In the following article, which was originally published by UK-China Film Collab, Asma Waheed looks at the abiding popularity of Indian cinema in China despite the ups and downs of the countries’ bilateral political relations over the decades.
Asma notes that while there has rightly been much attention paid to East-West cinematic exchange, “it is equally important to examine East-East cinematic exchange – in this case, the relationship between Indian and Chinese cinema… Bollywood’s popularity in China provides a real threat to Hollywood’s once-held monopoly in the global film market. But the story of Bollywood in China is not confined to the 21st century – instead it spans across to the 1950s, a time where both countries had undergone monumental change.”
The beginnings of Indian film success in China date from the 1951 film Awaara, or Liulangzhe (流浪者). Directed, produced and starring Raj Kapoor, a legendary icon in Indian film, the story follows the life of a young man, Raj, as he becomes entangled in a life of crime. A mainstay of the Golden Age of Indian cinema, in its exploration of themes such as destiny, justice, and morality, Awaara became a symbol of new nation-building in a post-independence India.
In an act of cultural exchange and diplomacy, the Indian People’s Theatre Association brought Awaara to China in 1955. Such was its popularity that even Chairman Mao was said to be a great fan of the film and its title song, Awaara Hoon. (The Indian People’s Theatre Association [IPTA] is the oldest association of theatre artists in India. It was formed in 1943 and promoted themes related to the Indian freedom struggle against British colonial rule. Communist leaders such as PC Joshi, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India [CPI], and Sajjad Zaheer, General Secretary of the Progressive Writers’ Association, were instrumental in its formation. It remains the cultural wing of the CPI.)
Today, a key inheritor of this legacy is Aamir Khan, famed for his 2001 anti-colonial cricketing epic Lagaan. Asma notes that:
“In the surveys and research regarding South Asian and East Asian film relationships, a primary reason for why audiences enjoyed Aamir Khan’s film and other Indian films was the shared cultural values. This may be surprising to some, but in Yanyan Hong’s research, it found that Indian film movie-goers were attracted to the film’s engagement with social issues relevant to both Indian and Chinese societies.”
She concludes: “The status of Indian cinema in China has shifted with the political climate, enjoying bouts of immense popularity before falling out of favour, only to reemerge years later. The nature of the film industry is such that it has become a vehicle for cultural diplomacy – whether Indian cinema will see another spike of interest in China remains undecided, but their relationship serves as a clear example of how good storytelling resonates across borders, adapting to the unique landscapes of each country and society. More importantly, it showcases the shared nature of human experiences across different cultures and highlights the similarity across seemingly different people.”
As the world grows more globalised in the 21st century, the impacts on the film industry are undeniable.
China emerged as one of the world’s largest box office markets, with over 90,000 cinema screens in the country, and Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite made history as the Oscars. Fuelled by diasporic communities mainly in the US and UK, Bollywood too continues to garner attraction across the globe. It is certain that the film industries of South and East Asian countries are driving their soft-power transnationally, evident in Korea’s Hallyu Wave growing from a regional trend in East Asia to now a tsunami sweeping across the globe.
There has rightly been much attention on the East-West cinematic exchange, and it is long overdue that Asian cinema has received praise in Hollywood institutions. However to better understand cinema in a global context, it is equally important to examine East-East cinematic exchange— in this case, the relationship between Indian and Chinese cinema.
In this essay series, I will explore the evolving and dynamic relationships between South Asian cinema and two markets— China and the UK. As a country with a considerable South Asian population, the UK presents an interesting case for understanding the reach of Bollywood beyond the subcontinent. Meanwhile, as two of the world’s most sizeable economics, India and China’s film industries offer a fascinating and important case study of cross-border cultural exchange in a globalised world.
In many people’s minds, Indian cinema— especially Bollywood[1]— is a genre full to rhetorical brim with melodramatic narrative, musical sequences, and grand dance numbers. But it is the unique and emotional storytelling that struck a chord with Chinese audiences, leading to major commercial success— indeed, Bollywood’s popularity in China provides a real threat to Hollywood’s once-held monopoly in the global film market.[2] But the story of Bollywood in China is not confined to the 21st century— instead it spans across to the 1950s, a time where both countries had undergone monumental change.
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