Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s5.t2: Indian Films in China
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s5.t2
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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*)
Linked texts (3)
- Āgantukasutta — Pāli
- Mahābhārata — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
- Devī — Sanskrit