[Weekly Update] May 8, 2022

Don't you love it when dozens of viewers request you to review RRR, and then Patrick H Willems releases a review that talks about everything you want to say and more?

Oh and the requests stopped after that.

Damn it Willems, damn you and your damn good video.

CHANNEL UPDATE

Our video about Malaysian cinema is finally complete. It should go live on the 12th. I ended up talking about 3 films: The Kid from the Big Apple, Jagat, and Rise: Ini Kalilah. I know they aren't true classics and aren't really representative of the film industry. But I wanted a set of films that are easy to find, and offers a diverse look at the ethnicities and languages of Malaysia.

Sadly, there are quite a bit of notes I didn't include in the video for time. I would love to talk about language mixing in Malaysian cinema. But maybe I'll wait until Everything Everywhere All at once comes out in home media.

Up next, we have a video talking about why Kung Fu movies are so patriotic all the time (or so it seems). Afterward, we have a video on Gallants, one of the best modern Kung Fu movies you have never heard of.

MEDIA TALK

I guess there's one thing Patrick Willems didn't talk about is why Indian cinema, despite being such a massive industry, never makes it big in the west, or even outside of South Asia.

I can't really make a video on this, because everything I say here is speculation. But I guess I can at least share my guesses here.

So why didn't Indian cinema take over the world? I think there are multiple reasons. For one thing, Indian movies are almost always released without a translated title. Baahubali, Dangle, Jodhaa Akbar. They are not easy words to say.

It may sound like a stupid reason, but think about it. Can you go up to the box office and say "Can I have a ticket for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge"? Part of me think 3 Idiots is such a massive success because we can actually pronounce the title.

There are, of course, the cultural reasons. Indian cinema is one of the few film industries that is still primarily a star system industry. Hollywood used to be one, too. And it's what brought us cinematic giants like Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando, people who leads fashion and swap public opinions with a flick of their fingers.

In many ways, Indian movie stars are just like that, larger than life. Indian male actors are generally in extremely good shape, similar to Stallone in the 80s. They can't just be good, they have to be godly.

But in a star system, stars can't just be actors. They have to make appearance in all sorts of media and events to boost their presence in the public consciousness. If you are familiar with Hong Kong movie stars, they are usually actors but also often singers, dancers, and models. The same thing also applies to Indian movie stars. That means, to people outside of India who have minimal chances of seeing these stars, they don't have the same level of perceived prestige. So their movies also have much less draw.

As Hollywood shifted towards a more intellectual property driven system, most audience also got used to seeing films with familiar characters rather than familiar stars. The difference in audience expectation makes the cultural barrier even harder to cross, as a result.

Lastly, and there's no two ways about it, racism likely remains a big factor. Unlike Japan and South Korea, which are rich first world nations, India remains stigmatized by most of the world. Rarely is an Indian film perceived as artistic or discussed as such. Its diverse styles are often looked down upon. People either actively avoid Indian cinema because of their prejudice, or too afraid to share their love with their friends, in fear of being branded as a weirdo. That may have contributed to its lacking in popularity, too.

Of course, those are just my guesses. So if you have any other thoughts on the matter, let me know. I'm very curious to know your thoughts. In any case, I'll see you in a few days with a new video!