Bollywood to Bollywood to Budapest: Budapest:

Transnational Transnational Circulation and Circulation and

Film CultureFilm CultureMallika PadmanabhanMallika Padmanabhan

Communication Honors ThesisCommunication Honors Thesis

Advisor: Nitin GovilAdvisor: Nitin Govil

IntroductionIntroduction• Why Bollywood?Why Bollywood?• Why Hungary?Why Hungary?• Value in studying the link Value in studying the link

between film industries and between film industries and

economic transformations economic transformations

http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/europe/european-union/hungary/map.htm

http://www.world-links.org/taxonomy/term/234?page=1

Main QuestionsMain Questions

How has Bollywood used broader Indo-How has Bollywood used broader Indo-Hungarian relations to emerge in a Hungarian relations to emerge in a context with virtually no diasporic context with virtually no diasporic demand?demand?

How does Bollywood function differently How does Bollywood function differently in an environment when it is dependent in an environment when it is dependent on policy rather than popularity? on policy rather than popularity?

ArgumentArgument

I argue that policy shifts towards I argue that policy shifts towards neoliberalism in both India and Hungary neoliberalism in both India and Hungary have enabled Bollywood’s recent have enabled Bollywood’s recent emergence in Budapest, but the politically emergence in Budapest, but the politically and economically-focused flows behind and economically-focused flows behind this emergence have led to problems of this emergence have led to problems of representation on-screen. representation on-screen.

Method of ArgumentMethod of Argument

• Understanding the impact of similar Understanding the impact of similar deregulatory shiftsderegulatory shifts• Critical moment in the 1980sCritical moment in the 1980s

• Seeing the relationship between Seeing the relationship between neoliberalism and media flowsneoliberalism and media flows

• Analyzing contexts of Bollywood film Analyzing contexts of Bollywood film production and culture in Hungary todayproduction and culture in Hungary today• Film festivalsFilm festivals• Location shootingLocation shooting

• Observing effects of economic decisions Observing effects of economic decisions on cinematic productson cinematic products

My Research BlogMy Research Blog

http://bollywoodandhungary.wordpress.com/category/hungaryindia-relations/text-soviet-union-and-the-third-world/

History of Indo-Hungarian History of Indo-Hungarian RelationsRelations

• 1950s-1970s: Limited bilateral trade 1950s-1970s: Limited bilateral trade (Soviet influence)(Soviet influence)

• 1980s-1990s: Deregulation in both 1980s-1990s: Deregulation in both countriescountries• Neoliberalism as a way to boost transnational Neoliberalism as a way to boost transnational

trade trade

• 1998: Bollywood as “Industry”1998: Bollywood as “Industry” • 2000: First Indian Film Festival held in 2000: First Indian Film Festival held in

BudapestBudapest50th Anniversary Celebration of Indo-Hungarian relations, 2006

http://www.indianembassy.hu/html/TnCMinister/Press%20Release%20-%2024%20oct.htm

Film Festivals and Media Film Festivals and Media FlowFlow

• Government Government collaborations collaborations dependent on dependent on policy, not policy, not popularitypopularity

• ““Mediascapes” and Mediascapes” and “financescapes”“financescapes”

• Film festivals in a Film festivals in a transnational transnational contextcontext

http://www.indianembassybudapest.org/index.php?option=com_news&task=detail&id=215

Bollywood in HungaryBollywood in Hungary• Location shootingLocation shooting

• Hungary: Act II on Hungary: Act II on Motion Picture, 2004Motion Picture, 2004

• AksAks (“The Reflection”), (“The Reflection”), 2001, dir. Rakeysh 2001, dir. Rakeysh MehraMehra

• Hum Dil De Chuke Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam Sanam (“Straight from (“Straight from the Heart”), 1999, dir. the Heart”), 1999, dir. Sanjay BhansaliSanjay Bhansali

• Hungarian settings for Hungarian settings for South Asian audiencesSouth Asian audiences

http://mrbrownmovies.com/movierpt03-07.html

““National Erasure”National Erasure”• Displacement of a film location’s national Displacement of a film location’s national

signs through the filming or editing signs through the filming or editing processprocess

““Italy”Italy”

http://www.destination360.com/europe/hungary/

““National Erasure” in National Erasure” in Hum Hum Dil De Chuke SanamDil De Chuke Sanam

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Perf. Salmaan Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Ajay Devgan. Bhansali Films, 1999.

ConclusionConclusion

• Cultural policy Cultural policy facilitates Bollywood’s facilitates Bollywood’s presence in Budapestpresence in Budapest

• Cultural flows that are Cultural flows that are dependent on dependent on economic flows enable economic flows enable disjuncture disjuncture (Budapest’s presence (Budapest’s presence in Bollywood) in Bollywood)

• Characteristic tension Characteristic tension in global media todayin global media today

Aks screenshot acknowledging government linkages involved in

film production

Aks. Dir. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Perf. Amitabh Bachchan, Raveena Tandon, and Manoj Bajpai. Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited, 2001.