Hindi Movie Addiction
People in Ethiopia love hindi movies. Mom tells me that this dates back to a long time ago. The Ethiopian film industry is just picking up so there aren't many amharic movies to watch. Hindi and English movies are widely appreciated by people there. Hindi movies come with english subtitles. When I was there, there was talk that hindi movies were gonna come with amharic subtitles. Its likely that it may have happened.
Everyone has watched almost all the movies that come to Ethiopia. Some were telling me the best movie they like is "Mother India", a movie I have not yet watched. Its an old movie, something patriotic I think. Whenever we go on the road and the locals see us and presume we are Indians, they start shouting all the words of hindi that they can remember from movies, character names, actors' names, movie names and so on. Like once me and mom were walking and a few men from inside a truck started screaming "Mother India, Haati Mere Saathi" and some more hindi movie names that I can't remember right now.
Everyone loves Shah Rukh Khan (SRK). They think that nothing better than him can happen in Bollywood. Most of the movies that come to Ethiopia are his movies. They have posters of him in music shops, grocery stores and so on. Other actors are not so popular but people know they exist. Of the actresses, people love Rani Mukherjee, they adore Kajol and Preity Zinta, and put up posters of any other actress who poses in any position other than normal.
Once when me and mom were walking on the road, a bunch of boys walking in the opposite direction noticed us and as we crossed each other, started singing a popular song from an SRK movie. They were good, actually. Funny how much they can get the lyrics right with just listening to the song and not knowing the language at all. I sang the rest of the song and we were given a big applause.
Hindi movies are aired in the only theater in Jimma every wednesday and friday afternoon. I once went to a movie with a few Indian friends of mine. The movie was a SRK one, "Phir bhi dil hai hindustani". The crowd was minimal. Not many people like to go to theaters. The ticket is of a very meagre rate - has to be when considering wooden chairs and no air-conditioning. But even that value could be expensive for a majority of the locals. Whatever crowd was there was surely more patriotic than us, I can say that. There was a scene where SRK does this "I won't tolerate injustice" dialogue and waves the Indian flag and walks past a bunch of fat policeman (who happen to have misunderstood the whole story) who try to shoot him. They dont and when a whole battalion of people march past, led by SRK, the crowd in the small theater started clapping their hands and cheering! This was so incredible to me! I mean, the sole reason I watched the movie was that the patriot thing was so silly and so funny and there are these people of a different culture and country feeling so serious about the same thing I found the other way round.
I discussed this clapping-for-hero thing with Mom and what she told me is really something to think about. The people of Ethiopia have been in bondage for too long. They dont have freedom of speech, their democracy sucks, they are not developed..... India represents everything they long for - the right to do what they want, speak what they like, move forward with the world, wear colourful clothes and have pretty women (pretty as in white pretty woman).
Everyone has watched almost all the movies that come to Ethiopia. Some were telling me the best movie they like is "Mother India", a movie I have not yet watched. Its an old movie, something patriotic I think. Whenever we go on the road and the locals see us and presume we are Indians, they start shouting all the words of hindi that they can remember from movies, character names, actors' names, movie names and so on. Like once me and mom were walking and a few men from inside a truck started screaming "Mother India, Haati Mere Saathi" and some more hindi movie names that I can't remember right now.
Everyone loves Shah Rukh Khan (SRK). They think that nothing better than him can happen in Bollywood. Most of the movies that come to Ethiopia are his movies. They have posters of him in music shops, grocery stores and so on. Other actors are not so popular but people know they exist. Of the actresses, people love Rani Mukherjee, they adore Kajol and Preity Zinta, and put up posters of any other actress who poses in any position other than normal.
Once when me and mom were walking on the road, a bunch of boys walking in the opposite direction noticed us and as we crossed each other, started singing a popular song from an SRK movie. They were good, actually. Funny how much they can get the lyrics right with just listening to the song and not knowing the language at all. I sang the rest of the song and we were given a big applause.
Hindi movies are aired in the only theater in Jimma every wednesday and friday afternoon. I once went to a movie with a few Indian friends of mine. The movie was a SRK one, "Phir bhi dil hai hindustani". The crowd was minimal. Not many people like to go to theaters. The ticket is of a very meagre rate - has to be when considering wooden chairs and no air-conditioning. But even that value could be expensive for a majority of the locals. Whatever crowd was there was surely more patriotic than us, I can say that. There was a scene where SRK does this "I won't tolerate injustice" dialogue and waves the Indian flag and walks past a bunch of fat policeman (who happen to have misunderstood the whole story) who try to shoot him. They dont and when a whole battalion of people march past, led by SRK, the crowd in the small theater started clapping their hands and cheering! This was so incredible to me! I mean, the sole reason I watched the movie was that the patriot thing was so silly and so funny and there are these people of a different culture and country feeling so serious about the same thing I found the other way round.
I discussed this clapping-for-hero thing with Mom and what she told me is really something to think about. The people of Ethiopia have been in bondage for too long. They dont have freedom of speech, their democracy sucks, they are not developed..... India represents everything they long for - the right to do what they want, speak what they like, move forward with the world, wear colourful clothes and have pretty women (pretty as in white pretty woman).
posted by Grace at 5:36 PM
4 Comments:
I do know what India is like...I left for one. But there is a certain degree of difference between the two countries. Agreed that Ethiopia was never colonised...but what place does it occupy now in terms of development? If all the Ethiopians staying abroad ever go back to their country again for good, then Ethiopia will be teaming up with all sortsa professionals...all bent to make the country a better place. Wonder why no one actually does it.
I have read a bit about Italy's occupation of the country. They did suffer for five years before the Italians left. Just so you know, a movie is a movie! No one in real life walks across to a barricade of policeman, waving a flag and being heroic. I had some other experience (which I frankly dont want to write about) which made me make such a comment.
We chew what is called as a Betel leaf. I have lived in India for 20 years to know that we dont have chat there. The betel leaf thing is addictive, I agree. People get mouth cancer because of that. and I know it.
As for Mom, she was born in Ethiopia. In Gore. To Indian Parents. and yes, she is on a contract there.
And as for why Indian people immigrate elsewhere, the real reason is that they have money but they still want more...like they are not satisfied with what they have so they look everywhere for more. Its a general trait of Indian people, I suppose. I should probably write more on that.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
" ... (pretty as in white pretty woman)."
Hmm. I find it hard to lower myself to discuss women in terms of beauty but food for thought:
a) some would say that statement reveals a 'colonized' mentality, which, btw, is something most Ethiopian people don't have.
b) Beauty is, I guess, really in the eye of the beholder. I am in the US, and often when I meet people and I tell them I'm Ethiopian they proceed to say, "I'm yet to see an Ethiopian girl who's not beautiful/pretty" (which, btw, has ceased to be a compliment since the first time I heard it ... because, even after all these years, it is too awkward to have response to). Similar things used to happen to me in metropolitan Europe.
c) Please do not take this as a point of retaliation, but it's something I have not been able to get a satisfactory answer to: despite Miss India having been Miss World for consecutive years, why is it that Indian women have failed to break into mainstream white celebrity culture? East Africa has and had its share of supermodels like Liya Kebede, Iman, Waris Dirie. Naomi Campbell herself can pass for an Ethiopian. Recently there's been an Indian movie star (i forget her name) who's been doing an a mascara, but I don't see the ad anymore, and I've not seen her anywhere else. The lack of Indian faces can't be because they're held back by the conservative Indian culture, because there's apparently a LOT of Indian porn out there (according to male Indian friends! :-) Far east Asians women are unquestionably sexualized. But as for Indian women, I'm yet to see a reaction to South Asia in popular culture ... besides yoga and Gandhi. So, why?
Oh well...I would rather India stay with Yoga and Gandhi than come up with people like Naomi Campbell. And I definitely agree...Ethiopian women are so so beautiful. Its not about the colour, even in that they are pretty. Its just their presence, their smile, the beauty of their traditional clothes, drapes of white...just being them is such beauty. Just that Ethiopian men that I met like to pinch Indian women a lot.
India has always been a sort of country to advocate Gandhian principles and so on..that quite doesn't include supermodels on the menu. But still, if you know about Aishwarya Rai, she seems to be making something of herself right now, which includes ending up as a mannequin at Madame Tussaud's. I don't like her anyway, so I really dont care if Indian women make it big in the beauty market. For Indians, its only colour that counts (most of the time), which doesn't in many other places.
Hi Yonas. I agree with your point of view. Jimma is kindof a rural place...so can imagine thats what it will be like. Just was surprised to find them clapping for an Indian heroish guy, which has been explained well by ethioprince, so it makes sense now I guess.
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