I’d argue that I’m quite in touch with my culture with respect to my cooking and knowledge of the festivals. However, I’m not too proficient in Bollywood and most things around that topic. There was an instance at the cultural event where I was meant to describe Bollywood actors/actresses or movies, and the question came up where I had to describe Kareena Kapoor.

Shamefully, I had to surrender because I couldn’t name a single movie she was in. Kareena Kapoor is amongst the most successful actresses in Bollywood, even non-Indians can probably name at least one of her movies. Bollywood has grown so much over the years and so many movies are being released, it’s very difficult to keep up to date with all of them.

On a global scale though, Bollywood has helped in changing the world’s view on India and educated people on our culture. A prime example would be the movie ‘Hindi Medium’ which revolves around a couple trying to get their daughter into an English school. The movie highlights the elitism and classism that exists in India and how bilingualism is causing a rift between classes. This is a topic that is hardly ever spoken of, so I was very surprised to see it being brought up in a film. Another great example is the film ‘Rang de Basanti’, which is about the British film student Sue who travelled to India and documented the story of five freedom fighters.

I usually don’t watch Bollywood movies because there’s a certain hype around them when they’re released but not enough shows in the theatres. So I wait till they’re available online and the hype has already died down. This time, the movie stars my favorite actress and celebrity crush, Shraddha Kapoor, and there’s a few showings on the weekends so I might actually go next week. 

Kapoor’s previous movie was called ‘Street Dancer 3D’ which was about a dance battle taking place in the United Kingdom, but it also highlighted the poverty-stricken expats from India and Pakistan that are stuck in the United Kingdom with no way back to the motherland. The movie was incredibly powerful and made me tear up.

This little Bollywood phase I’m going through is probably because my favorite Indian holiday had recently passed. Simultaneously, there was a huge Bollywood party hosted by ISA Eindhoven and Desi Bollywood over the weekend in Eindhoven as a result. It really made me touch base with my roots again and made me think about the global implications of Bollywood and how it altered how India is perceived.

Now, I will probably start listening to Soca and Dancehall to prepare for my next phase, Caribbean vibes. Since there is a party hosted by Caribe and Strictly Reggaeton this week on Thursday!