Since the 1950s, Bollywood cinema has seen a steadily growing fanbase in countries outside of the Indian subcontinent such as the former Soviet Union (mainly Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan) China, Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal and the Philippines. The rebellious romantic utopia that Bollywood cinema propagates, originates from its own reaction to the society’s suppression. Indian films are modes of expression that, while being enmeshed in social propriety, can subvert the same norms. This quality especially resonates with people of the cultures that have a shared history of colonization and societal suppression. The relatability is strong whether it’s the socialist ideals in Awara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955)that have been popular in Soviet Russia, the critique of social conformity in 3 Idiots (2009) and Secret Superstar (2017) that have found favor with the Chinese audience, or the forbidden love stories that have formed the basis for the Nigerian film industry. Bollywood has been the unlikely thread that binds all these countries together.

A ray of light

In 1954, a festival of Indian films in the Soviet Union is said to have forged a tie between both nations that resulted in the USSR importing Indian films consistently until 1991 when the union disintegrated. The USSR audience during the cold war period found solace in the escapism of Bollywood that depicted optimism in the face of adversity. At the time, the only other films that Soviet audiences could watch in theaters were propaganda films about undying allegiance to the nation. In that atmosphere, Bollywood’s vivacious song and dance routines combined with drama, romance and positivity became popular to the point of being obsessions. The Chaplinesque character of a tramp played by actor-producer-director Raj Kapoor in Awara and Shree 420 became a symbol of optimism in the USSR and resulted in record box office turnouts for both films. When Kapoor landed in Moscow in the 1960s, he didn’t have a visa but passed through immigration smoothly and then casually waited outside the airport for a taxi. Word got around that Kapoor was in town and soon a crowd gathered to see him. When he sat inside the taxi, he noticed it not moving forward but upwards; the mob had lifted the taxi on their shoulders to welcome their most favorite movie star. Kapoor’s ambitious 1970 film Mera Naam Joker, a co-production with Russia was the highest grossing film of that time in the USSR.

‘Awara Hoon’, the title song of the film Awara, is said to have been Chinese Chairman Mao Tse-tung’s favorite song and film. In the song, the character celebrates his vagabond state and free-spirited resilience while his freshly independent nation builds itself up from the debris of colonization. The film touches upon themes of unemployment, class divide, capitalism, the importance of family, education and nature vs nurture which found favor among Chinese audiences. What they connected with most was the heightened melodrama and musical aspect of Bollywood that felt closer to traditional Chinese operas that were also long, much like Indian films (an average Bollywood film runs at 3 hours in length).

Universal language of rebellion

In recent times, China has become a big market for Bollywood films. The 2009 film, 3 Idiots about the life of three engineering students dealing with exam pressure and a flawed education system was hugely successful in the country. The themes were highly relatable for audiences in China. Nazia Vasi, an Indian writer who runs a Mandarin-language institute, mentioned in an article for The Economic Times how Chinese students have to pass through the highly competitive Gao Kao grading system to enroll in a university. From thereon to find coveted job placements is a different level of challenge. 3 Idiots opened the floodgates of Chinese multiplexes to other Bollywood films with strong social commentary. Interestingly, most of these films including Dangal, Secret Superstar and PK, featured superstar Aamir Khan as the lead actor. Following the success of these films, Khan became the most popular Bollywood star in China.

The popularity of 3 Idiots went a few steps further in Mexico where it was remade as 3 Idiotas with an all-Mexican cast, directed by Carlos Bolado. The director mentioned in an interview with Indian newspaper Mid-Day that he was approached by the producer of Cinepolis, a chain of Mexican multiplexes, to remake this highly popular film. Bolado added that he wasn’t surprised as he saw a lot of similarities between the Indian and Mexican culture: “Since we are not Americans, Chinese or Europeans, we form the ‘other’ part of the world. I have always seen Indian movie posters and thought they resembled a Mexican poster. Check the mustache and the hairy faces.”

To Nollywood, with love

Bollywood is the foundational rock upon which the Nigerian film industry, known as ‘Nollywood’, is built. It all began in the 1960s when Lebanese and Syrian businessmen began importing Indian films to keep their open-air theaters running as Hollywood movies got more expensive to import. The themes of forbidden love, arranged marriage, familial ties held sway with the more conservative populace of northern Nigeria. They also coined Hausa-language nicknames for their favorite Bollywood stars: Dharmendra was known as “Sarkin Karfi” or king of strength, the boyish Rishi Kapoor was “Mace”, meaning woman and Sanjay Dutt was nicknamed “Dan Daba Mai Lasin” or hooligan with a license. A number of Nigerians growing up during the period from 1960s–80s admit to singing and dancing along and even teaching themselves Hindi by watching Bollywood films. Contemporary Nollywood filmmakers such as Femi Odugbemi and Hamisha Daryani Ahuja often speak of Bollywood as being the primary source of influence on Nigerian cinema.

Bollywood cinema while being its flamboyant, high-spirited, melodramatic self, has invariably become a force that ripples through the globe and has the power to dissolve geographical boundaries. In a world that seems increasingly divisive, it’s refreshing to pull up instances that make us more alike than not. The Bollywood-bred romantic in me believes that someday, a war-torn world could be united by all of us singing together:

Awara hoon, awara hoon

Ya gardish mein hoon aasman ka tara hoon

Awara hoon…

I’m a vagabond, I’m a vagabond

Or am I a star revolving over the horizon

I’m a vagabond…