Keepin it Real in Kollywood

So, I’ve become fascinated lately with the Tamil film industry, which is based out of Chennai. I knew movies are a big deal in India but what I didn’t realize until I got here is that Bollywood (based in Mumbai and producing Hindi-language movies) isn’t the only game in town. In fact, Kollywood, as the Tamil film industry is called, (for the neighborhood in Chennai it’s based out of) is the second most popular in India. Kollywood also has a big following in many other parts of Southeast Asia. This is just another example of how HUGE and overwhelming India is- it is so large it has room for two (and in fact many more) separate film industries!
Here are some thoughts I’ve had about Tamil Film.

The posters are everywhere- I’ve included a couple examples for you to see above. You can’t walk down a street in Chennai without seeing at least a few. They follow a similar formula to Bollywood movies, with the formula of romance, violence, lots of singing and dancing, but according to my friends here, more shouting and yelling than your typical Bollywood movie. In addition, there’s always an intermission ½ way through, I think so the popcorn guy can make a little more money.

Just about any politicians who's anyone in Tamil Nadu (Including every elected Chief Minister since 1967, the equivalent of governor of the state here) have been involved in Kollywood, either as an actor or director. In this way, it is impossible to separate politics and movies here. Sound like California to anyone??

Here’s my favorite part about Kollywood though. Unlike Bollywood or Hollywood, what with their pretty boy actors, their six pack abs and the clean shaven look (or trendy five o’ clock shadow), people here like their actors to keep it real- a little heavyset and definitely mustachioed! This makes me happy to see actors looking like the common man, it’s very accessible and fun. I almost feel like it’s an analogy for Chennai as a whole, despite being one of the biggest cities and having a huge film industry, they like to keep things unpretentiously real!