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Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s5: E. Films

Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s5

Language
English

Contents

E. Films

Chinese Films in India

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Chinese Kung fu movies have always been a popular genre of films in India. After 1949 most of these action-packed films were produced in Hong Kong Chinese films steadily gained popularity and won critical acclaim with the audiences abroad including India. Films by Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Zhang Junzhao have received enthusiastic response from Indian audiences. Films such as *Farewell my Concubine*, *Red Sorghum*, *Ju dou* and *Raise the Red Lantern*, became household names to the enlightened Indian cinemagoers. In recent times Chinese films produced on both sides of the strait, like Ang Lee's *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* (2000) and Zhang Yimou’s *Hero* (2002), have won worldwide commercial acclaim as they have been popular with the Indian audience. Yimou was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th Mumbai Film Festival in 2012. Ang Lee’s latest film *Life of Pi*, released in 2012, has a predominantly Indian cast, including the one in the central role of the film and is shot in locations in south India.

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*Shiva drinking wine, painted by Nandalal Bose*

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Indian language poster of the film, 'Zodiac'

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(*Sabaree Mitra*)

Indian Films in China

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Indian film has a very important position in popular cultural life and a worldwide fame, and is also well received in China.

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The poster of the first movie in India, 'Raja Harishchandra'

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and not in mainland China. Chinese film actors of such films, for instance Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan, are not only international stars but are also well loved by Indian cinema lovers. Lee's *Enter the Dragon* (1973), *Return of the Dragon* (1972), *Fist of Fury* (1972), Li’s Shaolin Temple series and Chan's *Rush Hour* series, *Shanghai Knights* (2003) and *Shanghai Noon* (2000) have been very popular and commercially successful in India. Chan was in New Delhi in June 2013 to inaugurate the Chinese Film Festival in India which was very impressive; it was organised by the India-China Economic and Cultural Council in association with the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China and the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The festival’s inaugural film was his “Chinese Zodiac” and other well-known Chinese films such as *1942*, *Miss Peach*, *The Grand Master*, *Lost in Thailand* and *Ocean Heaven* were also screened during the five-day event.

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In mainland China, during the Communist regime films were produced only under the aegis of the Central Communist government and were considered as an important mass production art form and tool for propaganda. It was only in the 1980s, after the Economic Reform and Open-door Policy were initiated, that Chinese films began to be exported and screened outside China. With the rise of the fifth generation of Chinese filmmakers, Originally a transplanted art, film is soon localised and becomes one of the most popular entertainments and a major component of mass culture. Indian film industry was founded a century ago, and is one of the oldest in the world.

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Chinese poster of the Indian movie, 'Life of Pi'

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(Left) Father of Indian film, G D Phalke (Right) Poster of the first Indian film with sound, 'Alam Ara'

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On July 7, 1896, *The Times of India* posted the first film advertisement. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (1870～1944) is deemed as the father of Indian cinema. In 1912, he produced Raja Harischandra on the basis of the Indian epic Mahabharata, and this is the first movie and also the first feature movie in India. The film was shown to the public and won a great commercial success. His second film, *Bhasmasur Mohini*, homemade indeed, laid a foundation for the

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Indian movie 'Aparajito'

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development of Indian film, which, then, underwent great difficulties. In the beginning, confined by traditions, actresses were hard to be found, and film directors had to let men play female roles. In the early 1920s, Indian film quickly developed, and yearly production rose from eight to 18. In a decade, a number of film studios and producers appeared. After Phalke, Baburao Patel became one of those with the greatest contribution to Indian film. During this period, silent film was flourishing.

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In 1930, India produced 172 films. Indian film became an important industry and an important form of artistic expression. The era of sound film came. In 1931, Empire Cinema produced the first sound film, Alam Ara, to amaze the audience with novel setting, language and music, and the song “De de khuda ke naam pe” was the first song of the Indian cinema. During this period, India also produced 27 films in local language.\In 1937-1938, Indian Film Producers Association and Indian Film Distributors Association were established. Throughout the 1930s, India produced about 200 films every year. In 1937, India made its first colour film, *Kisan Kanya*.

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In 1940, Indian film industry ranked No.4 in the world and had a total of 40,000 employees and 1496 cinemas. Themes changed and turned from myth and fantasy to history and reality. For example, *Achhut Kanya* denounces the caste system, *Naya Sansar* and *Karma* express a wish for national independence, while some other films advocate solidarity among religious sects.

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In 1950s, India was already an independent nation, and some excellent Indian films were produced, including the renowned *Awara*, *Do Bigha Zamin* and *Jhansi Ki Rani*. Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), the famous Indian film director with unprecedented accomplishments, shot the “Apu Trilogy”, including *Pather Panchali*, *Aparajito* and *Apur Sansar*. The first two received Cannes award and Venice’s Golden Lion award, respectively. Then, he produced *Devi* and a series of woman-related movies, such as the “Calcutta Trilogy” that consists of *Pratidwandi*, *Seemabaddha* and *Jana Aranya*. The “Historical Trilogy” include *Asani Sanket*, *Shatranj-ke-Khilari* and *Ghare-Baire*. The “Heart Trilogy” is comprised of *Ganashatru*, *Shakha Prashakha* and *Agantuk*. In 1992, Ray received Academy Honorary Award for his extraordinary talent and contribution.

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From 1960s to 1980s, Indian film increased in number, and some good films were produced, but many had a poor quality and met with sharp

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Poster of Indian film, 'Salaam Bombay'

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criticism. During this period, most films were for entertainment, formulised, conceptualised and void of artistic quality. This situation was gradually improved. In the 1980s, India had 66 film studios, 26 film labs, over 400 film magazines and 12,000 cinemas and its film industry hired 2,50,000 employees and could produce 800 to 1,000 films a year. Indian film industry became the No. 1 in the world and an important pillar for the country.

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In 1990s, commercial films still had a dominant position, but fine art films and outstanding directors kept on emerging. Indian films have diversified themes and styles. Many commercial films unfolded themselves along dramatic social events or terrorist tales, but some art films were quite elegant or displayed a kind of righteousness. Serious art films with a focus on social issues in Indian society were well received in India as well as film festivals across the world. *Salaam Bombay!* (1988), directed by the talented and renowned female director Mira Nair, reveals the hard life of children living in slums in Bombay and expresses a deep sympathy with lower classes. Its pictures are splendid, fascinating and touching, and the film made a great success in India and in western countries. It received the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Her most famous film is *Monsoon Wedding* (2000), which depicts a chaotic and yet funny wedding of Punjabis and was granted the Venice' Golden Lion award in the following year.

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Bollywood is the center of Indian film production, and many films produced here made a success in Europe, Americas, the Middle East and even Africa. Now, Indian film industry, represented by Bollywood, has become a symbol of Indian culture and one of the fastest growing sectors in India. In

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(From left) Posters of the Indian movies, 'Asoka' and 'Lagaan'

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year. It has surpassed the United States to become the world’s largest film producer. Digital cinemas are installed in many Indian cities so as to prevent piracy and ensure reliable and synchronised show across the country.

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Influence in China

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The connection between Indian film and China dates back to the anti-Japanese period. In 1944, learning the martyrdom of Dr Kotnis, Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, an Indian novelist, film director, playwright and news reporter, wrote a small book, titled And One Did Not Come Back, and adapted it into a screenplay, The Journey of Dr Kotnis. A famous film was produced, in Hindi as well as English. The film’s Hindi name is Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani. This bilingual film narrates Kotnis' heroic deeds and Chinese’ arduous Anti-Japanese War, and touches both Indians and English-speaking people.

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In 1951, *Awara* was produced on the basis of a screenplay by Abbas. Due to its social progress and the outstanding performance of Raj Kapoor, this film had an unprecedented success in the Middle East and Soviet Union. In 1952, Abbas paid a visit to China. In 1955, Raj Kapoor led an Indian film delegation to visit China. After being translated into Chinese, *Awara* caused a great sensation, and became well-known in China. Its song Awara Hun instantly became popular, and is still a favourite among Chinese people. Afterwards, Panther Panchali (1955) by Satyajit Ray was introduced into China. This neo-realist film won enormous fame and box office success across the world. China paid Rupees 40,000 for it, only next to Rupees 2,51,230 by the United States. In the 1960s and 1970s, for well-known reasons, Indian film disappeared from Chinese market and became a remote memory.

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In the 1980s, with India-China relations improving, Indian film again entered into China. A number of them soon became popular and were passionately talked about, including *Caravan* (1971), *Noorie* (1979) and *Sargam* (1982). In 1986,

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Poster of Indian movie, 'Monsoon Wedding'

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2004, headed by film industry, Indian entertainment and media industry realised an output of about US$ 7 billion, and this figure was up to US$ 13 billion in 2009. The audience amounts to more than 30 billion person-times a year. In other words, on average, every day there are more than 80 million going to cinema. Indians are the most passionate audience in the world. In the past decades, Indian had been able to produce about 1,000 films every the Film Bureau under the Ministry of Culture held an Indian Film Week in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing. Later, due to the impact of TV and the influx of European, American and Japanese movies, the interest of Chinese audience began to disperse, and the number and influence of Indian film in China declined as well. When DVD is readily available and internet is perpetrated, many young people choose to watch Indian film at home. As is estimated, in China, now, nearly 500 Indian movies are available online. For instance, many Chinese have watched the epic film Gandhi through internet, which is popular across the world but not yet shown in China.

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*A still from the Indian movie, 'Chokher Bali'*

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Since the end of the 20th century, Indian film is regaining the interest of Chinese audience, especially Chinese youth. *Lagaan* (2001), directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, showing the plight of poor Indians and their fight against British colonists in the late 19th century was screened in China soon after its Oscar nomination. Audience, critics and scholars of Indian studies realised that Indian film advances with the times and has a world-class quality. Subsequently, Ashok and other Indian movies were shown and well-received.

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The year of 2006 was a India-China Friendship year. In late August and early September 2006, an Indian Film Festival was successively held in Beijing and Shanghai, and Chinese audience had the chance to watch ten Indian movies produced since 1990: *Roja*, *Shwaas*, *Anjali*, *Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum*, *Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam*, *Juye Poora Xoon*, *Dil Chahta Hai*, *Choker Bali*, *Dweepa* and *Show*. *Roja* has a theme of anti-terrorism, and it represents the wild and splendid scenery in northwest India and is thrilling and exciting, and adopts techniques almost equal to that of Hollywood. *Choker Bali*, a film adapted from Tagore's novel of the same name, is presented in a meticulous manner in respect of every scene and detail and traditional singing and dancing as the background. The fabulous artistic techniques are no inferior to French or Italian art films. From June 24 to July 23, 2010, as an important part of the Indian Festival, the following ten Indian films were shown in Beijing, Chongqing and Guangzhou: *Antaheen* (Bengali), *Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye* (Hindi), *Harishchandrachi Factory* (Marathi), *Kesha* (Malayalam), *Taare Zameen Par* (Hindi), *The White Elephant* (Hindi), *Gabhricha Paus* (Marathi), *Ek Cup Chya* (Marathi), *Pasanga* (Tamil) and *Shob Charitro Kalponik* (Bengali). These are mainstream Indian films, reflecting a broad range of themes and local languages. At the same time, an exhibition titled "Tour of Indian Film" was held, introducing the process of Indian film's development and emerging.

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In the context of globalisation, China, in recent years, has timely introduced Indian films. Films such as *Slumdog Millionaire* and 3 Idiots are a great success in China, and have been well received. Young Chinese directors have learned from Indian films and their creative techniques. On internet, many youths are fans of Indian film, and they are attentive to their trend, and often post their comments via blog or other media. *3 Idiots* describes the youth's dream, aspiration and love in a sentimental manner, and has the highest online rating in recent years.

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From June 15 to 23, 2013, the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival offered an Indian panorama to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Indian film. People had the chance to review 18 Indian films produced in the past

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*Poster of 'Taare Zameen Par', a Bollywood film*

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century, including: *Raja Harishchandra*, *Dil Chahta Hai*, *Mumbai Cha Raja*, *Wake Up Sid*, *Jolly LLB*, *Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye*, *Murder 3*, *Lagaan*, *3 Idiots*, *Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara*, *Lessons in Forgetting*, *Barfi!*, *Awara*, *Pushpak*, *Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona*, *The Bright Day* and *Celluloid Man*. Chinese magazines and newspapers often write about Indian film, and from time to time, translations and academic papers about Indian films are also published. Lie Guo Zhi: India (2003, 2010) dedicates some chapters to introduce and evaluate Indian film. In 2010, a doctoral dissertation on Satyajit Ray's film production was composed at Foreign Language School of Peking University, which, for the first time in China, gave an in-depth and thorough evaluation of Ray's artistic creation and accomplishments.

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Still photo of the Indian movie, 'The Bright Day'

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(*Liu Jian*)

Personalities

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Bruce Lee

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Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940-July 20, 1973), an American Chinese, was born as Li Zhenfan in San Francisco, California, though his family was native of Guangdong in China. He was a martial arts expert, philosopher and a famous actor, and

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Bruce Lee

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superstar of action films mostly based on martial arts. His films such as *Enter the Dragon* and *Way of the Dragon* broke all previous Asian box office records in collections, with *Enter the Dragon* having a global collections of $230 million. Bruce Lee has also been a popular action star in India. His films brought about a popular culture wave amongst Indian youth, generating a huge fan following across India; in the 1970s, through his films many Indian youth were drawn to martial arts, making it a way of life, and seriously trying to master "nunchakus", a tool of martial arts created by him. It is believed that in 1969 Bruce Lee along with his two students, Hollywood scriptwriter Stirling Silliphant and actor James Coburn, were planning a film which would be shot in India. They even came to India on a location hunt; however, later the project was shelved due to lack of financial backing.

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Bruce Lee is the pioneer and founder of the World Martial Arts UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world, which hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport), the father of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and Jeet Kune Do. Bruce Lee is also credited with being the father of the "Kung fu" genre in cinema. His emergence as a kungfu action star in Hong Kong film industry broke all the earlier impressions of earlier Chinese action films

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Chinese Hong Kong movie, 'Jing Wu men'

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which were considered old fashioned and sluggish, initiating a new surge in popularity of such films in the West and establishing a Chinese star in Hollywood. The increased popularity of Bruce Lee's "Jeet Kune Do" style of martial arts not only increased the popularity of 'kungfu' films but also led to an increase in interest to learn and understand 'kungfu' in the West and established Hong Kong action films as part of the mainstream Hollywood films.

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Although he is known as a martial arts expert, few know that he had a deep understanding of philosophy which he studied at the University of Washington, which mirrored his fighting beliefs. He was deeply influenced by Daoism, Buddhism and teachings of the Indian philosopher, J Krishnamurti. It is little known that he was also a prolific writer of poetry expressing his emotions through this medium; many of his poems have been compiled and published.

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Zhang Yimou

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Zhang Yimou (November 14, 1951- ) is one of the most well-known fifth generation film makers of China. Besides directing, producing, writing and acting in films he has also been a cinematographer. His films have not only received worldwide commercial success but also critical acclaim, winning several prestigious film awards such as the Silver Lion and Golden Lion prizes at the Venice Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Golden Bear at the Berlin

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Zhang Yimou

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International Film Festival. His films have also been nominated for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film Category. Yimou was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the 2012 Mumbai Film Festival on October 18, 2012. He is claimed to have watched the Hindi film *Awara* (1951) in his childhood and could also sing the song from the film. In recent times, he says, he has been impressed by *3 Idiots* (2009) which gives a fresh outlook on Indian cinema.

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He is a native Shaanxi Province in northwest China and was born in the historical city of Xi’an. He joined the Beijing Film Academy in 1978 after the end of the Cultural Revolution. Although Zhang was way older that the regulation age for admission and did not have the prerequisite academic qualification, he was admitted into the Academy

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Chinese poster of movie, ‘Not One Less’

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in the Faculty of Cinematography, after he made a personal appeal to the Ministry of Culture where he showed them his portfolio of photographs. His classmates were Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Zhang Junzhao who along with him formed the core of the Fifth Generation of film makers of China and were integral to emergence of films as a major genre of art after the Cultural Revolution.

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After graduating from the Academy, Zhang initially worked as a cinematographer in a small regional film studio in Guangxi Province. Soon, due to the dire need for good film directors and with political support, he and his classmates found avenues to direct their own films. Zhang himself made his directorial debut in 1987 with *Red Sorghum*. The film won the Golden Bear Award for Best Picture at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival in 1988. Other acclaimed films of Zhang Yimou are *Ju Dou* (1990), *Raise the Red Lantern* (1991), *To Live* (1994), *Not One Less* (1999), *Hero* (2002) and *House of Flying Daggers* (2004).

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In a recent interview, he has underscored the potential of films as bridge of communication; he feels that India and China both have a long history, and have great movie market. Since directors from both countries are trying to break new ground, he feels that both countries should really develop their film industries by increasing quality and utilising their own unique characteristics. He is also of the view that in an increasingly global film industry, there should be greater collaborations between India and China. In his opinion, one such collaborative movie project, likely to be of common interest to both India and China, could be based on the Pilgrimage of Chinese monk Xuanzang to India.

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(*Sabaree Mitra*)

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Jackie Chan

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Jackie Chan (April 7, 1954 - ) is a world renowned Chinese martial arts film star. His family hailed from Anhui Province in China and he was born in Hong Kong. He was admitted into a school specialising in Chinese drama and gradually became well known in the acting circle due to his abilities as a martial artist; over the years turned from an actor to a director and producer of films. He broke into the Hollywood with an extremely successful film called “Rumble in the Bronx” in 1994. He won the Special Award for Global Impact conferred by the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) in 2000.

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In April 2008, Jackie Chan was invited for the audio launch of an Indian film, entitled *Dasavathaaram* (2008) in Chennai, where he shared the dais with Indian film celebrities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Mammootty and Kamal Hassan. Though he did not understand a word of Tamil, Jackie Chan was touched by the Indian community’s love for him and his films, and was impressed with the movie *Dasavathaaram*, expressing a keen interest in working with the star of the film, Kamal Hassan.

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Jackie Chan

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Jackie Chan visited India in June 2013 to inaugurate the six-day Chinese Film Festival in India. The inaugural event is organised by the Indian Government’s Directorate of Film Festivals and opened with a screening of Jackie Chan’s latest film *Chinese Zodiac*. In interviews during this visit, he showed keen interest in Indian films citing *3 Idiots* as one his favourite films of recent times and expressed his wish to act in a Bollywood production in the future.

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After *Rumble in the Bronx*, Jackie Chan continued on the path of success with films like *Rush Hour* series, *Shanghai Noon* and *Shanghai Knights* with actor Owen Wilson. Besides these martial art comedies, he later experimented with the drama genre in films like *The Myth* (2005) and *The Forbidden Kingdom* (2008). *The Myth* was closely associated to India and was extensively shot in Hampi, India. The storyline of the film is also connected to India and Indian martial arts Kalaripayattu. In 2012, he announced his retirement from action films due to age. His celebrity status goes beyond just his acting in films.

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Jackie Chan with co-stars of the American film, 'Rush Hour 2'

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He has emerged as a cultural icon, being involved in several social and philanthropic activities. He is also an UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador on issues such as conservation, animal abuse and disaster relief.

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(*Sabaree Mitra*)

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Sachindranath Sengupta

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Sachindranath Sengupta (July 20, 1892 – March 5, 1961) was a prominent Bengali playwright and the producer and director of theatrical plays in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), India. Born in Khulna, now in Bangladesh, he actively participated in the protest movements against the partition of Bengal by the British colonial rulers in 1905. After completing undergraduate studies, he came to

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Sachindranath Sengupta

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Kolkata in 1909; subsequently, he studied Medicine for a few years. In the early years of his career, Sengupta was associated with many newspapers and magazines as reporter and editor. In the late 1920s, he entered the theatre world of Bengal and over the following decades went on to become an eminent personality of the Bengali theatre. Apart from writing many plays, such as ‘*Rokter dheu* (Wave of Blood), Goirik Pataka (The Saffron Flag), Janani (Mother), Bharatbarsho (India) and Kalo taka (Black Money)’, he also dramatised many novels and short stories, including the works of the poets Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. He was associated as a playwright with many theatre companies such as Rang Mahal, Star, Minerva, etc. He was the President of the Indian People’s Theatre Association and an active member of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sahitya Akademi and All India Peace Council. Sengupta visited China as a member of the Indian Cultural Delegation in 1955.

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(*Sabaree Mitra*)

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Satyajit Ray

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Satyajit Ray (May 2, 1921 - April 23, 1992) was an Indian director and film producer regarded as the pioneer of contemporary Indian films. Ray was born in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) into a notable Bengali family. He often attended Brahma Samaj with his family at an early age. He enjoyed watching movies and collecting Hollywood news and posters when he was in middle school. After graduating from a local public school, Ray attended Calcutta’s Presidency College, majored in Economics and got his Bachelor’s degree in 1940. He then attended Visva-Bharati and majored in oriental arts. In 1943, he worked at a British-run advertising agency and later worked as a cover designer at Signet Press. He founded the Calcutta Film Society in 1947. He started shooting his first film *Pather Panchali* in 1952 and released it in 1955. This film won him 12 international film awards. *Pather Panchali*, together

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Satyajit Ray

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with *Aparajito* (1956) and *Apu’s Sansar* (1959) was the *Apu Trilogy*. Ray then made over 30 films. Some of the notable works include *Calcutta Trilogy*: *Pratidwandi* (1970), *Seemabaddha* (1971) and *Jana Aranya* (1975); as well as *Shataranj ke Khiladi* (1977) based on Premchand’s short novel of the same name, *Ganashatru* (1989), *Shakha Proshakha* (1990) and *Agantuk* (1999). Many of Ray’s films and screenplays had been translated into Hindi, Marathi, English, French, Japanese and other languages. He wrote three film review anthologies, one film memoire, and hundreds of film reviews and literary works. He also won a number of international film awards and was given the Academy Honorary Award at the 1992 Oscars. In the same year, the Indian government awarded Ray the Bharat Ratna.

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Sun Wan and Shi Mengjun first introduced Ray’s film works to China. In Sun’s translation of *In the*

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Satyajit Ray at work

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*days of shooting Pather Panchali* and Shi’s translation of *Screenplay Writing*, which were both published in the third issue of *World Cinema Magazine* in 1981, the authors introduced Ray’s film career and creative concepts. Editor’s introduction of Ray’s life and film works was published along with the two translations. His films were also mentioned in the 2002 book - *20th Century Cinema: World Film Classics* published by SDX Joint Publishing Company. Additionally, there are over 10 essays on his films and his cinematic creation published in China.

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(Ren Xiaoke)

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Raj Kapoor

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Raj Kapoor (December 14, 1924 - June 2, 1988) was an Indian actor, producer and director, born in Peshawar which is now in Pakistan.

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Raj Kapoor came from a family of film-makers. His father Prithviraj Kapoor was a renowned Bollywood filmmaker. Raj Kapoor followed his father’s footstep and worked in the Indian film industry when he was only 11-years-old. He did many jobs on the set such as script clerk, deputy director and played leading roles in many movies. In 1948, he made his directing debut in the film *Aag*. He also directed the 1949 box office hit *Barsaat*. He founded R. K. Films, which was named after him, in Mumbai in 1950. He became famous for the 1951 film *Awara*, which he

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Raj Kapoor in Bollywood film 'Awara'

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directed and played the leading role. The film was nominated for the Palme d’Or Grand Prize at the 6ᵗʰ Cannes Film Festival in 1953. His portrayal of the title role, Raj made him an A-list Bollywood actor. He was very popular in both Asia and Europe at that time. Later his notable film works include *Shree 420* (1955), *Jagte Raho* (1956) and *Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai* (1960). After 1960s, Raj Kapoor focussed on film production and made representative films such as *Sangam* (1964), *Mera Naam Joker* (1970) and *Bobby* (1973). During his long career, Raj Kapoor directed and produced 14 films and starred in 57 films. His cinematic works touched on many social issues and were of practical significance. The Indian government lauded him with the Padma Bhushan medal in 1971 for his artistic achievements.

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Kapoor's representative film *Awara* was screened in China in 1955 and became an instant hit. His portrayal of the leading character was widely accepted by the Chinese audience and was regarded as one of the most classic movie characters in Indian cinema.

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(*Jia Yan*)

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Awara

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Released in1951, *Awara* was directed and starred by Raj Kapoor. It described the injustice in the society and praised the ideal love through the miserable situation of a young man. The story is as follows:

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Grand judge Raghunath firmly believes that "criminals are born to criminals." Jagga, the head of rogues and vagabonds, is treated unjustly by Raghunath, who then kidnapps the former's wife

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DVD cover of Indian movie, 'Awara'

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Leela for revenge. When Jagga find out that Leela is pregnant, he releases her and spreads rumors that Leela was unfaithful to her husband. Overwhelmed by immense pressure, Raghunath abandons his wife and throws her out of the house.

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Later, Leela gives birth to a son named Raj, the leading character of the film. Raj wanders the streets since his childhood and picks pockets for Jagga. Then, he meets Rita, a girl who was born in an upper class family, in school and they become good friends. But their relationship does not last long due to intervention from Rita's family. Several years later, Rita encounters Raj again on a street and they fall in love, again.

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After Raj comes to know what happened to his mother, he kills Jagga and attempts to escape from prison and kill the judge Raghunath, but fails. In Raj's trial, Rita, now a lawyer, defends him in court.

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A still from Indian movie, 'Awara'

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In the end, Raj's biological father, judge Raghunath, puts him in jail. Rita promises Raj that she will wait for him until the day of his release.

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*Awara* was a big box office hit when it was screened in India, and was later introduced to many other countries. In 1953, it was nominated for the Palme d'Or Grand Prize in the 6^th Cannes Film Festival. With the realistic filming methods, the criticism of social injustice and the exotic Indian artistic presentation, this film enjoyed great popularity.

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It is the first Indian film introduced in China since the establishment of the new country. Dubbed by Changchun Film Studio, it was screened in 1955, with the following persons participated in the dubbing: translator Yin Guangwen, director Xu Ming, and dubbing artistes Cong Lianwen (Raj), Bai Jingsheng (judge Raghunath), Xiang Junzhu (Rita), Gao Rongdi (Jagga) and Bai Mei (Leela). Prithviraj Kapoor, father of director Raj Kapoor and judge Raghunath in the film, led a delegation of Indian filmmakers to attend the show of the 'Republic of India Film Week' in October 1955. It changed the situation that China only introduced films from the former Soviet Union at that time and impressed the Chinese audiences very much, becoming the representative of Indian films in China. The theme song 'Awaara Hoon' and interlude 'Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi' were very popular in China. At the end of the 1970s, *Awara* hit the theaters in China again and aroused a great response from the audiences. The songs became popular once again.

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(*Zhang Minyu*)

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Do Bigha Zamin

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*Do Bigha Zamin* was directed by Bimal Roy and starred by Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy. Released on January 1, 1953, this film is based on Rabindranath Tagore's titular narrative poem.

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The film revolves around the wretched life of a farmer, Shambu Mahato and his family. The Shambus live a destitute life. The only means of livelihood for the whole family is two-thirds of an acre of land. The local zamindar (landlord) partners with some city businessmen to construct a mill on his large parcel of land. The only problem is that in the centre of the landlord's land lies Shambu's land. So, the landlord and city businessmen scheme together to set Shambu up and force him to give up his land. The film expresses sympathy for the lower class people and shows the desire for a better life. It also condemns the cruel society at that time. It won an International Prize at the 7ᵗʰ Cannes Film Festival and the first Indian Filmfare Awards.

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Indian film, 'Do Bigha Zamin'

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Shanghai Film Dubbing Studio translated this film into Chinese and released it nationally in 1955 and 1957. It is among the first batch of Indian films that was introduced to China. The Ministry of Culture of The People's Republic of China once organised, "The Republic of India Cinema Week" in 20 Chinese cities from October 17 - 23 in 1955, and *Do Bigha Zamin* was one of the three Indian films screened at this event. It achieved great popularity among Chinese audiences. There were additional screenings of the film in Chengdu after the Indian cinema week. Director of the film, Bimal Roy and leading actor Balraj Sahni, as members of the Indian film delegation, came to China to attend the screening and other relevant cultural exchange activities. Translator of the film Murong Wan'er, and author Li Qiao of Yi nationality and other celebrities in China's literary world wrote reviews for the film post screening and thought highly of the story and the exotic music in the film.

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(*He Yun*)

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Still shot from Indian movie, 'Do Bigha Zamin'

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Jhansi Ki Rani

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*Jhansi ki Rani*, an Indian Hindi movie, also known as The Tiger and the Flame was released in 1953, the film was directed and starred by Sohrab Modi with Mehtab as the heroine, Lakshimibai. It was based on the life story of Rani of Jhansi in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

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In mid-19ᵗʰ century, Manu, born in a downfallen Brahmin family, was proficient in archery and other martial skills from her early childhood. She took a fancy to the teacher of Jhansi by accident, and later was betrothed to the incompetent and much older Jhansi emperor Gangadhar Rao. After Manu got married, she changed her name to Lakshimibai. After Gangadhar Rao died, his adopted son succeeded the throne and Lakshimibai handled daily affairs on his son's behalf. However, the British East Indian Company refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the adopted son's succession and tried to swallow up Jhansi State. As Rani of Jhansi, Lakshimibai led her army to fight bravely against the British army and died from a fatal battle wound.

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Indian movie, 'Jhansi Ki Rani'

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*Jhansi ki Rani* is the first Indian movie in Technicolor. With sophisticated costumes, props, settings and grand battle scenes, it is also one of the most representative Indian historic films. Together with '*Awara*', '*Jhansi ki Rani*' is one of the first Indian films that were introduced and screened in China in the 1950s, which was translated and screened by Changchun Film Studio. The film achieved great popularity among Chinese audiences, and so did the historical figure of Rani of Jhansi.

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Moreover, Indian author Vrindavanlal Varma published a historical Hindi novel with the same title in 1946. The book tells the story of the life of the Rani of Jhansi, and records India's social environment in the mid 19ᵗʰ century. It is one of the most significant Hindi historical novels and was awarded the Best Novel by the Indian government in 1954. The book has since been translated into English, Russian, Czech, etc. The Chinese version was translated by Yin Hongyuan and Ma Menggang based on the 6th edition of the 1956 Hindi version and published in 1987.

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Karwan

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Premiered in 1971, *Karwan* was directed by Nasir Husain and starred by Asha Parekh, Jeetendra and Aruna Irani as the three main characters namely Sunita, Mohan and Nisha. The storyline is reversed and narrated in the first person. Taking the Karwan fleet as background, it tells the story of the heroine Sunita's escape and self-rescue. A Mumbai factory owner, Mohandas is murdered by his adopted son, after he finds that Rajan was stealing from him. Mohandas' only daughter Sunita is later married to Rajan against her will. On their wedding night, Monica, a nightclub dancer, tells Sunita that Rajan killed her father. Rajan realises Sunita knows the truth and tries to kill her. Sunita then disguises herself as a country girl and hides in a fleet of gypsy karwans heading to Bangalore (present-day Bengaluru) to seek help from his father's friend Karamchand. On her journey, Sunita falls in love with the driver Mohan. This upsets Nisha who has had a crush on Mohan for a long time. The karwan fleet confronts Rajan. Sunita and the fleet win the fight in the end.

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This movie received rave reviews in India. It got Rupees 360 million in box office ranking No. 6 in

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*Poster of Indian film, 'Karvan'*

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the box office chart in 1971. Asha Bhosle sang the songs for Sunita in the movie and won Best Female Playback Award at the 1972 Filmfare Awards.

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The Chinese version of the movie was translated by Zhao Guohua and directed by Wu Jingwei, which was released by Shanghai Movie Dubbing Studio in 1979. Voice actors Ding Jianhua, Yu Ding and Liu Guangning dubbed for Sunita, Rajan and Nisha. The movie was an instant hit after its screening in China. The original songs in the movie such as 'Goria Kahan Tera Desh', 'Hum to Hain Rahi Dil Ke' and 'Daiya Ae Main Kahan' were quite popular in China in the 1980s and were often performed in various music shows.

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(*Ren Jing*)

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3 Idiots

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*3 Idiots* was shot in July 2008, and was released in India in 2009. It was adapted from the novel *Five Point Someone* by the Indian author Chetan Bhagat, directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor. This film mainly tells the story of three Indian college students - Rancho, Farhan and Raju. They study at the Imperial College of Engineering and become good friends. In this college, grades are

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*Still from Indian film, '3 Idiots'*

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the only standard to examine one's excellence, which is deeply disapproved of by the genius Rancho. He encourages his friends to break away from those old rules and be brave to chase their dreams. Just when the two, Farhan and Raju successfully graduate from college and find jobs, Rancho leaves them without saying goodbye. Five years later, when Farhan and Raju go to Shimla to search for their best friend, it is revealed that Rancho has become an inventor with more than 400 patents. From the experience of the three friends, this film reflects on the problems that exist in the Indian society, especially criticising the Indian education system. After being released, this film successively refreshed the box office records of Bollywood films on the first day, in the first week and in the global market, with a global box office of Rs 4.7 billion. In 2010, at the International Indian Film Academy, this film won 16 awards including one for 'Best Movie'.

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In December 2010, *3 Idiots* was screened in Taiwan, China, with a showing period of six months and 28 days, which maintained the second longest showing period in the history of Taiwan. In September 2011, it was screened in Hong Kong, becoming the first Indian film to do so in Hong Kong. In December 2011, this film was dubbed and released by China Film Group Corporation, with actors Wen Zhang, Tang Wei and Huang Bo as dubbing actors. After being released in Mainland China, it received a good reputation and evoked the attention of Chinese to Bollywood films again, becoming the first Indian film with box office sales of over 10 million in mainland, and also the only New Year film with the longest showing period in Chinese movie history. In May 2013, when the Chinese premier Li Keqiang paid a visit to India, he mentioned he had watched this film on his daughter's suggestion.

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