Going to the movies....a popular pastime for many in the States, and something so simple that it seems really stupid to write about....so I think I will :)
Katy and I decided it would be a great idea to see what Bollywood had to offer us while in Jaipur, as many people recommended visiting the Raj Mandir cinema, right off the popular MI road. So, on Friday night, we headed to the movies along with hundreds of other local people!
Going to see a movie here appeared to be much more of an event than in the States. Their move theatre is like a proper theatre at home. They sell different levels of seats (diamond, emerald, and ruby). The doors don't open until a few minutes before showtime, there are ushers to show you to your seats, and there is even an intermission! In fact, I honestly kind of forgot I was in India (until I saw the squat toilets at intermission....that'll remind ya every time).
So what movie did we see? Housefull 2! This movie was actually quite hilarious, and I think I understood it, even though only about one of every 50 sentences was English. I am not quite sure how they pick what comes out in English and what in Hindi. The movie went something like this: Hindi, Hindi, Hindi, "you bloody idiot!" (filmed in England), Hindi, Hindi, Hindi, Hindi, "thank you," Hindi, HIndi, Hindi. It was a slapstick comedy....I don't think I would have been able to follow any kind of thriller or drama with my limited comprehension.
So why am I posting about this?
Here's why: I think one of the most interesting things for me about going to the cinema (and something I didn't really expect to get out of the experience at all), was that it reminded me that no matter our difference in religion, language, appearance, culture, income, or location on the globe....people are people- and we really aren't very different at all. Of course I "knew" this....but I think it is something that gets forgotten as you are exposed to so much diversity while traveling. Or in other words: everyone, ranging from us 20-something Western girls, to the teenage Indian boys in front of us, to the Indian woman wearing her head-covering sari next to me, laughs when the main character of a movie gets bit in the crotch by a snake. Funny is funny...and a smile and some laughter is universal :)
Katy and I decided it would be a great idea to see what Bollywood had to offer us while in Jaipur, as many people recommended visiting the Raj Mandir cinema, right off the popular MI road. So, on Friday night, we headed to the movies along with hundreds of other local people!
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| M burnt out :( |
So what movie did we see? Housefull 2! This movie was actually quite hilarious, and I think I understood it, even though only about one of every 50 sentences was English. I am not quite sure how they pick what comes out in English and what in Hindi. The movie went something like this: Hindi, Hindi, Hindi, "you bloody idiot!" (filmed in England), Hindi, Hindi, Hindi, Hindi, "thank you," Hindi, HIndi, Hindi. It was a slapstick comedy....I don't think I would have been able to follow any kind of thriller or drama with my limited comprehension.
So why am I posting about this?
Here's why: I think one of the most interesting things for me about going to the cinema (and something I didn't really expect to get out of the experience at all), was that it reminded me that no matter our difference in religion, language, appearance, culture, income, or location on the globe....people are people- and we really aren't very different at all. Of course I "knew" this....but I think it is something that gets forgotten as you are exposed to so much diversity while traveling. Or in other words: everyone, ranging from us 20-something Western girls, to the teenage Indian boys in front of us, to the Indian woman wearing her head-covering sari next to me, laughs when the main character of a movie gets bit in the crotch by a snake. Funny is funny...and a smile and some laughter is universal :)
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