Mythology Inside Indian Popular Cinema

Mithology Inside Indian Popular Cinema

Though film was well-born in Europe, the appearance of film in India turns up has the ability to embrace Indian domestic culture. It is proven by the traditional element, such as myth, fairytale, folklore, many dancing and songs in Indian movie. The uniqueness is appear in conversation way or else the narrative way. It is far different from Hollywood movies. The distinction then becomes the characteristic of Indian popular cinema or so-called Bollywood compared with Hollywood production.

The “Bollywood” term refers to Indian popular cinema that is consigned to wider society. It does alike between Bollywood and Hollywood, the one represents Indian popular cinema, and the other one represents American popular cinema. The similarity among them, that they have mass segmentation, not only limited in one country but also all over the world. Actually, Bollywood term, was getting famous when cable TV had dominated in the past decade which had many programs showed Indian movies.

Talked about Bollywood, as if talked about Indian life society which still close enough with traditionalism. Mahabharata and Ramayana became the main referral to the whole kind of Indian movie. The ideas about life and Indian community imagination are not too far from those epics. That is how Indian cinema express to the moviegoers, narrative or in style.

The characteristic in Indian movie always has a typical character. For example, protagonist woman, is usually described alike to Sinta in Ramayana story. Likewise the protagonist man, he is commonly described as Rama in Ramayana story or the other character at Mahabharata story. Solidarity that has been built between one to another character is fastened communally, unlike the individualistic in Hollywood movies. The kinship value is highly upheld by Indian people because of the same doctrine in Mahabharata and Ramayana stories.

The duration is usually more than three hours, you can barely find Indian movies which less than 3 hours duration. Because it has episodic plot, unlike Hollywood which uses linear style divided on 3 segments. Bollywood movies uses multistage concept just like in Mahabharata and Ramayana books, sometimes has more than one main conflict. Moreover, it is inserted with songs and dances like a video clip. To Indian people, dances and songs like the soul of their life.

What inside Ramayana and Mahabharata has been wholeheartedly understood by Indian society. This same perception made Indian people feel the same when they are watching  Indian movies. The different domestic language between them actually does not matter, since they have had the same comprehension about Mahabharata and Ramayana stories, whether they realize or not, defined enough  in Indian popular cinema.

Puput Kuspujiati

Student of film institute at Jakarta focusing at film studies