Family and South Asian Film

Like many other South Asian children, I was brought up watching Bollywood movies. I remember specifically the time Hum (1991) was released on video, my whole family (and by family I mean my uncles and aunts too!) came together to watch our hero Amitabh Bachchan play the role of Tiger. We were all sprawled out on opened settees so more could squeeze on. That’s my first memory of watching a movie with my family. A thrilling and exciting experience!

Maine Pyar Kiya was released earlier in 1989, this time my siblings and I were mesmerized by the love story between Prem and Suman. And we thought, for our generation, that no other love story will top this one, we were wrong of course, because six years later we would see Raj and Simran in Diwali Dulahniya Le Jayenge.

Films bring families together, they give us hope, they make laugh, they make us cry, and they initiate dialogues and discussions. We start to find similarities between the movie narratives and the narratives of our lives. We sometimes use movies as a reference to explain a point about some family dilemma. Like for instance, Hum Saath Saath Hain, one of those movies that speaks to the culture and traditions of South Asian families. Though the movie has all the ingredients of a typical Bollywood film, love jealously, power, status, class, family disputes, the bad guy, mixed with an abundance of songs and dancing, people will and so relate. I mean, sometimes we’re embarrassed by the several outfit changes, but we love it deep down. We can’t get enough of the dancing in the woods! Now we look back at those movies and may find ourselves cringing. However, movies are made to entertain and sometimes forget about the concerns of daily lives. They become part of our everyday life.

SAFF

I am extremely happy to be part of the South Asian Film Festival. This will be the first ever festival that captures the diversity of film making across the world, connecting us all. There will be master classes; public forums and workshops. Screenwriters and film makers will be here! It’s simply going to be an engaging experience.

I’ve always been in awe of the mechanics of film making; I love watching movies and like many others, I can’t imagine a life without them. I often find myself thinking about the whole film making process, from the spot men to the director, it takes a team and I salute that body of people who bring us such amazing movies and leave a mark. I’m definitely looking forward to meeting these maestros.

I am most looking forward to the amalgamation of the different countries that are all unique in their filmmaking styles. I’m eager to watch more movies from the South Asian countries and see the similarities and differences in the choice of narratives.

I hope to see you there!

Alvida – Until next time!

Raji Heer