Bollywood or Nollywood? Indian Cinema or Nigerian Films?
I want to get away from political talk for one moment and talk about my newfound love for Indian cinema (not those bollywood movies though). I’m talking about the new Indian movies that people are referring to as parallel cinema or multiflex cinema. These are at their core, Indian movies, with Indian actors and about Indian culture, but they are made and can be understood by western audiences or any non-Indian.
Examples of these movies would include films such as Bend it Like Beckham (by Gurinder Chadha whose family is actually from Kenya, but immigrated to England), Monsoon Wedding and more recently, the Namesake by Mira Nair. The internet is really an amazing thing because I was looking for a movie to watch this weekend and I stumbled across another well known parallel movie producer by the name of Deepa Mehta. So, I found one of her most famous movies, on-line (Fire) and watched the entire thing and it’s really an amazing movie. It’s part of a trilogy and I’m definitely going to watch the second and third parts (Earth and Water). I don’t watch big hollywood blockbuster movies anymore. I find them to be boring, pointless and quite stupid. I have become a total subscriber of small, independent films especially those that have an international perspective to them.
This brings me to my point about Kenyan “cinema”. Um…what can I say? I was at a friends house about 3 months ago and someone in the group decided that we were all going to sit down and be patriotic Kenyans and watch the movie Malooned. Has anyone watched that movie? It was truly a painful experience for me. This man and Woman are stuck in the toilet of a building in Nairobi for an entire weekend and that’s where they remain for the entire two hours of the movie. It was pathetic, but my friends refused to turn it off (they were going to support their fellow Kenyan artists no matter what and boredom be damned!). However, the Kenyan music was very good and that’s the only positive thing I can say about that “movie”.
Now, of course, India has had a much longer history of film than Kenya, but I can’t wait for the day when I’m able to watch a Kenyan version of a movie like the “Namesake”. One that will be quintessentially Kenyan, but also have a appeal worldwide. This is the brilliance of Indian producers like Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta: Their movies reflect the true culture of their country and they’re not trying to “westernize” them and that is part of their appeal. I think Kenyan music could be played around the world (some of it is that good) but it just hasn’t managed to expand beyond that small border. I’m not sure why.
Has anyone had the displeasure of watching the move Malooned?
** My other all time favorite movie is Sometimes in April by the Haitan producer Raoul Peck (it’s a movie about the genocide in Rwanda).
** I hear Nigerian movies are the flavor in Kenya now (I’ve never understood why people like Nigerian movies. What’s there? overweight sugar daddies, mercedes benz’s with sugar daddies, young high school girls chasing sugar daddies and money from sugar daddies for women looking for sugar daddies . Did I miss anything?).
I came across this show on youtube (the internet is amazing) that interviews bollywood actors and actresses. I must say, these Indian actors and actresses are stunningly beautiful. The show is called “Koffee with Karan” and I’ll admit that most of the time I watch the show it’s just because I’m amazed at how good these people look. Karan Johar, the host, is also quite funny and interesting. Has anyone ever watched this show? The Nigerians don’t look this good, at all, at all.
I must admit I like Nigerian and Ghanaian movies. For some reason I find Ghanaian movies even better than Nigerian movies. I also watched some movies from Burkina Faso and Mali (subtitled because they are in French) – and they were excellent.
KE, I think West African movies are successful because they deal with themes that are very African. The explosive mixture of poverty, wealth, love, sex and spirituality (Juju in this case) is what makes these West African movies so successful. People will identify with these themes because these are issues they are grappling with on a daily basis. Africans are the most spiritual beings on the planet and a touch of magic will ensure that your movie is a best seller.
The biggest problem in Kenya is that Kenyans are copy cats. They try to make movies with western themes. I think this is where they fail.
Isn’t it time that they started telling authentic African stories and creating their own myths???
Someone recently told me that Africans just read but they dont write! Ouch!
Interesting. Indian and Nigerian film industries have developed faster than our own.
The best Kenyan film ever was Rise and Fall of Idi Amin by Sharad Patel (1981!) who must have immigrated or whatever. He never made another film in Kenya. This was Kenyan cast and crew. The rest have been simply pathetic not to mention that silly Malooned thing. It was shallow in plot as well as in budget and deserves no place in our living rooms. The Nigerian films are shallow in plot and very poor on sound quality despite the industry making tonnes of money. They never seem to find good sound quality finishers. Indian films have good plots and sound technology to match. That’s the approach that endears newcomers to the rest.
After gaining experience with VCD’s, the indigenous Kenyans will turn to producing films. In fact there is talk of Riverwood in River Road studios. This are the equivalent of bootleg films but that’s where the film industry will take shape for the future in Kenya. The Kenya Film Corporation has made it so hard for locals to “do their thing” hence the clandestine Riverwood move.
Another interesting thing is the Kenyan producers departure from Hollywood script style of production. Instead, they are relying on the strength of the story and good acting. They let the actors familiarize themselves with the story then improvise on dialogue. If you’re interested in film making, that’s a place to consider.
@KE
Excuse me once again for being out of line.I have some news for you….seems like the chickens are coming home for Ruto. He won’t be in the cabinet…..thats the whole stalemate…..The numbers 34 versus 44 is just a ploy by Kibaki and Raila to hide whats going on. Thats why Raila ain’t “payukaring” about the whole saga unlike the past. He even cited Germany as an example of a long cabinet process.Kibaki told him straight…”anyone else but Ruto”…Raila asked for more time to think (Read Mutua)…But they needed a cover up not to raise RV temperature.Raila and Kibaki are joined to the hip. In fact Kibaki is now more closer to Raila than Lucy..haha.Ruto just sensed that and released a statement saying “If Kibaki and Raila can’t agree then they should BOTH step down for another elections”…..wow…”BOTH”…you see Ruto is now putting his boss Raila in the same pile with Kibaki. Reason….hes being kept in the dark by Raila and hes not stupid he knows hes the stalemate cause.Mambo bado……the new word in town is “Clean Cabinet”…NOT “Lean Cabinet”.Stay tuned.
KE;
the better-produced nigerian movies are winners, despite the similar plots and actors. the kenyan movies are mostly ‘me too’ versions of hollywood dramas, best avoided.
kaangumu;
i agree, the rise and fall of idi amin is an incredible movie, shot in various locations around nairobi. i’d grant it an oscar before the more recent ‘last king of scotland’.
you say the Kenya film commission has made it hard for locals, what should local film-makers expect from them, money?scripts?
and why are the riverwood productions bootleg? i hear the good ones move almost 50,000 copies(sold at 100-200/vcd), not bad for a 50,000 shilling production.
You will have to define the african culture or The Kenyan culture to be specific you would base your movies…..
When you talk of Indian Movies you r talking of Hindi movies (with a base of 400 Million viwers and culture). Hindi movies are not popular in South india where there is a vibrant Tamil and other south indian movies
Nigerian movies too have a very strong base (over 20Million Yoruba) Over 20 Million Ibos~
To launch a cultural product you need a strong cultaral base to start with.
Here in Kenya we could well do with a GEMA themed (cultured) film…. It as a base of 5Million viwers …5 million is small though in igniting a film industry given that less than 100000 persons will have the resources to view a film
Its better to start on Radio thearter and take it slowly over two years as you prepare your audience on a film…………
Does any one remember the Tushauriane soap Moi banned in the 90 ‘s ?
Its theme though was on love /ethnicity and land division in family~
Just imagining what it could have spawned if it were not banned
Jamati Online has wonderful movies that are of equal or greater caliber to what Bollywood, or even Hollywood can provide. I think that the truth is that there are some phenomenal movies from Africa that are just not highlighted so we try to draw attention to them.
You can take a look at http://www.jamati.com/online/category/film/. We also highlight the people behind the scenes (only criteria is that the be African) and explore their thoughts on what is going on in Africa today.
rani
the reason nollywood movies are so much loved is because the tell the true african story not try to westernize it like the kenyans would do, and you tell me what is the buzz in kenya about riverwood movies that is ten times worse than the worst nollywood production,josh when you say you love ghanaian movies more tell me what is the difference between a nollywood movie and a ghanaian movie because the are the same,people confuse ghanaian movies for nollywood movies, well this just shows how jelous you are of nigeria’s nollywood success.Whoever wrote this article and was talking of nollywood and nigerians in general being ugly, well do you know what i have to say about that “HA HA HA HA HA, YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME” can you show me a good looking kenyan please, is it all these skinny boned kenyans i see everyday with shapeless head, common now,which kenyan or kenyan actor/actress looks better than genevieve,omotola,desmond elliot,rmd,saint obi,ini edo,emeka ike,pat atah,stella damascus etc the list goes on.Well i have seen some of your actors and actresses and i wunder if they are what gives you the courage to utter this nonesense because i can loudly say it and everyone will atest to it “THE ARE TERRIBLY UGLY PERIOD”.Well i know is jelousy that is causing all these, with nollywood being more successful than your movie industry i am not suprised, well you can keep dieing slowing with jelousy,or just come to the realisation that nollywood is on top of your movie industry, the earlier the better.