“The superhero culture from the other side of the ocean”
Note: The views expressed in this article do not reflect the views of BollySpice.com’s staff or owners. They are solely the views of the writer of this opinion piece/blog.
Just for something a bit different we are going to have a series of fan blogs and this one is from Hrithikrules.com!
The author of this post is from the far shores of Latin America. She’s a team member who has no ties or first hand knowledge about our country. But she does know her superheroes. And she loves Du. A lot of the videos or pics or photo manips you see on our platforms can be credited solely to her. We love her, not least because she never hesitates to speak her mind, especially if she doesn’t like something. Calm and logical to a fault, her regard for our man does not in any way extend to blindness. We depend on her for fair, calm and just comments.
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I am someone whose only connection to India is that I love an Indian actor. I am not Indian nor do I have any familial connection with the country. However, I do know that India has a conservative culture. I am not pronouncing a judgement on its right or wrong, just a fact. Maybe that’s the reason Indians have been able to maintain their original languages and traditions, something that western cultures lost with the arrival of foreign conquerors. Maybe being conservative is not bad at all.
By realizing this fact, it dawns on me how difficult it must be for the Roshans currently fighting to establish a superhero culture. Initially I didn’t find their efforts amusing but plain normal, given that I am raised in a western background and took the superhero culture for granted.
All the countries in the American continent are largely influenced by United States culture, so yes for us western people sci-fi and superheroes are quite common genres in cinema, comics, books and so on, but more importantly, people know that this goes beyond a high-budgeted-VFX-loaded film. It is about a culture, the Superhero culture. Superman, Batman, Justice League, Spiderman, X-Men are characters (Yes! Characters, not movies!) forever present in our lives. My almost 70 years old father can easily point out to you the Justice League members without the need of those modern superhero flicks doing the rounds nowadays. So yeah it frustrates me and yes! It amazes me when I log on to Twitter and YouTube and find that Indian youth, most of whom have no clue of this superhero culture and only know whatever Hollywood chooses to spoon-feed them, trash the promos of a film because it doesn’t (or does) look like this or that new Hollywood flick without even grasping what a superhero means, what a superhero represents.
This post is targeted towards all the naysayers and self-appointed critics of Indian sci-fi efforts. To all those who sneer at the fact that Indians will applaud anything and just don’t have the taste or knowledge about the superhero culture outside. Awe, motivation and worship aren’t feelings that can be inspired just by a guy wearing a cap and a mask in a film. It is about an icon, an idol, a legend that lives beyond the movie screens. Those are beliefs and values entrusted to each one of us through comics, series (animated or not) and yes movies.
Today I realized how bold the Roshans are to start this endeavor in India’s background. I can’t but congratulate and thank them for their efforts to establish something so alien to their culture. It may not be up to Hollywood standards. Does not lessen their courage and their spirit one iota.
