Is Bollywood the world's worst film industry?

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Heavily censored, puerile subject matter and arguably racist as the heroes and heroines don't reflect the society other than a select few who seem to have migrated from northern areas of the subcontinent like Pakistan or Afghanistan.

I'm a film buff but I've always found it difficult to sit through even 5 minutes of an Indian film because they seem so crass and devoid of depth of intellectual content. Given the budgets available compared to other countries I think Indian cinema is probably among the most pathetic worldwide but if you feel different I am open to suggestion.

 

[kingusama92]

Depends on your taste.

Bollywood has a lot of gems for the "purists" too.

For the average Bollywood movie, you just have to shut off your brain and enjoy the entertainment factor. Don't over think it.

 

[LongHorn]

Not really, Bollywood produces plenty of good movies, if you watch the Rowdy Rathores or Khiladi 786's, you will get the wrong impression.
And I speak as someone who watched a grand total of 3-4 Indian films throughout the 90s as I found them stupid at that time

 

[ahamedirshad123]

Indian cinema ≠ Bollywood

 

[cricketjoshila]

Indians who won oscars were not for bollywood films.Regional mobies are very good as well.

 

[amax]

It must be up there with the worst,as far as my experience goes. I have hardly seen any Bollywood movie after one incident (it was my first or second random instance of watching a bolly movie); Male protagonist was sitting in a hotel lobby(in an urban surrounding) he had eye to eye with a female and suddenly in the next scene they started crazily running around a mountain in wilderness out of nowhere with some high pitch background song, it really left a bad taste . In my opinion art generally caters to taste and critical thinking level of its audience, so I am no one to pass a judgement and obviously there must be some critically acclaimed movies from Indian Cinema that I have not heard of.

 

[archetype]

Yes, probably

 

[Energetic]

Too much music and dancing. The industry generally prefers light skin actors and racist in my view.

 

[King Cobra]

Yes its racist since the fair industries like Hollywood choose Fat and Ugly individuals as Actors and Actresses, with no discrimination on basis of Physical features.

 

[Salman]

I used to enjoy watching bollywood movies, specially 80s, 90's stuff where it was about modesty and good acting.

But in the last decade or so, It's seriously turned into a gutter film industry with it's over emphasis on western culture and filth. Music is also now just over digitized techno studio trash with female vocalist who sound like men when they sing.

Last good film i watched was gangs of wasseypur 1 & 2!

Caught a part of Once upon a time in mumbai 2 the other day and turned it off after 5 minutes a little angry!

 

[Itachi]

south indian movies are generally worse than bollywood.

 

[eradicator]

I used to enjoy watching bollywood movies, specially 80s, 90's stuff where it was about modesty and good acting.

But in the last decade or so, It's seriously turned into a gutter film industry with it's over emphasis on western culture and filth. Music is also now just over digitized techno studio trash with female vocalist who sound like men when they sing.

Last good film i watched was gangs of wasseypur 1 & 2!

Caught a part of Once upon a time in mumbai 2 the other day and turned it off after 5 minutes a little angry!

Agree. More importantly in those days the Script had strong storyline unlike these days where there is absolutely nothing solid in the script for most movies.

And forget the need for talent to be successful in Bollywood. It has become more of an in-house business with Children and Nephews of Ex-Stars ruling the roost.

 

[Indiafan]

They go for quantity over quality, run after money and pander to the lowest common denominator. Directors like Rohit Shetty shows all that is wrong today with Bollywood. Unfortunately till the time movies like Chennai express makes a thousand times more money than movies like lunch box, this is always going to happen

 

[Saurav]

surely better than Lollywood

 

[Pakz]

Many would say it's the worse industry and that the films are of bad quality, that could be a conclusion drawn. However the cultural influence or affect is still big. For example in the Pakistani culture, many would still watch such these movies and it would be very popular in the culture. To add to that it still makes lots of money and is still seen as big industry. It may be criticised and rightly is with all the stuff which is shown and how much money is made, but it's influence on cultures is still there to be seen, maybe there is reason for that.

I don't even watch those movies, so can't comment on how and which movies are successful, but I had a question, how does Bollywood affect the Indian economy, if it was failing, then would it affect it?

 

[Electron]

Bollywood movies take care of our unique subcontinental taste. 90% of the desi folks are into this stuff. So, even if it's bad, then we have fans to blame here for their bad taste.

 

[MRSN]

They go for quantity over quality, run after money and pander to the lowest common denominator. Directors like Rohit Shetty shows all that is wrong today with Bollywood. Unfortunately till the time movies like Chennai express makes a thousand times more money than movies like lunch box, this is always going to happen

was it a remake of the movie "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge"?

 

[DW44]

surely better than Lollywood

There's no such thing. It's been dead for 20 years now.

 

[90MPH]

For its sheer size it is the worst by far, too much junk with very few gems. I agree with Salman back in the early 90s I did watch quite a few with my family when I was growing up because of the good acting and good plots in at least some of the films as well as the catchy music.

But the last decade overall the vast majority of films have been trash (including the music which has no soul, rhythm or melody) though AR Rehman and Rahat are some of the few exceptions.
The industry just seems lacking in talent big time, from the actors to the writers and directors.

 

[Kianig89]

Although majority of these movies are crap but i still watch them aadat par chuki hai

 

[kingkhan1996]

Bollywood cant be the worst... Dhoom housefull and dabangg are sick films

 

[Sandeep]

So much hatred in the OP..

Anyway, better stop watching it, simple as that! Not as if I'm a fan

 

[akheR]

I'm sure Hollywood is as worse, but whereas Hollywood's "trash" is high budget action flicks, Bollywood's are into the romantic comedy genre... and peoples (or males) preferring the former, Hollywood's bad movies "look" still better than Bollywood's worst. Also Hollywood has more human capital to play with, don't forget that many directors/actors who made successful Hollywood movies weren't Americans to begin with.

I highly rate Italian (they innovated in all genres, from romantic comedies to gore, even if nowadays they're pale shadows of the past), Iranian and South Korean cinema.
French cinema is the most over-rated, by far.

 

[leatherface58]

Don't know bout Bollywood but Hollywood has produced great trash like Troll 2, The Room, Gigli, Ishtar and Plan 9 from Outer Space. I won't even go near describing the trash classics of Italian Horror by masters such as Jesus Franco, Joe D'Amato, Bruno Mattei and Umberto Lenzi.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

From the big boys which I consider Hollywood ( I include the UK in this for the sake of it), Jap, South Koreans and Bollywood its easily the worst.

I can understand how people in the SC can watch it as they are overly romantic and emotional by find myself surprised at its popularity in the Asian community in the west.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Sensationalist title.

There are many limitations certainly but the way i see it, things are only improving. We have seen some good cinema in last decade.

 

[saadibaba]

What's the criteria of worst. Box office numbers, critical acclaim or the puerility of subject matter ?

Clearly by box office numbers Bollywood is far from worst.

As for critical acclaim, take Oscars for example. India has been submitting movies for nominations since 1957 and only 3 movies were nominated since that time. A poor showing considering the volume of movies being made in India but compare that to Pakistan. None.

As for subject matter. That's a subjective criteria and while there are retarded movies which are mere copies of old movies being made in India by the bulk, a few good movies with serious subject matter also get made every year.

 

[Bewal Express]

Yes its racist since the fair industries like Hollywood choose Fat and Ugly individuals as Actors and Actresses, with no discrimination on basis of Physical features.

Precious: Based on the Novel Push By Sapphire

 

[kinventor]

Yes its racist since the fair industries like Hollywood choose Fat and Ugly individuals as Actors and Actresses, with no discrimination on basis of Physical features.

Will Smith is biggest hollywood star. While in bollywood only punjabi-pathans are leading actors.

 

[Ims1]

Will Smith is biggest hollywood star. While in bollywood only punjabi-pathans are leading actors.[/QUOTE]

If you think Salman ,Amir & Roshan are punju-pathans then you know some thing i do not . Please share details .

 

[IgnitedMind]

No, its not.

Last 10 years, it terms of different cinema has grown.

And worse in terms of whom...a pretentious intelligent may make fun of the slapstick nature of hera pheri...and say what the hell is this..but for people who know how to a watch a movie..and what to expect in a movie...its great entertainment.

And big hollywood action trash is not any different from romantic movies..or sajid khan movies....all of them catering to masses of the market...

and that is very necessary for the art house cinema to sustain...

if not for the bigger market...where do you think guts to make something gangs of wasseypur spending 40/50 crores come from....

And if you pick and choose your kind of a movies..there are a lot ..

For every housefull...there is a lootera...a lunch box...etc etc !!

 

[kinventor]

Will Smith is biggest hollywood star. While in bollywood only punjabi-pathans are leading actors.[/QUOTE]

If you think Salman ,Amir & Roshan are punju-pathans then you know some thing i do not . Please share details .

Salman, Amir afghan or pashtuns ancestry and Roshan punjabi.

 

[akheR]

No, its not.

Last 10 years, it terms of different cinema has grown??

And worse in terms of whom...a pretentious intelligent may make fun of the slapstick nature of hera pheri...and say what the hell is this..but for people who know how to a watch a movie..and what to expect in a movie...its great entertainment.

And big hollywood action trash is not any different from romantic movies..or sajid khan movies....all of them catering to masses of the market...

and that is very necessary for the art house cinema to sustain...

if not for the bigger market...where do you think guts to make something gangs of wasseypur spending 40/50 crores come from....

And if you pick and choose your kind of a movies..there are a lot ..

For every housefull...there is a lootera...a lunch box...etc etc !!

Yes that's what I said in a previous post, Hollywood too produces "crap" but their crap is more male-oriented (majority of the audience) being high-budget action movies, so that's why it still "looks good", whereas Bollywood "crap" is romantic comedies that generally only appeal to women.

I really enjoyed recent movies like Gang of Wasseypur, Paan Singh Tomar, Inglish Vinglish or Lootera and I think that the success of "mainstream" Bollywood is creating a market for these (semi-) "art" movies.

If you think Salman ,Amir & Roshan are punju-pathans then you know some thing i do not . Please share details .

Salman = half Pathan/half Punjabi
Amir = Afridi Pathan on paternal side and related to Abul Kalam Azad on the maternal line, so an (Saudi) Arab/Persian mutt (he's technically the least Indian out there).
Roshan = just go on Wikipedia and his family is from Gujranwala, in today's Pak Punjab.

Bollywood is supposed to be the Hindi language industry, so the actors should be from Uttar Pradesh and the Hindi belt as a whole.

 

[IgnitedMind]

And its unfortunate but people do not know....Indian cinema >>>>>>>>>>> Bollywood.

Lot of awesome stuff happens in regional cinema....mostly Tamil and Bengali...and Malayalam.

 

[akheR]

Tamil movies are class, but Bengali cinema lost its touch since few decades.
Once, it was the face of Indian cinema in the world (Satyajit Ray), but Bollywood too had its "golden years" when it associated both artistic accomplishments and mass success ("Parallel Cinema" of the 80s).

 

[IgnitedMind]

I personally think the turn of the millineum has been Good for bollywood....

Every year there are atleast 10 artistic movies that are being made and being appreciated.....and today even movies like Kahaani and English Vinglish are grossing close to 100 crores....

And parallel cinema did not find commercial success in the 80's barring the likes of Mahesh Bhatt or ones starring naseerudhin shah...that is wht 90s was silent in terms of parallel cinema untill arrival of RGV with Satya in 1998....Today...small movies like Udaan/lunch box/ship of thesus..are getting wide releases.....are being appreciated...shanghai..love sex aur dhoka...wake up sid ..shaithan...to be a "different" film maker in bollywood..this is a best time....likes of Anurag Kashyap/Vishal have a build a mini commercial empire out of different movies which RGV was not able to achieve inspite of success in the early 2000s!!

 

[Ims1]

Yes that's what I said in a previous post, Hollywood too produces "crap" but their crap is more male-oriented (majority of the audience) being high-budget action movies, so that's why it still "looks good", whereas Bollywood "crap" is romantic comedies that generally only appeal to women.

I really enjoyed recent movies like Gang of Wasseypur, Paan Singh Tomar, Inglish Vinglish or Lootera and I think that the success of "mainstream" Bollywood is creating a market for these (semi-) "art" movies.



Salman = half Pathan/half Punjabi
Amir = Afridi Pathan on paternal side and related to Abul Kalam Azad on the maternal line, so an (Saudi) Arab/Persian mutt (he's technically the least Indian out there).
Roshan = just go on Wikipedia and his family is from Gujranwala, in today's Pak Punjab.

Bollywood is supposed to be the Hindi language industry, so the actors should be from Uttar Pradesh and the Hindi belt as a whole.

Salman - 4 generations[preceeding him ]lived in mid India now known as MP .
Amir - 4 generations again inWestern India now Maharashtra .
Roshan - i am not certain .

The theory about all actors should be from hindi belt is laughable .

 

[TheNeutralist]

South Indian movies are lot better and most hindi movies are pathetic remakes.

Anyways with Hollywood producing only sequels, movies are not what they used to be

 

[kinventor]

Salman - 4 generations[preceeding him ]lived in mid India now known as MP .
Amir - 4 generations again inWestern India now Maharashtra .
Roshan - i am not certain .

The theory about all actors should be from hindi belt is laughable .

You cant be serious? Here we are talking about ancestry, ethnic groups these people belong to.

 

[akheR]

Salman - 4 generations[preceeding him ]lived in mid India now known as MP .
Amir - 4 generations again inWestern India now Maharashtra .
Roshan - i am not certain .

The theory about all actors should be from hindi belt is laughable .

Doesn't have to do where they live. 's family lived in Punjab (moving out from South Waziristan) for 4 centuries I think, yet no one says he's a Punjabi.

 

[Ims1]

Doesn't have to do where they live. 's family lived in Punjab (moving out from South Waziristan) for 4 centuries I think, yet no one says he's a Punjabi.

We do not care how you label yourselves . We are more logical in our approach . My grandparents were born in peshawar & we have relatives in bannu & dg khan as well & who am i ?
A INDIAN .

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Indian is a nationality, Pakhtun is an ethnicity. These are simple points my friend but you are always riled up and in a flag waving mood that you fail to recognise these and end up looking a fool.

 

[akheR]

We do not care how you label yourselves . We are more logical in our approach . My grandparents were born in peshawar & we have relatives in bannu & dg khan as well & who am i ?
A INDIAN .

Can you even have a rational discussion ?
Beginning to find seriously pointless to sustain verbal table tennis with such an anti-intellectual sycophant.

Just imagine if America's 95% population was made up of WASP and 95% of the Hollywood actors (generally less for the actresses) were Native Americans, that's how Bollywood is right now.

Every new acting male I see is named "Kapoor", "Khanna", "Oberoi", "Kohli", "Dhawan", ... and shan (may his virtual soul rest in peace) would have told you where all of that came from.

Yes, they're all Indians, good on them and I wish them well really, but then don't ask yourselves why some demographics don't feel represented by the Hindi language industry.

 

[TM Riddle]

Its definitely up there if not worst . for every one good movie there are 50 baqwas ones

 

[TM Riddle]

arguably the Greatest actor ever is from the Hindi belt region #Bachhan

 

[akheR]

arguably the Greatest actor ever is from the Hindi belt region #Bachhan

That would be some Yusuf Khan.

Where's Bachchan's mother from by the way ? Might help Ims1 with where Gujranwala is.

 

[Ims1]

Indian is a nationality, Pakhtun is an ethnicity. These are simple points my friend but you are always riled up and in a flag waving mood that failyou to recognise these and end up looking a fool.[/QUOTE]

it is actually Pakistani's who make this claim that they watch our movies because stars are punju-pathans [you may check the Waar movie thread too for similar comments ] .
You do not realize how stupid we think you are in trying to find such remote & feeble connections just so that you can associate with us under a pretense . Why i say this is because some of you [ some,not all ] exhibit hate towards us & yet crave our movies,comparison with us . You must grow as a nation & stop comparing yourselves,get a identity . You can & will grow as a nation provided you introspect honestly & not be guided by mullahs or your battered Army .
I & my family has friends & even relatives in PK but we never talk of the non existent brotherhood or zionists like most troills here who are overseas residents from PK origin . Normal people want normalcy,peace ,stability but that is too tough for haters to understand .

 

[DeadlyVenom]

You bolded my look like fool comment then completely ignored it and went on a diatribe that resulted in you looking like a fool

I love these posters on PP! I really do!

 

[Runner Up]

Bollywood does provide good movies time by time such as 3 Idiots, Munna Bhai MBBS, DDLJ, Taare Zameen Par, Udaan and recent one "The Lunch Box" (A wonderful movie). However, these days, they are often producing crap movies like Dabang, Boss, Singham etc. I can't stand watching a hero punching 10 guys with one hand and all of them going in the air like a cricket ball. Recent crap movie I watched was "War Chodh Na Yaar"

 

[kinventor]

Indian is a nationality, Pakhtun is an ethnicity. These are simple points my friend but you are always riled up and in a flag waving mood that failyou to recognise these and end up looking a fool.[/QUOTE]

it is actually Pakistani's who make this claim that they watch our movies because stars are punju-pathans [you may check the Waar movie thread too for similar comments ] .
You do not realize how stupid we think you are in trying to find such remote & feeble connections just so that you can associate with us under a pretense . Why i say this is because some of you [ some,not all ] exhibit hate towards us & yet crave our movies,comparison with us . You must grow as a nation & stop comparing yourselves,get a identity . You can & will grow as a nation provided you introspect honestly & not be guided by mullahs or your battered Army .
I & my family has friends & even relatives in PK but we never talk of the non existent brotherhood or zionists like most troills here who are overseas residents from PK origin . Normal people want normalcy,peace ,stability but that is too tough for haters to understand .

Its a fact, no one cares about other dozen Indian industries. Bollywood is watched in Pakistan because of urdu/punjabi songs and punjabi-pathans actors. Forget about bollywood taking someone from hindi belt, first they need to start using shud hindi words in movies.

 

[TM Riddle]

That would be some Yusuf Khan.

Where's Bachchan's mother from by the way ? Might help Ims1 with where Gujranwala is.

I prefer amitabh . Dilip Kumar for me was quite overrated.
his mother was a Sikh I think .

 

[endymion248]

I & my family has friends & even relatives in PK but we never talk of the non existent brotherhood or zionists like most troills here who are overseas residents from PK origin . Normal people want normalcy,peace ,stability but that is too tough for haters to understand .

There is no better messenger than you for all those things, if you are one of those people who keep their opinions for themselves irl and dwell into an proportionate excess of extreme ideas when they know they can just carry on trolling anonymously.

 

[akheR]

you are in trying to find such remote & feeble connections just so that you can associate with us under a pretense .

)

I & my family has friends & even relatives in PK

I'm sure they'd like to know your true nature.

 

[LongHorn]

I used to refuse to watch Bollywood in the 90s as I thought they involved mostly the same "dancing in mountain" routine.
Then I started watching and over last few years have watched a few dozen, storylines range from good to awful. But what I found was that many songs in Bollywood connected with my soul in a way nothing in Hollywood could; stuff like Luka Chupi in Rang de Basanti, Kabira in YJHD, Nadaan Parindey in Rockstar etc etc.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

From the big boys which I consider Hollywood ( I include the UK in this for the sake of it), Jap, South Koreans and Bollywood its easily the worst.

I can understand how people in the SC can watch it as they are overly romantic and emotional by find myself surprised at its popularity in the Asian community in the west.

It's not as if romantic movies aren't popular outside the SC, though, the difference is Hollywood will produce a vast array of movies, some will be action, some will be horror, some will be rom-coms and so on.

Also, I get that Hollywood produces a lot of duds too, but generally you will get at least a few very good films in a year and several decent ones. Maybe I'm just ignorant on this matter because I don't watch Indian cinema, but really it's only other Asians who watch it anyway even outside the SC. The last time there was anything close to a crossover film was Devdas, which to be fair was pretty decent, although you wouldn't want to sit through it twice. After that there's been nothing that has gained any sort of recognition worldwide.

 

[Pakz]

But what I found was that many songs in Bollywood connected with my soul in a way nothing in Hollywood could; stuff like Luka Chupi in Rang de Basanti, Kabira in YJHD, Nadaan Parindey in Rockstar etc etc.

That's a good point, I think. Although I don't watch either Bollywood or Hollywood movies, as I can't be bothered or because I lose interest, if I did, but the songs that you may hear on T.V or something can be good (only some, I should add). However one of the things, I've noticed is within an say a British Asian culture, Your seen as a bit strange to be listening to bollywood etc. songs, if you know what I'm talking about (although, that doesn't matter as it's your own choice). If I'm not wrong, there are lot of Pakistani signers in bollywood?

 

[moumotta]

Bollywood is much more than just western style cinematography and story telling. It is also a music and dance industry. Imagine how drab our weddings and other festivities would be without Bollywood input. Or even that eternal 'timepass' of antakshari with its unending stream of songs.

Another thread is discussing cultural integration of Pakistan. I will just point out that Bollywood (along with cricket) are the modern integrating factors for India. These are safe and engrossing topics of conversation when you meet strangers from different states.

Bollywood has many problems including intellectual limitations, vulgar wealth displays and low barriers to entry for the people with right connections regardless of ability but audience have learn to discriminate. With hundreds of films made each year they can pick and choose what they want to see and what they ignore to suit their taste.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Bollywood is much more than just western style cinematography and story telling. It is also a music and dance industry. Imagine how drab our weddings and other festivities would be without Bollywood input. Or even that eternal 'timepass' of antakshari with its unending stream of songs.

Another thread is discussing cultural integration of Pakistan. I will just point out that Bollywood (along with cricket) are the modern integrating factors for India. These are safe and engrossing topics of conversation when you meet strangers from different states.

Bollywood has many problems including intellectual limitations, vulgar wealth displays and low barriers to entry for the people with right connections regardless of ability but audience have learn to discriminate. With hundreds of films made each year they can pick and choose what they want to see and what they ignore to suit their taste.

That is just rubbish. Doesn't the west have a music and dance industry? If anything, Bollywood has been aping it for some time now. This is the global era, and in that sense I find Bollywood to be very insular considering the budgets available and the commitment to secular and liberal values espoused here.

 

[moumotta]

That is just rubbish. Doesn't the west have a music and dance industry? If anything, Bollywood has been aping it for some time now. This is the global era, and in that sense I find Bollywood to be very insular considering the budgets available and the commitment to secular and liberal values espoused here.

Who said West does not have music and dance. But if you mean they could flourish as much as now without associating with film industry then you need to understand the cultural differences Vs West. No one in west called musicians and dancers mirassis, as mant even do today in our parts. Culturally apart from some pandit or ustad musicians who lived in perennial poverty no one associated with music or dance was given much respect or funding.

 

[imrankhannsu]

You cant expect all movies to be great....but some Bollywood movies are quite good.

IMO Cinema in the sub continent is mostly feel good type of movies. Which is also why songs are an integral part of movies. The mass audience want to come out of a movie with a smile on their face.

And in order to make a blockbuster movies you need to appeal to the mass audeince and not the critics.

Bollywood is an extremly thriving business in terms of the amount of revenue they egenrate, so I guess calling them the wordl's worst film industry is quite harsh

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

You cant expect all movies to be great....but some Bollywood movies are quite good.

IMO Cinema in the sub continent is mostly feel good type of movies. Which is also why songs are an integral part of movies. The mass audience want to come out of a movie with a smile on their face.

And in order to make a blockbuster movies you need to appeal to the mass audeince and not the critics.

Bollywood is an extremly thriving business in terms of the amount of revenue they egenrate, so I guess calling them the wordl's worst film industry is quite harsh

No I think it's a valid point. Bollywood films are big budget compared to other secondary movie industries, and there is definitely untapped potential for them to appeal to a more discerning audience. Pakistani films used to be aimed at the uneducated oafs which make up a large part of the young male population in Punjab so you got lots of axes being swung, limbs flying and crude dancers swinging monumental butts on the big screen.

So in a way they were successful because they were giving their punters what they wanted, and on a small budget it was probably enough. In India now though there will be a large part of the population that is turning to Hollywood to see movies of a much higher quality and appealing to more than the dumb masses. I am just surprised that Indian producers haven't been able to evolve beyond the same stuff which was being churned out 30 years ago.

 

[in_cutter]

Just watch the trailer for Krrish 3

 

[LA Guy]

Heavily censored, puerile subject matter and arguably racist as the heroes and heroines don't reflect the society other than a select few who seem to have migrated from northern areas of the subcontinent like Pakistan or Afghanistan.

I'm a film buff but I've always found it difficult to sit through even 5 minutes of an Indian film because they seem so crass and devoid of depth of intellectual content. Given the budgets available compared to other countries I think Indian cinema is probably among the most pathetic worldwide but if you feel different I am open to suggestion.

Bollywood can produce quality world class movies if they want to, they have money, talent and 100 years worth of experience, their artists and technicians routinly go to England and Hollywood for training, in other words they have all the tools available to make a quality movie.
The problem is the nature of movie making, it is never made as an art but how to get millions of audience in the theater and make hundreds of millions of profit.
90% of movies are made on a set formula, 2 or 3 item dance and songs, hero fighting 50 bad people with not as much as his hair moved from the style he is wearing, fake looking sets and costume and no importance is given to the intelect of the audience.
Majority of the people that go to the movie have no interest in the quality of direction, screenplay, sets, lighting and costumes all they want to see is dancing, fighting and crude humor and if producer can combine all these elements and make a lot of money then why bother

 

[gsivak]

Is Bollywood the world's worst film industry?

Depends on the yardsticks you use to measure it...question is subjective so this RQ is not testable.

Is it perceived by certain kind of people to be the worst film industry? I am sure it is by many in India and outside too.

As an industry it makes profit, keeps the audience happy, contributes to the economy through employment and taxes and it gives India a lot of soft power over other countries where people have a taste for it.

All in all, as an Indian I have no problems with it.

 

[adit_sh]

I thought majority of movies in 80s & 90s were really low in standard and they increased the standard in 2000s but off late this 100cr masala movies of CCing from south has degraded again to some extent. somehow they found lot of audiences and so business in these films in hindi.
Majority of Movies of 70s and 00s are best by far.

Southern industry specially tamil have also increased their standards a lot in 00's and in some years it has overtaken the bollywood in lot of sense.
Malyalam movies have been always good.

 

[loves_cricket]

Heavily censored, puerile subject matter and arguably racist as the heroes and heroines don't reflect the society other than a select few who seem to have migrated from northern areas of the subcontinent like Pakistan or Afghanistan.

I'm a film buff but I've always found it difficult to sit through even 5 minutes of an Indian film because they seem so crass and devoid of depth of intellectual content. Given the budgets available compared to other countries I think Indian cinema is probably among the most pathetic worldwide but if you feel different I am open to suggestion.

Anything Indian is pathetic. But then again.....

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Is Bollywood the world's worst film industry?

Depends on the yardsticks you use to measure it...question is subjective so this RQ is not testable.

Is it perceived by certain kind of people to be the worst film industry? I am sure it is by many in India and outside too.

As an industry it makes profit, keeps the audience happy, contributes to the economy through employment and taxes and it gives India a lot of soft power over other countries where people have a taste for it.

All in all, as an Indian I have no problems with it.

That's a very narrow minded approach. The soft power over countries which have a taste for it is going to dwindle by the decade. The silence of many pro-India Pakistani contributors to this thread should hint at that. Bollywood's approach as you describe it is like a corner shop mentality. Milk it while you can from a limited audience without creating anything which would catch the imagination of a wider audience.

 

[moumotta]

That's a very narrow minded approach. The soft power over countries which have a taste for it is going to dwindle by the decade. The silence of many pro-India Pakistani contributors to this thread should hint at that. Bollywood's approach as you describe it is like a corner shop mentality. Milk it while you can from a limited audience without creating anything which would catch the imagination of a wider audience.

Extremely heart warming to see such concern. Thank You. Aman Ki Asha does have a future.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

What's the criteria of worst. Box office numbers, critical acclaim or the puerility of subject matter ?

Clearly by box office numbers Bollywood is far from worst.

As for critical acclaim, take Oscars for example. India has been submitting movies for nominations since 1957 and only 3 movies were nominated since that time. A poor showing considering the volume of movies being made in India but compare that to Pakistan. None.

As for subject matter. That's a subjective criteria and while there are retarded movies which are mere copies of old movies being made in India by the bulk, a few good movies with serious subject matter also get made every year.

You are living in the US for some time now saadi. Why are you sitting there and comparing Bollywood films against Pakistani? Doesn't Bollywood deserve to be judged by international standards compared to the best rather than oneimpoverished neighbour ahead of all others?

 

[gsivak]

That's a very narrow minded approach. The soft power over countries which have a taste for it is going to dwindle by the decade. The silence of many pro-India Pakistani contributors to this thread should hint at that. Bollywood's approach as you describe it is like a corner shop mentality. Milk it while you can from a limited audience without creating anything which would catch the imagination of a wider audience.

Not really. Bollywood industry has grown over the years. According to the DI International Business Development (DIBD), a consulting unit of the Confederation of Danish Industry, Bollywood generated revenues of $3-billion in 2011 – this figure has been growing by 10 percent a year. By 2016, revenue is expected to reach $4.5 billion. Bollywood gross receipts have almost tripled since 2004.
http://www.ibtimes.com/bollywood-100-how-big-indias-mammoth-film-industry-1236299

I wouldn't take the opinions of people here as a benchmark for bollywood's success. Admitting that one watches bollywood in this forums is kind of like admitting one watches porn films to your family. There is so much overt derision that most people will not be honest in their replies. Anyway, the sample size of this forum is too small to make any meaningful conclusion.

About lack of creativity, this industry like any other. The moment one type of product sales falls off there will be innovation. Even if you want to claim that there is no creativity in India, Bollywood has enough money to employ creative non-Indians to come up with fresh ideas.

 

[Afzal_K]

they have tnis nfdc movies, like shyam benegal - serious movies but those are not bollywood, they are pure indian cinema

 

[Desi_Joker]

Well, simply put, they make movies that cater for the majority of the audience in their country.

Dancing and singing is a prevalent part of the Indian culture, therefore they incorporate it in the country's biggest movie industry as well.

Honestly, 'best' and 'worst' is all subjective anyways. If you like it, watch it. If you don't, there's plenty of other movie industries in the world to choose from.

I barely watch any Bollywood movies anymore, simply because I find most of them extremely cheesy, with the same basic storyline.

 

[in_cutter]

Bollywood churns out more movies than Hollywood- majority ot the modern ones are cheesy, hammy, cliche riddled, cringy, horrid outfits & same old regurgitated storylines with really bad acting.

I watch them now & then for a good laugh.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

Other than being purile and cheesy, they steal intelectual property from around the globe and preted there is nothing wrong in doing that.

 

[Afzal_K]

yet everyone back home is obsessed with bollywood and its movies, smae here in canada

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

yet everyone back home is obsessed with bollywood and its movies, smae here in canada

That's like saying dim-witted people like Mr Bean so it must be a classic.

 

[Statistics375]

These days it is pathetic.

The last time i watched a Bollywood movie was probably in 2011.

But i have to say KHNH and 3 Idiots are one of the best movies i have ever watched.

KHNH was a gem along with a few other by SRK during that time period.

Nowadays it is pathetic.

 

[Singham]

Who cares? We rob lot of money from our neighbor with such a pathetic movie industry. That's all I care for...

 

[TheNeutralist]

Seems people dont watch hollywood movies here, they are just mindless sequels. All the writers in hollywood are more interested in television!

Iranian and korean movies are better lot

 

[Singham]

Small time Baniya mentality. The Americans think bigger, they rob a lot of money from all nations including 3rd world superpowers by making superior films. This is constructive criticism, no need to become defensive.

American movie industry is great and I don't mind them doing well in India or in Pakistan because they deserve it. We have such a pathetic movie industry and yet our movies and soap operas are considered as gold in Pakistan. Lol.