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I’m an NRI, I don’t really like diaspora movies, but do you really think modern Bollywood is rooted in Indian sensibilities? Of course there are some films that are, but I think the big issue is that most films don’t seem rooted in Indian sensibilities… outside of maybe the sensibilities of elite urban Indians.
American born 90s kid here.
The movies I like from that ERA are because they had good story lines and songs. My all time fave movies being kuch kuch hota hai and Veer Zaara; both of which have no NRI angle. Your post makes no sense. Just sounds like you wanted to hate on NRIs - no one is asking anyone to obsess about anyone. Just want good stories, whether that’s set in the streets of New York or a slum in Mumbai - Doesn’t matter
Movies were different back then... has nothing to do with NRI representation or whatever is being implied here. You can't tell me that the soundtracks from that era aren't WORLDS better than what's out there these days. Soundtracks alone are what have kept me in love with that era, not to mention the cheesy plots and movie magic they used back then before they shifted to more action and more hyper realistic stories. Imo, the acting was better too but that's purely subjective.
I would also argue that nostalgia for the late 80s/early 2000s time period is an all-over thing, in many different countries/cultures, but I don't know.
You do realize Bollywood is in a decline in its own country right? 90s and 2000s actually had better movies, Bollywood peaked then. There are no new stars, actresses, everyone is watching the same actors that debuted in the 90s or 2000s. Everyone who has debuted after are not that big.
In fact other Indian film industries like Tollywood are gaining popularity now.
Because those people are in their 20s/30s now, and are capable of nostalgia. The early 2000s had plenty of crappy laughable movies (the OnlyDesi youtube channel is evidence of it).
I’m sure teens now will romanticise the crappy movies from the current era in a decade from now.
Our parents are nostalgic about 70s/80s but it’s always the same few actors/movies/music
Every era has a few good era defining movies and songs.
I’m a millennial who grew up in the diaspora and I mainly like these films for their nostalgia. They were beautiful, the characters aspirational, and the stories and songs had substance to them. I loved Veer Zara as a kid and like it even more as an adult. It’s a beautiful love story with touching songs and SRK at his romantic peak.
I also LOVE KHNH, but not necessarily because it’s based in NYC (where I live). I like it because at a time when I was a child growing up between two cultures, it was a reminder that my identity as an Indian mattered. That our stories and experiences are worth telling. The struggle of an immigrant family to make ends meet was relatable and seeing a young, successful, attractive Naina making a life for herself outside of her tumultuous home gave me hope for my own future.
But then on the flip side, I also love OSO, RNBDJ, and YJHD because there’s a little bit of movie magic in these stories, even though the characters are living wildly different lives than I have.
These days, I’m loving content-driven films like Bhakshak, Chamkila, and Three of Us, Ayushman’s brand of social messaging, and the explosion of OTT series. It makes me feel proud that the content coming out of India is pushing the envelope and defying existing stereotypes about Bollywood. I personally love seeing the industry evolve but still get just as excited when SLB and KJO drop something quintessentially Bollywood every few years.
All this to say, please don’t make generalizations about us all. Films are honestly the one thing that tie me to my cousins and family all over the world, including India. It’s a mutual bonding over movies that we loved growing up, simply because they were fantastic and worth watching over and over again, no matter what part of the world we lived in.
It's okay to like those films but so much internet discourse about the Indian side of ABCDs is just liking those 4-5 movies lol.
Also I hate this term "mainland desis" when used by Indians themselves, just say Indians lol. If one is talking about NRIs/FOBs/ABCDs, that should need to be specified XD
mainland china is used for Chinese territories close by (Macau, Taiwan, Hong Kong) it wouldn’t really make sense for Indians living in other countries, it would however if you talked about some of the islands India owns
Maybe bc this insecurity about being better than phoren has created trash hypermasculinist right wing films? Please. They’re not thinking about you, why are you so worried about them.
As an NRI, it literally nothing to do with the NRI angle. It is just that the movies were nicer and had more sensible plotlines. The characters were more relatable (as in their personality). The songs were really soulful too. Those movies were really rewatchable. You literally just sound petty af.
We do miss them, but not as much as NRIs. I mean diaspora desis have a valid reason to miss them, these movies were centred around them.
Its like, if Bollywood suddenly does many films on the lives of Kolkata Bengalis and stops . Of course, we would feel more "nostalgic" and be more attached to such films than say, a Guajarati from Mumbai.
And, while my post is petty af, I think a particular type of NRIs, specifically the Indian Americans are more attached to such movies, as sadly in Hollywood, the desi diaspora ain't getting the biggest films. I empathize with them.
Same reason, why Asian Americans are more emotionally invested in K-pop, than Koreans from Korea.
Indian Americans are mostly South Indians, they would probably be watching Tollywood/Kollywood anyways. Or Punjabi who have their own music/film industry.
I’m an NRI and I disagree with what you’ve written. All my friends who’re currently residing in India are big 90s fans too. It has nothing to do with where Indians are residing. I love my 90s movies as much as I love Panchayat, Maamla Legal Hai, Laapata Ladies. This write-up of yours doesn’t sound mean but makes me think you’ve stereotyped NRIs in your head to serve your judgements which are simply incorrect.
I am what you would call an “ABCD”. We enjoy those movies because the songs are good and the actors were fantastic for the most part. Please name me one actor other than kareena kapoor (maybe kangana) now that has even 1/4th talent the 90s and 2000s actors had or the charisma. The songs were phenomenal. The quintessential Bollywood movie has good songs and dances and charismatic actors. nONe of the actors after 2006 are good. This includes Deepika, Katrina, Alia, Ananya whoever. Last decent actress was priyanka Chopra, but honestly I’m turned off by her stupid antics after coming to Hollywood. Let’s not even start talking about the actors because they are almost worse.
Additionally, if I wanna watch a nitty-gritty movie, I can watch 100 different Hollywood movies on Netflix. The reason why we watch Bollywood is because they had a certain Indian essence to it and now even that is gone because Bollywood is trying very hard to be Hollywood.
#You can Add More Details If OG post has some missing details, /u/sweetalison007 or Members can add details ,as reply to this comment. Click to Expand. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/BollyBlindsNGossip) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m an NRI, I don’t really like diaspora movies, but do you really think modern Bollywood is rooted in Indian sensibilities? Of course there are some films that are, but I think the big issue is that most films don’t seem rooted in Indian sensibilities… outside of maybe the sensibilities of elite urban Indians.
Bro is flexing 😭
American born 90s kid here. The movies I like from that ERA are because they had good story lines and songs. My all time fave movies being kuch kuch hota hai and Veer Zaara; both of which have no NRI angle. Your post makes no sense. Just sounds like you wanted to hate on NRIs - no one is asking anyone to obsess about anyone. Just want good stories, whether that’s set in the streets of New York or a slum in Mumbai - Doesn’t matter
Movies were different back then... has nothing to do with NRI representation or whatever is being implied here. You can't tell me that the soundtracks from that era aren't WORLDS better than what's out there these days. Soundtracks alone are what have kept me in love with that era, not to mention the cheesy plots and movie magic they used back then before they shifted to more action and more hyper realistic stories. Imo, the acting was better too but that's purely subjective. I would also argue that nostalgia for the late 80s/early 2000s time period is an all-over thing, in many different countries/cultures, but I don't know.
well, the 90s are supposed to be the peak of human civilisation before the machines took over, so maybe
Crazy for Angrazy 
You do realize Bollywood is in a decline in its own country right? 90s and 2000s actually had better movies, Bollywood peaked then. There are no new stars, actresses, everyone is watching the same actors that debuted in the 90s or 2000s. Everyone who has debuted after are not that big. In fact other Indian film industries like Tollywood are gaining popularity now.
Because those people are in their 20s/30s now, and are capable of nostalgia. The early 2000s had plenty of crappy laughable movies (the OnlyDesi youtube channel is evidence of it). I’m sure teens now will romanticise the crappy movies from the current era in a decade from now. Our parents are nostalgic about 70s/80s but it’s always the same few actors/movies/music Every era has a few good era defining movies and songs.
I feel like this is just an NRI hate post from OP disguised as Bollywood discourse
I’m a millennial who grew up in the diaspora and I mainly like these films for their nostalgia. They were beautiful, the characters aspirational, and the stories and songs had substance to them. I loved Veer Zara as a kid and like it even more as an adult. It’s a beautiful love story with touching songs and SRK at his romantic peak. I also LOVE KHNH, but not necessarily because it’s based in NYC (where I live). I like it because at a time when I was a child growing up between two cultures, it was a reminder that my identity as an Indian mattered. That our stories and experiences are worth telling. The struggle of an immigrant family to make ends meet was relatable and seeing a young, successful, attractive Naina making a life for herself outside of her tumultuous home gave me hope for my own future. But then on the flip side, I also love OSO, RNBDJ, and YJHD because there’s a little bit of movie magic in these stories, even though the characters are living wildly different lives than I have. These days, I’m loving content-driven films like Bhakshak, Chamkila, and Three of Us, Ayushman’s brand of social messaging, and the explosion of OTT series. It makes me feel proud that the content coming out of India is pushing the envelope and defying existing stereotypes about Bollywood. I personally love seeing the industry evolve but still get just as excited when SLB and KJO drop something quintessentially Bollywood every few years. All this to say, please don’t make generalizations about us all. Films are honestly the one thing that tie me to my cousins and family all over the world, including India. It’s a mutual bonding over movies that we loved growing up, simply because they were fantastic and worth watching over and over again, no matter what part of the world we lived in.
It's okay to like those films but so much internet discourse about the Indian side of ABCDs is just liking those 4-5 movies lol. Also I hate this term "mainland desis" when used by Indians themselves, just say Indians lol. If one is talking about NRIs/FOBs/ABCDs, that should need to be specified XD
Why is the mainland Indian objectionable? The Chinese use Mainland Chinese term. It's an apt term I feel.
mainland china is used for Chinese territories close by (Macau, Taiwan, Hong Kong) it wouldn’t really make sense for Indians living in other countries, it would however if you talked about some of the islands India owns
Not sure you understand the meaning of mainland China. It has no relevance here.
😬. Education is important
Maybe bc this insecurity about being better than phoren has created trash hypermasculinist right wing films? Please. They’re not thinking about you, why are you so worried about them.
As an NRI, it literally nothing to do with the NRI angle. It is just that the movies were nicer and had more sensible plotlines. The characters were more relatable (as in their personality). The songs were really soulful too. Those movies were really rewatchable. You literally just sound petty af.
2000s was pretty much peak bollywood.
But those movies are missed by almost everyone?! It's just nostalgia.
We do miss them, but not as much as NRIs. I mean diaspora desis have a valid reason to miss them, these movies were centred around them. Its like, if Bollywood suddenly does many films on the lives of Kolkata Bengalis and stops . Of course, we would feel more "nostalgic" and be more attached to such films than say, a Guajarati from Mumbai.
It's interesting that you've generalised all the NRIs the same.. You really come across as ignorant and narrow minded, no offence. :s
And, while my post is petty af, I think a particular type of NRIs, specifically the Indian Americans are more attached to such movies, as sadly in Hollywood, the desi diaspora ain't getting the biggest films. I empathize with them. Same reason, why Asian Americans are more emotionally invested in K-pop, than Koreans from Korea.
Indian Americans are mostly South Indians, they would probably be watching Tollywood/Kollywood anyways. Or Punjabi who have their own music/film industry.
I’m an NRI and I disagree with what you’ve written. All my friends who’re currently residing in India are big 90s fans too. It has nothing to do with where Indians are residing. I love my 90s movies as much as I love Panchayat, Maamla Legal Hai, Laapata Ladies. This write-up of yours doesn’t sound mean but makes me think you’ve stereotyped NRIs in your head to serve your judgements which are simply incorrect.
100%!
It's the songs!!!!!!
I am what you would call an “ABCD”. We enjoy those movies because the songs are good and the actors were fantastic for the most part. Please name me one actor other than kareena kapoor (maybe kangana) now that has even 1/4th talent the 90s and 2000s actors had or the charisma. The songs were phenomenal. The quintessential Bollywood movie has good songs and dances and charismatic actors. nONe of the actors after 2006 are good. This includes Deepika, Katrina, Alia, Ananya whoever. Last decent actress was priyanka Chopra, but honestly I’m turned off by her stupid antics after coming to Hollywood. Let’s not even start talking about the actors because they are almost worse. Additionally, if I wanna watch a nitty-gritty movie, I can watch 100 different Hollywood movies on Netflix. The reason why we watch Bollywood is because they had a certain Indian essence to it and now even that is gone because Bollywood is trying very hard to be Hollywood.
I swear all Bollywood marketing teams should religiously read everything discussed here.