The Ganda Angrez Characterisation.

Alert - If you are not familiar with Hindi movies, this post is not for you! If you are, read on.
This weekend was spent browsing through quite a few movies, mostly while surfing the TV. Many of them had characters of foreign origins, and at most times they are portrayed as arrogant snobs. Namaste London and Dil Jo Bhi Kahey, were two of such movies I browsed through. Namaste London branded pretty much every Britisher as a snob, who holds India and Indians in contempt. In the other flick, they hero chooses the Indian girl over the other, for no apparent reason except for the fact that she is an Indian. Strange it was to actually notice how we form biases.

Indians movies typecast foreigners and their culture as lowly and demeaning. I wonder why? Does it show India in better light? Does degrading someone else make us better, is that the thought? Degrading someone else is not patriotism let me clarify here. Patriotism, is love for one's own country, and abasing some other country does not mean loving one's own.

Every country or culture in the world has its own speciality and character, and we are not meant to judge them. I love a movie like Swades, which speaks of true patriotism and is never critical of any others. But the others, they are just sad. I personally feel its unfair to make jibes at others, and try to feel good about our own selves. Its such a cheap shot. How can we generalise all western women as promiscuous, or the entire culture as snobbish? Today when the urban, educated Indian is actually interacting with people from different nationalities, its plain stupid to do a portrayal like that. There are all kinds of people all over the world, and generalisations are the worst thing to do. Why can we not be fair, and open minded, why do our movies always treat its foreign characters so unfairly. Its just so racist. They are people just like us, and there are all kinds, just like they are here. There are as many racists in UK, as there are those who appreciate India and its culture, there are as many goons in the US, as there are helpful and friendly people, so then why do our movies always generalise and negatively at that?

Its just sad, I don't believe anyone who belittles others can be virtuous themselves, and hence this kind of characterisation in the Hindi movies just does not go down too well with me.