friend’s Wedding, and turned them into an Indian musical scene. Another characteristic of Bollywood cinema which was added to the movie was a man trying to win the love of another girl through her parents. In a review of Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, by ApunKaChoice Bureau, the critic mentions just that: “The film then strays into “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” mode with Sanju doing everything to win the love and affection of Anjali’s family comprising pampering mom-dad, a loving grandmother, a Vastu-Shastra freak aunt and a pessimist uncle.” The Bollywood film the critic relates Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai to is one of the most famous and successful romance films in Bollywood. The directors of Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai choose to include this story in order to nationalize the film and allow it to fit better into Indian society. Since in India, marriages must many times be approved by the parents, adding such a storyline allows the film to suit the viewers better. In My Best Friend’s Wedding, the film is strictly about trying to win each other over, simply because the parents’ approval is not common in American society. Both characteristics are particular to their own nations and would not be very realistic in other societies.

Another characteristic that is different in the two films is the comedic style. The styles vary according to each country’s national cinema. For example, My Best Friend’s Wedding has the classic style of a romantic comedy. It displays the sly, subtle humor found in many Hollywood movies of the same genre. For example, Owen Gleiberman, reviewer for Entertainment Weekly, writes “They make you more aware of how little comic nimbleness there is to the rest of the proceedings.” Gleiberman mentions that although there is comedy in the movie, it is not done with much intelligence. In Bollywood films, however, the comedic style is very different for such a type of movie. The humor turns out to be very childish and borderline, which is a common trait of such types of movies. As for Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, apunkachoice.com writes, “His [Producer Yash Chopra] attempts at comedy are pathetic”. This quote shows that although the comedy in this film failed to mimic the style commonly seen in such films, it failed just as the comedy My Best Friend’s Wedding did. This shows while the storyline might be universal, the comedy is not. It reveals that while a storyline might be “borrowed” from another film, the films will most likely have some characteristics of its own cinema. While both attempted and seemed to have failed, the director added comedic aspects respective to the film’s own nation.

Also, many aspects of cinematography are different in the two films. The setting has very much to do with the storyline. For example, in My Best Friend’s Weddding, much of the setting is a bit darker, which can also relate to the humor found in the movie. In Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, the film has a lot of light imagery. The second screenshot has very bright and flashy colors. One part where the cinematography is completely different is during the songs. In Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, during many of the songs, the characters are wearing colors which stand out, and the scenes also try to show much of the unique scenery. My Best Friend’s Wedding¸on the other hand, focuses more on the characteristics of society as opposed to the setting itself. As seen in the screenshot from Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, it has the two main characters, each wearing bold colors, and standing in front of a vast setting. Also, the rule of thirds is shown in this screenshot, with the grass, the trees, and the sky. The screenshot also has the main characters off-center, another element which adds to the cinematography of the film. The shot is a long shot of the setting, but a medium close up of the characters. In the screenshot of My Best Friend’s Wedding, the main character, Julia Roberts, is also off center. The shot is a close up of the characters. The people in the background are all focoused on Julia Roberts. While song and dance is not as common throughout My Best Friend’s Wedding as it is in the Bollywood version, Janet Maslin, film critic from the New York Times, writes, “Characters burst gaily into song when, as often happens, they don’t have anything better to do.” Maslin mentions that the characters burst into song and dance if the plot has slowed down, and the same could be seen in many Bollywood films. While the extent of singing and dancing in My Best Friend’s Wedding is much less, it still can compare to its Bollywood counterpart.

Overall, while some view two such movies as simple copies, each film has been carefully made to better suit its type of cinema. While some aspects of Bollywood film, such as the goofy comedy, may never fit in such a story here, it will always be acceptable in Bollywood films. Such aspects allow films to be unique to their own film industry. While the storyline of two films are the same, much is changed to adapt one film to another nation. While many times such aspects may not have been able to be added in effectively, it still allows a film to be a hybrid of two types of cinema.

Works Cited

Gleiberman, Owen. "My Best Friend's Wedding." Entertainment Weekly 20 June 1997. 12 Mar. 2009 .

Maslin, Janet. "My Best Friend's Wedding: Something Borrowed and Blue." New York Times 20 June 1997. 13 Mar. 2009 .

"Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai." Review. Apunkachoice. Apunkachoice.com. 13 Mar. 2009 .