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Bollywood dreams
Vogger Ahmed Al Marzouqi

A growing tribe of Emirati bloggers of Hindi cinema offer a third perspective, making the movies more culturally accessible to Arab audiences

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Anamika Chatterjee

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Published: Thu 12 Dec 2019, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Fri 13 Dec 2019, 1:00 AM

Imagine the UAE of the '70s. A time when mall crawling and eating out was really a once-in-a-while affair. What could the #friyay and #saturdaze possibly have meant then? Among other traditional forms of entertainment, the local Emirati population took a liking to Bollywood films. The lore goes that Indian merchants trading in the UAE would often bring with themselves prints of Hindi movies.

Cultural similarities, such as emphasis on the family unit, became a natural draw for Emirati audiences. And as cinema theatres began to be built (remember the time when Strand cinema or Al Nasr would be favourite weekend outings?), the larger-than-life Hindi cinema got an even larger screen.

The spectacle offered by a mainstream Bollywood film has not only found an audience among the local population, but also a formidable fan base. Today, social media has enabled some of them to not only articulate their thoughts on Hindi cinema, but also offer a third perspective to understanding it. This week, we meet three avid Arab bloggers who eat, sleep and breathe Bollywood.
'Chai With Ahmed is inspired by Koffee With Karan': Ahmed Al Marzouqi
He has interviewed 50 stars in the span of a year. His friends call him a Wikipedia on Bollywood. He is determined to make Arabs fall in love with Hindi cinema. Chai With Ahmed, by vlogger Ahmed Al Marzouqi, is an Arab man's guide to Bollywood. "My aim is to connect Bollywood with the Arab film industry," he says.
Ahmed's initiation into Bollywood began with Khal Nayak (1993), a film he watched when he was seven. He remembers enjoying the song-and-dance routine and the action sequences. However, it also did something more - the film brought the entire family together. "I could see my family watching the movie and enjoying every bit of it. We are not in India, we don't get an opportunity to interact with stars. I believe I have created that platform where Arab fans of Bollywood can understand the stars."
Looking back, the 30-year-old vlogger says he has been watching Bollywood films for over two decades, which also makes him a veritable encyclopedia on the industry. The passion seeps into his social interactions as well.  "I have bedouin friends who do not know anything about Bollywood. Once, I took one of them out to watch Bajrangi Bhaijaan. He may not have understood the language, but could relate to its emotions. After the film ended, my friend had tears in his eyes," he recalls.

This, according to him, is the Indian cinema's USP. "Bollywood is known for its emotions, and that's what sets it apart from Hollywood, which is so technical," he says, adding that Arabs love emotional films.
Bollywood stars are known to be measured. How does Ahmed get access? "Some journalists tend to attack them by probing about their personal lives. My interest is in their craft and process, and to connect them with their Arab followers. Once a celebrity understands this, they warm up to me," he says, adding that his best interview has been with Jacqueline Fernandez.
When he started out, Ahmed relied on subtitles to understand the films. Five or six years into his Bollywood journey, he began to pick up the language all by himself. If mainstream Hindi cinema is often perceived as being over-the-top, Ahmed rejects the criticism, arguing Hollywood films are equally over-the-top. "Be it The Avengers or other superhero films, why aren't those being questioned?" he asks.

His eyes almost twinkle at the mention of his favourite Bollywood film, which happens to be Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. "I love Karan Johar," he says. "My show Chai With Ahmed is inspired by Koffee With Karan. I think he truly understands what his audiences want. The filmmaker is hugely popular here. I am not sure if there is one Arab person here who doesn't know of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gam."
The obsession with Bollywood, for Ahmed, has also come at a price. "In my journey, I have lost so many friends," he tells us. "Some of them would ask me why I was watching a Bollywood film, being an Arab. Others would ask me to focus on my studies and career. Well, I have graduated and have been doing well at work. So, if someone doesn't respect me, it doesn't really matter."
'Fellow Emiratis fall for aesthetics, I look beyond that': Bader Jafar Ali
Bader Jafar Ali was only three years old when he watched the 1994 revenge drama Anjaam. Isn't the film a little too violent to be watched by someone so young? Bader says that he couldn't relate to its violence, but loved it music. Every now and then, he would break into its popular song Badi Mushkil Hai, while his mother would wonder which hymn it was. It could have been a one-off had there not been a Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a film that popularised the idea of India and Indianness.

It also made Shah Rukh Khan something of a hero in Bader's eyes. As a child, he would collect film magazines that had the actor on the cover and marvel at his witty one-liners. A marketing professional now, Bader, 28, is an avid Bollywood blogger who reviews films. Almost as soon as he tells us this, he says he is now a more evolved viewer of Bollywood movies. "Fellow Emiratis fall for aesthetics, I look beyond it. Also, when someone like me reviews a Bollywood film, he brings a third perspective to it as I keep in mind that I am writing essentially for a non-Hindi-speaking audience."

The real dilemma for someone like Bader, who has mapped Bollywood's transition to more meaningful cinema of late, is to demystify the idea of Hindi films to Emirati viewers. "My Emirati friends like slapstick Bollywood films, that's what they enjoy. But I have stopped mincing words. I make sure I tell people what I don't like about a film."

Language is no barrier for Bader, who says he enjoys Malayalam, Telegu and Tamil cinema just as much (thanks to the subtitles). Which also makes him assess Bollywood through a wider lens. "Every now and then, you hear of a Bollywood actor taking a break from films. I have never seen Mohanlal or Mammootty take a break. Also, those films are true to their environment. In Bollywood, you will have a Dhoom 3, which is inspired by The Prestige. You watch remakes of regional films in Hindi, but what's the point? As Bollywood fans, we expect originality."

Bader remembers a time when, growing up, not many peers would watch Bollywood movies because they seemed to be caricatures. In the early 2000s, however, as the films reached out to global platforms, the cinema started becoming more familiar. Bader adds that cultural similarities are yet another reason why Emiratis are so strongly drawn to Bollywood. "It has been the gateway for us to access India. I have not been to an Emirati wedding that does not play Hindi songs," he tells us, adding that some weddings also feature Bollywood theme nights where you are required to wear traditional Indian clothing.

We all love catching a glimpse of the stars we idolise on the big screen. Bader, however, has a more academic interest in them. He doesn't mince words when he says that there is much more to Saif Ali Khan than his beautiful wife or cute kid. "So many actors don't get their due. You remember the lead actor in the television series, Hum Paanch?" Bader is referring to Ashok Saraf. "Why wouldn't someone interview him?"

A common theme of our conversation is Housefull 4, a film he so profoundly disliked that it has now become a symbol for all that's wrong with formulaic cinema. "What Govinda did with actresses in the '90s is not funny anymore. Within India, there are many Indias. Which is why a film like Stree does so well. As Emiratis, we don't have access to the small towns these films are set in. That's why these movies pique curiosity, while also making someone like me want to visit it."

Could Emirati cinema benefit from the Bollywood model? "Emirati cinema, in my opinion, never received the right attention and financial backing. To tell stories, you need stories. Our challenge is to tell an original story," he signs off, before making his way to a screening of Panipat.

'Why won't Bollywood actors come to Abu Dhabi?': Hamad Al Reyami
As a child, when Hamad Al Reyami watched his first film in a theatre, he was surprised at how big the screen was. He asked his father how the screen had become so big while the one on his TV set remained small. "My father told me there is a guy behind the screen called a director, who makes films for theatres." The idea of a director, to his mind, was nothing short of a magician. No wonder then, he wanted to become one.

The fixation turned into passion when he watched his first Bollywood film in the late 70s, Dharamveer. It also introduced him to his screen idol Dharmendra. Ever since, there hasn't been a film starring the actor he hasn't watched. "In fact, I remember one movie of his that did not have subtitles. I was so upset. I read several Urdu magazines that talked about the film. I would ask my Indian neighbours about it and sit with them for three to four hours to understand what the film was all about."

Hamad, 45, remembers a time when his mother would go to watch these films with her friends. And once both parents realised their son had been bitten by the Bollywood bug, they increased his pocketmoney just so he could watch a film a week. As an adult, his love for cinema only grew deeper. He remembers a time when his then fiancé (now wife) looked at his sketch of Madhuri Dixit wondering who she was. "From then on, she realised I was mad about Bollywood," says Hamad. Today, he can converse in Hindi fluently to an extent that some of his Indian peers have remarked that his Hindi is "better than Rahul Gandhi's".

His government job may keep him busy during the week, but Hamad makes it a point to review films regularly on his YouTube channel, where he is sometimes seen vlogging in Hindi. He notes that social media has opened up a brand-new channel for Hindi film enthusiasts the world over to air their opinions, as opposed to a time when there would be long queues outside theatres to watch a Bollywood film, but no one would really discuss them.

Hamad makes it a point to remain up-to-date about all Bollywood films, but his heart lies in the cinema of the '60s. "Look at Dilip Kumar's Ganga Jamuna or Dev Anand's Guide. Soch ke upar hai who filmein (they are beyond one's imagination)," he says in impeccable Hindi.

While he has met several celebrities, it is the meeting with Dharmendra he remembers most fondly. In 1992, Hamad was only 18 when the Bollywood actor came to Dubai with his sons for a show. The tickets were priced at Dh1,000. "I came from Abu Dhabi to Dubai on a bus to watch him. The security guard took me to the last row, as I had bought seats for that. Then a local guy saw me and asked what I was doing there. When I told him I had come to see Dharmendra, he put me in a seat in the VIP section. At the end of the show, as Dharmendra was waving goodbye to everyone, I just about managed to touch his finger," he remembers fondly.
That, however, wasn't be the only time he met Dharmendra. Last year, Hamad visited the actor at his Mumbai home for an interview.

The conversation ranged from his choice of films to why the actor hadn't received a single award even though he had seven hits in a row in 1987 to which the actor said that Hamad's visit in itself was no less than an award. "I gave him a kandoora. Looking at my fondness for him, he remarked, 'Main tumhari aankhon main apne liye pyar dekh raha hun.'" (I am seeing the love you have for me in your eyes).

His family may not share Hamad's obsession for all things Bollywood, but they have been supportive of his vlogging and reviewing. No complaints, then. "Except that I wonder why is it that more Bollywood celebrities do not visit Abu Dhabi." Quite a cue there!  
anamika@khaleejtimes.com
 

Bollywood blogger Bader Jafar Ali
Bollywood blogger Bader Jafar Ali
Hamad Al Reyami with his Bollywood idol Dharmendra
Hamad Al Reyami with his Bollywood idol Dharmendra

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