Movies echo: Behind Bollywood's soft power in China

Appendix

9 Bollywood blockbusters in graphics

Storyline:Biopic of Mahavir Singh Phogat, who taught wrestling to his daughters Babita Kumari and Geeta Phogat. Geeta Phogat was India's first female wrestler to win at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, where she won the gold medal (55 kg) while her sister Babita Kumari won the silver (51 kg).

Review:This is the sort of movie you'll take home with a smile and a song on your lips.

Storyline:Insia is very passionate about singing but she belongs to a very conservative family. Her father doesn't let her develop her talent but her mother secretly lets her follow her passion for singing. She begins anonymously posting her songs over the internet and gains nationwide fame including people from the music industry. The movie shows her journey to break free and follow her dream of being a singer.

Review:Underneath the commercial sheen is a tough story about domestic abuse and female empowerment that dares to go deeper than most sweet and sunny Indian dramas.

Storyline:Akash, a blind pianist is preparing for a London concert. Sophie's scooter bumps into Akash and upon finding he a pianist she takes him to her restaurant Franco's run by her father and offers him a job. Akash meets 70s actor Pramod Sinha at the restaurant who asks him to do a private concert of his songs at his residence to surprise his wife Simi. Next Day upon reaching his house a shocking surprise is waiting for Akash.

Review:Open to various interpretations and unpredictable from beginning to end,Andhadhunis an engaging thriller that keeps you on your toes and leaves you guessing all the way.

Storyline:A little mute girl from a Pakistani village gets lost on her return back from a trip to India. In Kurukshetra, she meets Pawan - an ardent devotee of Lord Hanuman - who is in the midst of a challenge posed by his lover's father. In trying to discover the girl's parents, he develops an unshakable bond with her. He tries to get into Pakistan through a path righteous to his conscience and later, accompanied with a smart Pakistani news reporter - a story that captures the imagination of the public in both countries.

Review:As far as stories go, this is simple enough. And in its very simplicity,Bajrangi Bhaijaantugs at the heartstrings.

Storyline:A couple from Chandni Chowk aspire to give their daughter the best education and thus be a part of and accepted by the elite of Delhi.

Review:Hindi Mediumis a much-needed comment on the private school system and how it has become so important in our lives. It's also a lesson for the concerned officials, who turn a blind eye to government schools that have millions of potential winners.

Storyline:Hichkiis a story about a woman who turns her most daunting weakness into her biggest strength. Naina Mathur is an aspiring teacher who suffers from Tourette Syndrome. After several interviews and numerous rejections, she lands her dream job as a full-time teacher in one of the most elite schools in the city. However, she soon realizes that the class she has been assigned comprises of defiant and impish students who can't seem to keep out of trouble. Despite a few initial hiccups, Naina must do whatever she can to ensure that her students realize their true potential, and defy all the odds against them.

Review:Mukerji puts in a spirited performance as the Tourette's Syndrome sufferer and makes her constant verbal and physical tics seem natural and uncontrived.

Storyline:P.K.is a comedy of ideas about a stranger in the city, who asks questions that no one has asked before. They are innocent, child-like questions, but they bring about catastrophic answers. People who are set in their ways for generations, are forced to reappraise their world when they see it from PK's innocent eyes. In the process PK makes loyal friends and powerful foes. Mends broken lives and angers the establishment. P. K.'s childlike curiosity transforms into a spiritual odyssey for him and millions of others. The film is an ambitious and uniquely original exploration of complex philosophies. It is also a simple and humane tale of love, laughter and letting-go. Finally, it is a moving saga about a friendship between strangers from worlds apart.

Review:The performances are pitch perfect, with A-lister Khan proving yet again that he's the most versatile and intelligent Indian actor of his generation. The result is probably the best mainstream Hindi film of 2014.

Storyline:Devaki is a biology teacher at the same school attended by her stepdaughter Arya. Although, Devaki is a caring mother, Arya remains distant. One unfortunate night, Arya is brutally attacked. When the justice system fails them, Devaki faces some tough decisions and goes to great lengths to find justice for her daughter.

Review:Momis a heavy duty, darkly dramatic film that doesn't mince its ideas. It's a story full of brutality and shock. The dramatic punches are what make this film such a gratifying experience.

*Audiences' love towards Bollywood films could be traced to the breakthrough success in 2010 of pirated versions of 3 Idiots (2009) starring an Indian actor Aamir Khan, which was not initially released in Chinese theatres until 2011 (Laskar, 2018). Even though the Bollywood blockbuster 3 idiots was being released 2 years after its Indian debut, it played a significant role in opening the Chinese market to other Bollywood films.

Storyline:Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi want to re-unite with their fellow collegian, Rancho, after faking a stroke aboard an Air India plane, and excusing himself from his wife - trouser less - respectively. Enroute, they encounter another student, Chatur Ramalingam, now a successful businessman, who reminds them of a bet they had undertaken 10 years ago. The trio, while recollecting hilarious antics, including their run-ins with the Dean of Delhi's Imperial College of Engineering, Viru Sahastrabudhe, race to locate Rancho, at his last known address - little knowing the secret that was kept from them all this time.

Review:Very much a character-driven piece, which not only makes the laughs bigger but also earns a deeper involvement.

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Source: IMDb.com