Bollywood in Britain: Cinema, Brand, Discursive Complex by Lucia Kr�mer (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Bollywood in Britain: Cinema, Brand, Discursive Complex by Lucia Krämer Kinga Földváry Lucia Krämer, Bollywood in Britain: Cinema, Brand, Discursive Complex. New York & London. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016. 296 pages, $130.00 hardback, $39.95 paperback $35.95 eBook. Public awareness of Bollywood, the world of popular Hindi cinema, has slowly but surely grown during the past few decades, and although this increase in recognition must clearly be seen as a global phenomenon, there are significant differences between the ways individual countries and social groups view this exciting universe. Lucia Krämer's thorough examination of the state of affairs in Britain is therefore not only an excellent addition to the already available academic writings on Bollywood, but it also offers a timely investigation into a previously unexplored aspect of this complex field. Even though Bollywood as a term has long become common currency both in popular and academic discourse, the author points out the considerable discrepancies among the diverse contemporary interpretations of the word. Interestingly, while the popular etymology of the term is well known ("Bombay + Hollywood"), the exact meaning of Bollywood is much less settled. It is sometimes used to encompass Indian cinema as a whole; at other times it is restricted to mainstream Hindi cinema produced in the Mumbai area. Some of these uses are neutral and non-judgmental, but the word is also frequently associated with a pejorative sense of spectacular lowbrow entertainment, lacking in artistic merit. Yet, as Krämer argues, the past decades have witnessed not only a broader global understanding of the heterogeneous nature of Indian cinema, but also considerable changes in Indian filmmaking as well, and this raised awareness begins to be reflected in the language of reviews, too. Since the volume is interested in the way Bollywood is perceived in Britain, it focuses on what Bollywood means for British audiences, and in what ways these meanings are created and disseminated in image and text, fiction and non-fiction, by amateur and professional reviewers and interpreters. Following its detailed discussion of the plethora of meanings associated with Bollywood, the volume goes on to look at the contemporary position of popular Indian cinema in Britain, relying on statistical evidence partly gathered by the author from a variety of target groups. As a result, the arguments presented are convincingly grounded in facts and figures, socio-demographic and industrial observations, rather than simply on hypothetical or metaphorical interpretations. Putting the Bollywood phenomenon in its socio-historical context, the author presents its changing themes and emphases on certain aspects of Indianness or the diasporic existence manifested in the cinema. Nonetheless, the film analyses that also form an inevitable part of the study, add similarly sound and thought-provoking aspects to the investigation. The book also sheds light on intertextual references between individual films, both Indian classics and contemporary diaspora narratives. One particularly praiseworthy feature is that these short summaries include not only the usual cinematographic details, but even more interestingly, translated excerpts from film lyrics and descriptions of their visual background ("song picturization") as well, which audiences often perceive as the most authentic, even compulsory Bollywood features. A detailed timeline illustrates how the 1990s brought about the first stage of Bollywood's visibility in Britain, followed by a Bollywood boom in the early 2000s, particularly the so-called "Indian Summer" in 2002, which gave way to a new, though more subtle and therefore less observable change in stylistic and structural elements of production and reception. Many of the films selected for in- depth analysis belong to the so-called diaspora films, thematising the concerns and anxieties inherent in diasporic existence, as seen from the viewpoints of both the mother country and the various groups of non-resident Indians. A central thematic element examined here is nostalgia, which the author also puts into theoretical perspective, before examining its textual and visual manifestations. Yet it is the second half of the volume where the endeavour moves into previously uncharted territory. Krämer undertakes more than just a handful of film analyses, and contextualises her argument by interpreting Bollywood as a brand, a label that points beyond individual works and [End Page 7] authors...