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Video Killed The Filmi Star

Episode 2 of 4

Nikki Bedi continues to look at the British love of Bollywood. In episode two she finds out how videos and plagiarism in the 80s nearly ruined the Bollywood dream.

The 1970s saw the rise of commercial cinema and one of Bollywood's biggest ever hits."Sholay", the very first "curry Western", introduced superstar Amitabh Bachchan to the world and in this programme Nikki Bedi looks at some of Bollywood's biggest stars.

There were to be many more less successful "currified" versions of Western films though. India has historically had very lax copyright controls and whatever musical or film style is popular in the West, Bollywood can create its own unique version, from Michael Jackson dance moves to Celine Dion and the song from Titanic. The cheap availability of the video cassette and the cheap production values of the films being made meant that, in the UK, audiences stopped going to the cinemas of Southall, Bradford and Wolverhampton and started to stay in.

In this programme, Nikki looks at where the art of Hindi film strayed from its "super hit" formula of real life stories and real life heroes and took to portraying the richer lifestyles and locations of the ex-pats in the audiences. Meanwhile the UK audience was finding new ways of expressing itself with the rise of the Asian Underground sound and Asian talent finally breaking into Western TV and film.

It took films like "Dil Se" and the emerging talents of a new breed of director and musical director to get British Asians back into the big screen of Bollywood. Guests including Slumdog composer AR Rahman, director Shekhar Kapur, lyricist Javed Akhtar, actor Ben Kingsley, Playback singers Asha Bhosle and Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramanium, superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan, Nitin Sawhney, Tjinder Singh of Cornershop and Trickbaby talk about the films which kept a global audience coming back for more.

30 minutes

Last on

Tue 2 Mar 2010 23:30

Music Played

  • Rahul Dev Burman

    Mehbooba Mehbooba

    • Sholay.
    • Universal.
  • Kishore Kumar & Manna Dey - Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin

  • Manna Dey

    Yari Hai Imaan Mera

    • Zanjeer.
    • Saregama.
  • Lata Mangeshkar

    Maine Tujhe Manga

    • Deewaar.
    • Universal.
  • Mukesh, Lata Mangeshkar

    Kabhie Kabhie

    • Kabhie Kabhie.
    • Saregama.
  • Kishore Kumar

    My Name Is Anthony Gonzalves

    • Amar Akbar Anthony.
    • Universal India.
  • Shabbir Kumar

    Sari Duniya Ka Bojh

    • Coolie.
    • Saregama.
  • Buggles

    Video Killed The Radio Star

    • The Age of Plastic.
    • Island.
  • Bappi Lahiri - Disco Dancer

  • Raam Laxman

    Mere Rang Mein Rangne

    • Maine Pyar Kiya.
    • Saregama.
  • Trickbaby

    Pyare Mohan

    • Pyare Mohan.
    • Saregama.
  • Cornershop

    Shut Southall Down

    • Judy Sucks A Lemon.
    • Rough Trade.
  • Lata Mangeshkar

    Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko Sajna

    • Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
    • Saregama.
  • Nazia Hassan

    Aap Jaisa Koi

    • Qurbani.
    • Universal India.
  • Kavita Subramaniam - Karte Hain Hum Pyaar 'Mr India' Sey

  • Lata Mangeshkar

    Tujhe Dekha To

    • Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
    • Saregama.
  • Kavita Subramaniam - Pyar Hua Chupke Se

  • Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

    Phoolan's Revenge

    • Bandit Queen.
    • Milan.
  • Talvin Singh

    Jaan

    • Anokha - Sounds of The Asian Underground.
    • Omni.
  • AR Rahman

    Chaiya Chaiya

    • Dil Se.
    • Musicrama.

Broadcast

  • Tue 2 Mar 2010 23:30