Introduction
While India attempts to set its own pace of industrialization, renowned movies have seen significant transformations. The expansion of the Indian middle class and its relocation to the West indicated that Bollywood productions were no longer generated for the country’s necessities but also to suit the expectations of its worldwide population (Singh and Singh 90). The particular strain of viewership necessitated the invention of an entirely new category – the diasporic variety, which appealed to the demands and desires of NRIs (Non-Resident Indians).
These movies portrayed a typical Indian expatriate, so establishing a new mixed civilization of east and West in which international issues are addressed through Indian ideas, beliefs, and sanskaars. Therefore, this distinctive style aided India in defining its cultural identity, establishing its personality in the eyes of both its residents and the outside community. This paper analyzes how Chopra’s international breakthrough Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) portrays India’s cultural image in global circumstances. Additionally, the essay compares DDLJ and other related Indian films that show diaspora identity among overseas viewers.
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) and Diaspora Identity
DDLJ is generally acknowledged as one of the most popular movies in Indian cinema. It was produced by Aditya Chopra and debuted in 1995 (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge). Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol played essential parts in the making of the film. It required multiple conceptual modifications, from portraying an immigrant as a warrior to emphasizing specific individuals of the diaspora’s intention to return to the nation to visibly demonstrating an inherent commitment to Indian ideals abroad.
The film, a love story, is fundamentally conservative, as it is predicated on the restoration of cultural and ethical order (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge). The film focuses on an elderly diaspora member’s wish to return to his homeland. The film’s opening scene depicts a depressed Amreesh Puri feeding dove in London while yearning for his homeland.
The prominence of diasporic movies exploded in the 1990s for a variety of reasons. In 1991, India’s financial emancipation allowed the Indian middle class to establish the face of this age. Due to the commercialization struggles and civilization shock that many young Indian men and women are experiencing, the NRI has become a symbol of those struggles (Sengupta 61). For the Indian diaspora, the films served as a source of pride and a reminder of their cultural heritage.
As Aditya Chopra himself put it, Indian movies teach differently: they communicate social norms and a feeling of obligation (Sengupta 61). To bring Indians living in India together with those living in other countries, diasporic films helped create an Indian “Intra and inter” connectedness network (Sengupta 61). Writers with a strong interest in internationalization theory and cultural anthropology have bolstered the appeal of the diasporic category.
Since the diasporic viewers provided a new demographic that was prosperous enough to increase productivity and profitability; film directors were intrigued. For India’s economic globalization, diasporic films were a way for India to proclaim its globalized identity and a method for India to glorify commercialization (Mazumdar 371). In addition, the films gave people a sense of familiarity by depicting faraway locations as they had envisioned them to be. Even though the diasporic films situated Indians in the Western culture, they represented America according to the Indian vision of America rather than America itself (Mazumdar 371). For both Indian citizens and Indian expats, the films portrayed how a guy may go to the pardes and still adhere to their genuine Indian sanskaars.
Nationalist sentiment and a yearning for the homeland are evident in the persistent melancholy and enormous passion with which Indian expats reference India: ‘hamare desh ki mitti,’ our country’s soil. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) perfectly illustrates this, with the parent, Choudhry Baldev Singh, performed by Amrish Puri, repeatedly referring to India and Punjab as ‘Apna desh’ and ‘Apna Punjab,’ respectively (Mazumdar 372). At the same time, the storylines alternate between Punjab’s yellow mustard domains and London’s renowned Trafalgar Square, comparing and contrasting the two locations in the show (Mazumdar 372). Furthermore, Baldev’s dress is a fusion of western and Indian influences, reflecting his lifestyle in London for so long.
Thus, this way of life has been bequeathed to his family â his two daughters speak excellent Hindi, dress in salwaar kameez and other Indian attire, and exhibit perfect Indian mannerisms for second-generation NRI progeny (Mazumdar 371). Baldev’s national identification crisis is further demonstrated by his attempts to reconcile with India by organizing his older daughter Simran to marry his best friend’s son in Punjab. Thus, while Baldev’s family depicted the past before migration when Indians had to fight to prosper in local enterprises, the narrator’s family symbolizes a contemporary era of industrious NRIs who have found greatness working in IT.
Compared to Baldev, a traditional father who wishes his children to be real Indians, Shah Rukh Khan’s Raj Malhotra is a freewheeling wealthy child raised in a diverse neighborhood. While he is shown with beautiful cars and a disregard for money, Raj subsequently demonstrates his appreciation for his Indian ancestors by conversing with Simran- the script’s heroine (Mazumdar 373). With a protagonist named Raj, one of the most famous names in 1990s India, the film suggests how an average Indian could embrace the NRI life. The essential idea of a comedy like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge is that, despite their western dress and behaviors, the NRI protagonist and heroine retain their Indian principles and sanskaars (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge). As such, this is demonstrated when Simran awakens dressed as Raj and concludes they expended a drunken night together.
Simran becomes enraged due to her orthodox Indian sexual morals, to which Raj responds that he was aware of how they feel about him. They believed he was a scumbag and responded to Simran by suggesting that he was not but somewhat of Hindustani ancestry (Mazumdar 371). Moreover, Raj is much aware of what honor entails for a Hindustani woman. Not only does this demonstrate that Raj and Simran, although being second-generation NRIs, retain their Indian customs, but it also demonstrates that they are aware of their Indian heritage, Teo.
This sequence establishes Raj and Simran’s genuine Indian personalities, Sathian, because both actors are conscious of the conventional Indian standards of ethics before engagement. While Raj does not defy Baldev by eloping with Simran, his Hindustani morals can be observed in his determination to endure Baldev’s fury with the goal of correcting his wrong perception (Singh and Sweta 89). His ethical standards make it possible for him to seek Simran for her permission to marry, following Indian culture. There are later sequences where Raj makes a home in Simran’s matrimonial house for the sole purpose of seeking Baldev’s approval while being near Simran.
Because he is a Sanskaari boy upholding traditional Indian beliefs, Raj, the NRI born and raised in a foreign place but had no family ties, fits right in at the Punjabi marriage home (Singh and Sweta 89). Consequently, he participated in and even led cultural ceremonies and performances. As a result, DDLJ portrays the Indian diaspora as a group of Indians capable of upholding and appreciating Indian sanskaars despite the influence of the West.
Conversely, Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham demonstrates that when one embraces one’s genuine cultural heritage, one becomes a better individual who is more appreciated in the community. As such, this is seen in Kareena Kapoor’s personality and Pooja’s transformation. Pooja, the eventual NRI whiner, is motivated by the hero of the Hollywood blockbuster Clueless, who has wholly incorporated British culture â to the point of streamlining her indigenous Indian title of Pooja to ‘Poo.’ Thus, while residing in London, he puts on skimpy non-Indian clothing, being audible and adventurous, and affiliates with other NRI ingrates who share the same way of life.
Once Rohan, the film’s iconic agent of change, joins the other Raichand family, Pooja rediscovers her Indian morality when he draws her into their shared cultural realm and teaches her the value of her culture. Poo instantly begins dressing more Indian, develops a new love for traditional Hindu customs, and attempts to demonstrate her patriotic feelings by teaching the Indian patriotic song to her nephew’s school musical. Everyone, notably Rahul and Anjali, who plays her caregivers in the film, is thrilled that Pooja eventually comes to her traditional senses. Thus, this demonstrates that if an individual fully recognizes their Indian ancestry, they are recognized as a stronger person in all spheres of society.
Furthermore, Anjali portrays the Indian vessel in the Indian film. She embodies India to the NRI viewing public with all her traditional ways of life and fervent nationalism, as evidenced by how she handles her ‘Indian matrilineal society, insisting on adhering to Indian traditions.
The cultures she demonstrates include: completing everyday religious activities, singing loud Indian patriotic music early in the morning, dressing in Indian garments, and talking in Hindi, supplying her family with the Indian meal of Rotis regularly. Moreover, she possesses a compulsive desire to assist any Indian, even if they are peculiar. The only justification Rohan was permitted to stay at Rahul’s house was because Anjali fought for his cause as a refugee from Bharat. As the Indian representative, she aims to introduce India’s authentic culture directly into London’s venues rather than attempting to change it to fit the host country’s regulations.
Importance of Diaspora Identity
As with other international corporations, Diasporas enjoy a prominent place in that they can assert control as an activist organization in both the motherland and the host country. Therefore, this frequently affects the native land due to its impact on the host country. In any case, Diasporas, like interested parties, may use whatever leverage they have to promote their causes. Again, as with other interest groups, they make use of their monetary backing, all the more so because representatives of Diasporas are typically wealthier than their homeland equivalents. Thus, this is demonstrated consciously because all lead characters in the film are depicted as prosperous and thriving while living abroad, which increases their influence and respectability at home.
The NRI ceases to be a guiding light as they have turned to be India’s society’s standardized figures on the huge screen and have been thoroughly incorporated into the popular consciousness of India. Thus, this might be considered one of Bollywood’s contributions; highlighting NRIs and exotic destinations on the big screen has enabled Indians to extend their perspective, thereby decreasing the world (Sengupta 75). Moreover, Manmohan Singh highlighted that India’s soft power might be an effective foreign policy tool in certain circumstances (Sengupta 75). Therefore, the films play an integral part in ensuring that the NRI’s cultural identity is maintained regardless of whichever part of the world they reside in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge movie offers its foreign Indian viewers an opportunity to reconnect with their motherland’s heritage and relive living in India. This movie, which was created specifically to satisfy the sentimentality necessity of NRI, is the icon of Bollywood’s diasporic narrative, from which other Indian diasporic motion pictures emerged. Films such as Salaam Namaste, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Love Aaj Kal, and Swadesh produced excessive earnings internationally due to the growing number of Indian diasporic listeners.
From the beginning the 1990s to the present, these films primarily transformed the NRI impression of someone who originally disrespected their nation and relocated to the West to pursue employment. The change is from someone supporting the totality of India in a multicultural land to the contemporary symbol that we now know. Additionally, the movies present NRIs surviving the elegant international way of life while maintaining Indian ethics and sanskaars while earning money at the box office.
Works Cited
âDilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.â YouTube, Uploaded by YouTube Movies. 2021. Web.
Mazumdar, Ranjani. âRepetition with a Difference: A Response to Arjun Appadurai.â Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry vol. 6, no. 3, 2019, pp. 371-376.
Sengupta, Roshni. âFrom Nationalism to Hindutva: Bollywood and the makings of the Hindu diasporic woman.â Shifting Transnational Bonding in Indian Diaspora, edited by Roshni Sengupta, Routledge India, 2020, pp. 58-77.
Singh, Ravi S., and Sweta Singh. âLandscape, Culture and Cinema: A Study in Film Geography.â Indian Journal of Landscape Systems and Ecological Studies vol. 42, no. 2, 2019, pp. 89-101.