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In Indonesia, the Bollywood craze has certainly caught on. People on the street routinely mention say “Kuch Kuch hota hai” indicating the immense popularity of that movie. In this country, most people are familiar with big stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh, Maduri Dixit, Rani Mukherjee etc. An Indonesian is even running a Rani Mukherjee Fans Association in Jakarta.

It would also be be safe to assume that today’s youth in Indonesia are keen followers of new Bollywood movies as they easily indentify themselves with modern actors like Ranvir Singh, Ranbir Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor etc.

The reaction of the Indonesian youth to the untimely demise of young Bollywood popular actor Sushant Singh Rawat was indicative of how local people keenly follow Bollywood movies and its actors. There was an outpouring of grief over his death and many Indonesians called for an inquiry into his suicide case. Further, a video of a Jakarta traffic policeman dancing to the tune of Chhaiyya Chhaiyya and a video on a billboard giving tribute to Late Sushant Singh Rajput at a major road junction in Jakarta going viral on the Internet, were not the ‘few minutes of fame’ story but indication of love for Bollywood.

In many Indonesian cities, Indian tourists are sometimes greeted with the names of Bollywood films, characters and the actors. It sometimes becomes an ice breaker or talking point between people of India and Indonesia.

The fan clubs of Bollywood are thriving in Indonesia. Besides their activities, social media has emerged as another way to connect transcending geographical barriers Not just release of a new movie, timings of Indian movie being shown on local television are also mentioned. The twists and turns in the relationship of Bollywood stars are not just the topic of social media pages but even the mainstream media.

In Indonesia it has been noticed that various musical bands singing a range of Bollywood songs with exact pronunciation at social gatherings though they may not understand meaning of the lyrics. The songs, music, love, family bonds, traditional values, love for humanity and happy ending of Bollywood films are factors that easily connect Indonesian fans. Such fans can be found not just in mega cities but also in remote islands and rural areas of Indonesia.

The inclusiveness and harmonious character of Bollywood has inspired generations of actors and makers of Indonesian films. An emerging film star of Indonesia Muhammad Khan even dedicated 3 of his awards for being best promising actor to Shahrukh Khan. That is why Bollywood can be called one of the “Cultural Sutra- a thread of culture” between India and Indonesia.

To celebrate this Bollywood connect and recognise the talent of Indonesian Bollywood singers and to encourage the work they are doing, the Jawaharlal Nehru India Cultural Centre in Jakarta, in close collaboration with Embassy of India in Jakarta, organised a Bollywood Singing Competition in Indonesia in July 2020 under the title “Bollywood Singing Sensation of Indonesia 2020”.

 

Courtesy: kovermagz.com