June 21, 2007
Sensually Flawed (But We Know It)Dance
Look what I found in my GMail this morning!
The Dance of the Kama Sutra
Get this sensual dance fitness video two months before it’s available anywhere else. [Borders]
I hate wincing before I’ve had my morning kappi. When I went to get my normal small-drip-with-egregious-space-for-cream, I sighed and said, “make it a large”. I need all the energy I can get to deal with potential exotification.
Here’s what I discovered about the sensual fitness video which will be released on July 31:
Follow-up to the fun, top-selling Bollywood Dance Workout; Offers a unique workout with sacred sensual moves for your body and soul
Acacia announces the July 31, 2007 DVD release of Dance of the Kama Sutra with Hemalayaa, offering an exciting new program using meditation and playful movements from Indian dance to help women cultivate their sensuality.
The Kama Sutra, an ancient Indian text, promotes the cultivation of sensuality as a sacred duty. The need to cultivate and reconnect with our sensual selves—the goddess at the core of every woman—remains as strong as ever, but the din and rush of modern life make the opportunities all too rare. Through playful movements and heart-centered meditation, yogini and Indian Dance expert Hemalayaa takes you on a journey of discovery. Find the freedom and fullness of expression that come from embracing yourself and your body, just as you are. Join Hemalayaa, creator of The Bollywood Dance Workout, in a dance of love and laughter that instills confidence, joy, and poise. Gesture by gesture, swish by swish, we remember that we are—and have always been—divine dancers. [link]
Swish by swish, even!
The “ick” was at a roiling boil within and I cynically wondered who was behind this project…and yes, it’s true, I did not think it was someone brown. Just who was Hemalayaa?
Hemalayaa teaches yoga and Indian dance in Los Angeles and offers frequent workshops and retreats around the world. The daughter of Indian parents, Hema’s yoga training began at home at an early age, and she went on to study yoga, philosophy, and meditation as well as asana. Hema’s in-depth study and practice of classical Indian dance informs how she teaches yoga. A life devoted to yoga and dance animates Hemalayaa’s playful spirit. Many of her retreats and workshops culminate in a night of dance. Hema loves turning her students on to the vibrant styles of Indian dance, from the classical to the latest moves from Bollywood, bhangra, and Indian MTV. [link]
Oh, snap. She is desi. And I’m uber-fond of people named Hema, too. I felt vaguely ashamed, because I was aware of how I had immediately cut her a bit of slack which I clearly wouldn’t have extended to someone unbrown. I am teh suck. The flawed, biased suck. At least I know it, right?
What now? My exoti-dar was still going off, though it had been significantly muted. Should I be happy that homeslice was doing her thang? Or was it okay to cringe, at the title and over the audience this was intended for, if the demographic I was imagining was accurate? What’s your take?
anna on June 21, 2007 12:48 PM in Dance, Identity · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
Available at Lingam 'n Things.
Oh come on. What's she trying to do, come up with a multimedia entry for the term "ho-rientalism"?
This reminds me of the part in Sex and the City when Miranda takes the girls for the Goddess Workout, complete with scarves and hip swaying. It's all-purpose exoticism.
Is it rated, er, PG?
--Follow-up to the fun, top-selling Bollywood Dance Workout; Offers a unique workout with sacred sensual moves for your body and soul--
"sacred sensual moves" as opposed to profane sensual moves?
Honestly, I don't find anything objectional about this. Check out this snippet from the description:
I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. It sounds incredibly exhilarating and freeing for women who are normally closed off when it comes to expressions of their sexuality. There is nothing to be ashamed about.And the Kama Sutra is about sex...and yes, Hemalayaa is capitalizing on it, but I'm glad it's faitful to the original intent of what the KS is about.
A friend of mine (an Indian as it were) takes pole dancing classes, and while I admittedly initially raised my eyebrows at her admission, my view softened once she told me how empowered it's made her feel. The class is all females and she feels so much more comfortable in her skin after taking the classes for a year(the rock hard abs she's developed is a plus!).
While you probably won't catch me in a pole dancing class in this lifetime, I could be persuaded to do this Kama Sutra-inspired video.
In the privacy of my home of course. ;)
the problem isnt the empowerment. its the exotification bit. its like selling sexy visions of the orient to white people. they buy cause ur brown, and must be spiritual, exotic, etc...
What if you combine the old with the new?
Gesture by gesture, swish by swish, smack by smack. Learn to push your buttons. Empowerment will require 2 AA batteries though.
I was distressed by the dangling modifier. The sentence does not have a logical subject--training (noun) is modified by daughter (the entire phrase is an appositive). Training does not equal daughter, though they are in apposition.
Only in your post, Anna, would I make such an observation! I'm surprised I beat you to it!
No surprise here. I think we all know people of desi origin in the arts who in high school would run across a busy highway rather than interact with other desis. Then they try out Hollywood or more avant garde venues and find that the only bankable asset they have is their Indianess. One of the reasons why I refuse to buy tickets to "South Asian" film festivals or read ABCD lit...don't want to encourage the exoticizing, treacherous bastards.
But then again, and I know we have been warned from making such remarks, I look at her and cant get very angry.
i have to say. she has really a really flat stomach. if doing that work out gets me that flat a stomach, i might be in...
Looks like your typical hodge-podge of familiar Indian terms to lure the largest possible clientele, something for everyybody, be it Kama Sutra, Yoga, Classical Indian dance, Bollywood moves -- which are all very different. Is 'Dance of the Kama Sutra' even gramatically correct? Its all about fusion practice these days.
I just want to clarify that I am not the Hema of the post above, although I reserve judgment on whether I'm a Kama Sutra expert.
louiecypher - i think that's a bit unfair - you assume that all ABDs are equal in their knowledge, exposure, and approach to desi culture. stereotype much?
if she's been learning yoga from such a young age, she cannot just be a flash in the pan. a while ago, i came across one of her yoga tapes, which, from its description, seemed more authentic/less westernised than others. although, i cannot say the same for her 'top-selling Bollywood Dance Workout.' also, what's with all the sacred, sensual, swishing - too much alliteration of the exotification! i guess even the more authentic practitioners can fall prey to the commercial aspects of the industry...
darling, that's not for you to judge.
I really, really, really need to go to the next SM meetup. back to rahuls question from a few posts ago, "are we having sex with each other?"
"are we having sex with each other?"
Just cocktails. At least I think that's what the kids are calling it these days.
I think ak and others said it - exotification out the wazoo, and I'm sick of seeing sacred twenty times around each utterance of the word kamasutra. And as far as I know the KS does not have any sacred sensual dance moves & sh*t!
She's basically marketing it in a package that sells in the USA. Her stuff may be independently good (or not).
But the nauseating exotification bothers me.
they should superimpose this with news headlines of couples getting screamed at by right wing coo-coos in india for holding hands and kissing in public parks on valintines day...sacred sensual indeed...
do you guys think that the avg american is more likely to think of conservatism or the kama sutra when they think of india?
OTOH, if I had something potentially money-making that I could sell with the afore-abhorred exotification, I'd do it absolutely. This culture refuses to grow up vis-a-vis the east, so I say they deserve to be parted with their money with this technique.
Thanks, for the clarification, hema. I would also like to state for the record that I am not this Rahul. Although I reserve judgment on my square cut.
Also, let me be the first to say it. You women have it too easy, you just need to swish and sway your way to sensual success. If I did the same thing, you'd just call me Richard Simmons.
richard simmons wasnt exactly a failure...work it rahul, WORK IT!!!!
Ok, PindaUS (sorry Kush :-), you be Richard Simmons then!
Did you hear about the latest brouhaha by the koo-koos over the jimmy hat with the vibrating base? Indian Supreme Court will now have to apply its expertise to the taxonomical classification: sex toy (banned) or prophylactic(OK)
The thought of some octagenarian in a white powdered wig mulling this over makes me laugh and laugh (and laugh some more)
oy, homegirl is doing a great thang, convincing women to swish and swoosh and become divine sensual playful thangs.
Somebody forward this to Nussbaum -- she'd be glad to know we're finally down with our sensuous playful traditions after all those suppresin repressin conquerors.
I think what made me snicker was the line about the divine dancers we have always been. I think the underlying conversation about what does it mean for an ABD to exoticize/pimp/appropriate stereotypes is interesting. It might be that the video is totally whatevs; I haven't seen it, so I reserve judgment. Oh life, so complicated.
Also, is her name "Himalaya" but written more phonetically?
Should we include airforce base heri pheri? I feel like we should be very open to all orientations in our group orgy. :)Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
It's the marketing language that's sickening/pandering. It's clearly not meant for the desi peeps but for the average, enlightenment-seeker-hippy-like-patchouli-smeared-dream-journal-writing-unshaven-crunchy-hottie-that-you'd-still-like-to-bed type of woman.
There's an average woman of that type? Also, you omitted birkenstock-wearing-burningman-celebrating.
Be careful to distinguish airforce base from aircraft carrier though. You need both.
The word empowered gets thrown around a lot in yuppified exotic dance circuit. Teaching people to get it on is noble enough pursuit, but how is playing pretend-stripper empowering? An old school feminist friend was working on promotional materials for one such class. She was so annoyed by the e word, that she finally walked out of the job.
I don’t have a strong reaction to it. It seems like a clumsy attempt at respectability. What do you wise people think?
Shodan, figure it out for yourself.
do you guys think that the avg american is more likely to think of conservatism or the kama sutra when they think of india
The music is Carnatic during the orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut and I think the vocals were in Tamil. The prelude to the orgy has such strong catholic overtones that an opera would have been perfect. The Indian connection is jarring since there is none in the rest of the movie.
Well, I guess Kubrick falls in the KS camp.
has anyone here actually been to (or heard of) an 0rgy full of tamilians?
Amaun,
Was'nt the voice over in Sanskrit and not Tamil ?
BTW, I did not like/ get Eyes wide shut at all .Am I the only one?
the only value i saw in that flick was that it is a p0rno with A list celebs.
BTW, I did not like/ get Eyes wide shut at all .Am I the only one?
You're not alone. It's probably some really complicated Scientology thing that only Xenu can really explain anyway.
nope. just p0rn...
It was in Sanskrit - I believe it was the Gayatri Mantra.
I thought the first hour of EWS was fantastic, but the rest of it was mediocre (I think most people disliked the movie, period). What I think Kubrick excels at is exposing the hypocrisies underlying polite society. He did it in Clockwork Orange, and he did the same in EWS (both in the party scene and the bedroom scene). And he beautifully illuminates the inconsistencies in war in Strangelove and Full Metal Jacket. And while Lolita the movie was nowhere close to Nabokov's wonderful book, I can't imagine any other director doing even a halfway decent job at it. As for The Shining, it's the one horror movie that's genuinely scared me.
Now, he's done a fair number of adaptations, so maybe you can argue that's really the greatness of the source material he's working with, but there are enough movies (Lord of the Flies, Bonfire of the Vanities etc.) to demonstrate that this need not be the case at all.
I don't know. The swish by swish pelvic exercise video is not new nor is it Desi. OTOH, in a society where yab-yum can mean this and this and this, this marketing ploy is only running with the crowd...
This Hemalayaa chick has awesome torso.
ek, do, teen,char
If this yogashoga doesn't work out she can always go to bollywood.Good luck Hemalayaa. Buy some amrutanjan next time you are in indian store. Inda madiri bend yellam pannina amrutanjanam thadavikanamnu perayavanga sollirukka.
char.
maybe i should go to yoga classes. d*mn...
Rahul at #38:
What bothered me about Eyes Wide Shut was that it didn't seem very Kubrickian to me...certainly not in the league of A Clockwork Orange or Dr. Strangelove. And I think the film was hurt by the casting, honestly.
has anyone here actually been to (or heard of) an 0rgy full of tamilians?
*cough* kinda... and I'm white.
Teaching people to get it on is noble enough pursuit, but how is playing pretend-stripper empowering?
Have you read the book Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy? She does a great feminist exploration (and by "exploration," I mean "ripping to shreds") of the idea that the porn/stripper aesthetic is somehow "empowering" or anti-sexist. She doesn't deal so much with the aspect of exoticization that's at play here, though.
But then, almost all marketing of anything Indian (or even just smacking of Indian-ness) is pretty much exoticized here in the US... There have been a few instances that seem like legitimate attempts to bring aspects/representations of Indian culture to American/Western (Bend It Like Beckham?) but it's always problematic. How do you navigate the line between cultural exchange and exoticism/cultural imperialism?
info please...this ive gotta hear.
#42 And I think the film was hurt by the casting - cruise & kidman ruined EWS-kubrick
nalla sapaadu. pretty cool name for a blog...
*cough* kinda... and I'm white.
info please...this ive gotta hear.
Ah, but I've already said too much! (grin)
awww....ur no fun...
Are jaadagams exchanged? When is the bajji-kaapi ingestion protocol initiated?
WTF does yoga have to do with Kama Sutra?!!
Besides that, doesn't "Hemalayaa" sound like a made up name?
Ponnu paakarathu ellam appramaa...modhallai ozhunga orgy-a naduthanom illai?
Sarah,
Honestly, though I liked watching Bend it like Beckham , like every other disapora movie it appeared to exaggerate and caricaturize some aspects of "Indian " culture. One can of course argue that cinema as a medium needs to exaggerate to make its point - else we would all be watching documentaries!
As for the other Southie experience * cough*:
Can't we convince you to write a blog post with all details? Huh? please ? please ?:-)
( All: Sorry for the threadjack )
nalla sapaadu. pretty cool name for a blog...
Thanks! I'm having a lot of fun with it.
awww....ur no fun...
That's the sort of story best told over beer!
When is the bajji-kaapi ingestion protocol initiated?
LOL. Did I just totally derail this thread? Mannikanoom, guys. I'll be good. :)
hema, I agree that the movie starts falling apart once Tom and Nicole fight and he starts wandering around town. There was a whole lot of nothing there. As for whether he could have made a better movie with actors other than Tom and Nicole, certainly! Nicole in a camisole wasn't difficult on the eyes though.
next meetup then...
Excuse me! You're apologizing for derailing a thread about a chick marketing this with a discussion of a personal orgy experience? All we Tam guys ask is to be objectified, after all.
@50
Like Playa from the Himalaya?
As for Bend it like Beckham, I have no idea if it was a legitimate attempt at anything, but I felt it was a silly, cliched crappy movie. Unfortunately, most people don't seem to share this opinion. Gurinder Chadha is mediocre to the max.
Drama is life with all the boring parts taken out.
I thought the trend of juxtaposing fitness with random concepts/activities had run its course. After bollywood dance, pet yoga and pole dancing - now introducing - kamasutra swish!
Can't wait for tappanguthu. It even sounds exotic.
As for Bend it like Beckham, I have no idea if it was a legitimate attempt at anything, but I felt it was a silly, cliched crappy movie.
Ditto. I mean, there wasn't anything particularly original about the story, the dialogs, etc...but I also thought it was marketed to a primarily Western audience who probably thought it was exotic (because of the Indian thing) and pathbreaking (because of the woman-from-repressed-culture-takes-up-football thing). It was marginally better than Bride and Prejudice though.
Personally, I thought Bhaji on the Beach was a better effort from Chadha, esp. as it showcased more serious problems that the aunty set in Britain encountered.
someone should start selling sensual yogic ayurvedic fitness barthanatiyam dance...
As exaggerated as "Bombay Boys" was, it still had a great story to tell and I think the exaggeration actually set the tone of how ridiculous some situations can be for first-timers going to India.
Here you go! Actually, I think there are places in India where tourists can take classes in dappankoothu, but I can't find the link right now.
If I am choreographing a tamilian orgy, I will start with superfat BPO founder Aravind Swamy and tub of lard Khushboo from Alaipayudhey in background, triplechin farexbaby Madhavan and Shalini in middleground, in foreground we will put superhottie Namitha and our own Srikanth. Musik ofcourse will be world famous ARR with the Mani Rathnam hit "Pouring White Semen Drenches Her Torso" ( Pudhu Vellai Mazhai Pozhigindradu, Kollainila Udal Nanaigindradhu )
Electronic devices meant to
that is truly horrific.
the Mani Rathnam hit "Pouring White Semen Drenches Her Torso" ( Pudhu Vellai Mazhai Pozhigindradu, Kollainila Udal Nanaigindradhu )
Oh, thanks for that, TamBram. All this time, little innocent me thought that "pudhu vellai mazhai" was a reference to snow up in Kashmir.
What, Arvind Swamy is as handsome as he was in Thalapathi and Roja!
Saw "Water" by Deepa Mehta yesterday. Another trite movie. In fact, the dialog writing was so unnatural and bad, that I turned on subtitles and read it. Anyone else saw the movie?
Honestly, though I liked watching Bend it like Beckham , like every other disapora movie it appeared to exaggerate and caricaturize some aspects of "Indian " culture. One can of course argue that cinema as a medium needs to exaggerate to make its point - else we would all be watching documentaries!
This is exactly the question that I keep grappling with as a vellaikaral learning about India. I don't think anybody can make a 'perfect' movie-- it seems like these issues are going to pop up no matter what you do. So when does it reach the point where those distortions outweigh
(1) the artistic value of the movie? For example, I've heard a lot of desis express frustration with Mira Nair's movies, but I do think Fire was artistically beautiful.
(2) the cross-cultural value of the movie? Isn't it better to have flawed movies that show real, human South Asian characters than to have none at all? I'm active in the fight for immigrant rights and I can't help thinking that anything that exposes Americans to cultures that are new to them in a caring and humanized way is a good thing.
(3) the other political aspects of the movie? "Bend It Like Beckham" did inspire thousands of young female athletes.
It's complicated and I won't even pretend I know the answers! But it does seem like there are some talented directors trying hard to tackle this question, which can't be an easy job.
On that note, what do SM'ers think about this trend of Hollywood actors declaring that they're just dying to do Bollywood movies? Including Angelina Jolie, who's basically in blackface playing an African character in 'A Mighty Heart,' which makes me like her even less. It could be awful... but I have this dream that the Coen Brothers will team up with the directors of 'Bluffmaster'...
next meetup then...
DC's not that far away from Philly...
Good job, Tambram. "Kaviyarasu" Vairamuthu's mind is as dirty as his veshti is bleached-white.
Fire was Deepa Mehta. I liked that one.
Skepmod,
Thanks! I am so happy someone found the movie as badly made as I did . I was quite astonished by the fact that it gathered an Oscar nomination. A
I also thought it was hopelessly miscast .
but I have this dream that the Coen Brothers will team up with the directors of 'Bluffmaster'...
Heh. We have to find a way to make this happen!
For example, I've heard a lot of desis express frustration with Mira Nair's movies, but I do think Fire was artistically beautiful.
Oops, I meant Deepa Mehta. Although you could say the same thing about Mira Nair's movies.
Well you do have "Gangsta MD" coming out. I also heard a few years ago that Hollywood bought the rights for "Aankhen". That would be an interesting movie.
Water was so boring, except for the gorgeous cinematography, Lisa Ray, and the cute kid. I have no idea what the fascination with this silly moralizing movies is. BTW, Sarah, Fire was Deepa Mehta's. Again, that movie had good intent, but it tried to pack in way too much, didn't do justice to many of the story lines, and (in my opinion) had the Radha and Sita character names interchanged which annoyed me to no end - she clearly used those names to invoke images, but the characters behaved in exactly the opposite way. Radha was demure and went through the agni pariksha at the end, Sita was the rebellious one who walks away from her husband!
I don't necessarily see a problem with Jolie playing Marianne Pearl, but if you want to dislike her, here's one reason.
All we Tam guys ask is to be objectified, after all.
Haha, you sound just like my ex!
Oh man. Ya'll are way better than getting my work done...
You know, one story that just aches to be retold in a Western-friendly way is "Silappadikaram". An angry and empowered woman setting fire to an entire city would make for a heckuva climax (that's movie climax, TamBram, not the other kind).
The one movie about diaspora that I've really liked, and is my favorite among the entire lot, is "My Son the Fanatic" (Om Puri and Rachel Griffiths). I highly recommend it. Unfortunately, it came out right around the time "East is East" (also starring Om Puri) was released, and people seemed to like it better, because it was far easier to consume, but again it mostly took resort in stereotypes and easy jokes.
Sarah, sorry that I didn't recognize you. It was really dark that night and there were so many people around.
Hema, I grew up on Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, in those days the number 1 source of Tamil music for all of Tamilnadu & whatever Tamil population is alive in Srilanka. This SLBC is shortwave ( SWII ) station, you get it all over south india. True story - They invited Vairamuthu for panel discussion. The poet, sorry "Emperor of poets" ( kaviarasu ), was totally drunk. At one point RJ says how do you write such gems for Mani Ratnam movies ? Drunk poet says what gems ? Every popular Tamil song has implicit reference to semen, sex, masturbation, intercourse. Idea is to not make that reference explicit otherwise censor board will use scissor. Then poet went on to list dozens of these songs & told us the hidden meanings - RJ was horrified and after two very explicit examples he cut to commercial. The poet never came back on.
Take oldie Kamal superhit Raja Kaiya Vechcha, on the mouth of every schoolchild. What does it mean ? Garage mechanic Raja is saying he can make this girl Gautami cum just by using his hands ( ie. fingers ). Then he says she gets hot so fast!
Or take the new superhit Viru viru vena valarum pazham yen virasangalai velludhey - At that point cinematographer cuts to this Sandhya's nipples pointed straight to sky ie. Your boobs are growing so fast my modesty is compromised!
Nothing is left to the imagination. This Kubrick orgy etc. is so lame compared to our Kaviarasu's lyrics. Mere words can get you off, no need for visual.
surely hemaplayaleyaa would know that there is far more than one form of 'classical indian dance.' In fact many do not incorporate 'swish-swish' or the artful articulation of back-fat rolls.
in my long and less than illustrious career as an ever-suffering male Bharatanatyam artiste, I didn't see one occasion in which a classically-trained dancer turned to infomercial-style brownercising to make a buck.
many did go the 'fusion' route or sought to make a space in the academe for their work but nothing as 'ick' as this.
I like Bend it Like Beckham the same way I like B-grade comedies. Not because it was amazing or even good, but because elements of it are fun and because I like soccer. I really dislike her misrepresentation of Punjabis, and of desis more broadly. While some elements are realistic, she relies on a lot of stereotypes to advance her story among the non-desi audience. I think Bridge and Prejudice is one of the worst films I've ever seen in my entire life. Gurinder Chadha is, overall, a terrible filmmaker, in my opinion.
Rahul, was East is East the one about the Pakistani-British guy and his (I think Irish?) girlfriend?
Rahul --
It's about to be.
What I'm about has nothing to do with fusion dance-yoga-sex at all.
I knew almost nothing about India before I became involved in the religion I'm a part of. Nor was I a "new-ager" or into any of that (too young to be), and that was before "fusion dance", "tribal-fusion", "tantric sex", "yogic-sex" and all that came on the scene. You've read me wrong, real wrong. In fact, celibacy is highly valued in my religion and "sexual expression" is something meant to be explored and enjoyed by the "Gods", more than humans on this earthly path.
That being said, years later, after all the experiences I've had travelling, meeting a wide variety of people and being exposed to a wide variety of cultures/languages, as well as the sufferings (and joys) I've undergone in my lifestyle choices, coupled with the hypocrisy surrounding the theme of sexuality that I have witnessed and participated in first hand in my own religion as well as other religious cultures, I am at the point now where if it makes someone happy and as a result of that personal happiness that person is nicer to me in our interactions (because they are not living with some inner angst that they are carrying around like a bomb about to expload inside them) I say "more power to you girl! (or guy)".
As far as the exotification issue - that is what making money is all about. Do I appreciate being bombarded with the visual of another woman's big breasts and small waist everytime I log into my email account on an ad for a diet pill? No. I'm a woman, I have my own breasts and waist that I can look at in the mirror if I want, but hey - exotification of the female body sells and sells big, and these people/companies/corporations are out to make money - lots of it. What to do?
As far as "The Kama Sutra, an ancient Indian text, promotes the cultivation of sensuality as a sacred duty".....
......This is partly true in the sense that of the 4 purusharthas (4 main goals of human life);
1. dharma (the performance of religious and societal duties meant to bring about a peaceful and happy existence within one's family and community)
2. artha (economic development to support the above)
3. kama (the fullfilment of sensual desires, not limited to sexually activity alone but including things like aesthetic pleasure, travel, etc)
4. moksha (liberation from all of the above - liberation from the cycle of birth-death-rebirth)
....Kama - or the fullfilment of a wide variety of sensual desires, in a regulated way, is deemed an important "artha" or goal to fulfil in one's life, along with the other three.
Regarding; "Gesture by gesture, swish by swish, we remember that we are—and have always been—divine dancers."
This is a foundational concept amongst sufis like the whirling dervishes as well as other spiritualists - that the soul is happy, carefree and full of song and dance by nature, but having been encased in a material frame for a long time causes such expression to be stifled. It is also a foundational concept in bhakti, which is why song and dance is such a major componant of bhakti religious traditions. When the soul is (re)united with it's Divine Beloved (God, I guess you could call it), then again it will dance.
Puliogre in da USA
And what about the many black people who buy this product? Are you more comfy with brown being exotified amongst them? Coz I can assure you, several black men exotify Indian women ALOT. Is that OK with you?
Anyway, exotification is not neccessarily a bad thing - is it? Could it be seen as a compliment in many cases? Could it be seen as being thought of as unique, fresh, exciting and non-boring, non-run-of-the-mill?
was the misrepresentation of Punajabis worse in Bend It (chadha) or Bollywood Hollywood (d. mehta)?
Mine too.
PG! You gots yourself a web page! But shouldn't you have a lotus on that page instead? And what's with all the black? Not liking the aura there.
It was a kitchen sink movie, involving a Pakistani dad married to an English woman with his first wife stashed away in the home country, a gay hairdresser son, adolescent circumcision, dating an Irish/English (don't remember) girl, arranged marriage with bucktoothed females, and use of chamber pots, among other things.
how many times, in our mass-comodification culture, does the label of exotic make a person/thing anything other than an object of desire for the viewer/owner/consumer?
When you become 'the exotic' you also lose the ability to matter on your own merit--your worth is determined entirely by the value/entertainment you present to the non-exotic consumer.
Rahul, can't do much about the black coz this was a pre-fab web background/page design. I'm not computer savy enough to build my own. However, I think it contrasts well with the bright yellow, and the yellow represents Sri Radha (who is described as "Gori" or "golden hued") while the black represents Her eternal lover, Sri Krishna, who is known in Braja-bhasha as "Kala/Kalu" - black. One meaning of Krishna is "black" as well. So my page represents the union of the Divine Couple.
Regarding a lotus, no - the flower on my page is (or at least resembles) a Karnika-puspa -- the flower worn in Krishna's ears as earrings (as described in shastra).
Therefore the decor of my page is befitting it's theme - topics of Radha and Krishna.
Isn't "exotic" just another way of saying "other"? To paraphrase chachaji, calling something exotic is simply "otherizing", and to be avoided, in my opinion.
The message of Bollywood/Hollywood was that escorts are ok to bring home to momma, but hookers are not, right? Or was it the other way around?
Monsoon Wedding was gorgeous and the music was great too, but I think it had one too many distracting plot elements - it could have lost the child abuse aspect of the story, and still been an excellent examination of the joint family dynamics in a North Indian context. Of course, Naseeruddin Shah and the wedding contractor did a really good job.
I know, PG. As the Gita says, Karma's a bitch. And the web page badly needs some yoni bling.
OYYYY DUBEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they were the highlights of the movie.
The message of Bollywood/Hollywood was that escorts are ok to bring home to momma, but hookers are not, right? Or was it the other way around
i think it was that perceived non-indian escorts are all right to bring home but not non-indian canuck celebrities.
i'm guessing that female descendents of Tiger Jeet Singh were unavailable at casting
Somewhere, maybe in the director's commentary on the DVD, Mira Nair says this very thing. At one point, they had edited out the abuse stuff just to see what the movie would look like. But in the end, they kept it all, and she says she believes the film is stronger for it.
I really liked the child abuse aspect of the story, though, just because it IS so prevalent and it IS so undertold. I do think there are a lot of subplots and characters, but that's one of the things I like most.. in part because it is messy, but in part because I feel that's how it feels come vyaa time. I don't know, I love Monsoon Wedding generally, so I'm probably a bad critic. I think it nails down the spirit of Punjabi communities perfectly.
Camille and Murli,
Regarding exotification.... I think it's important for us not to read too much negativity into another person's intentions, more for our own benefit (happiness and heart-softening)rather than theirs.
I have read some of Said's words in the matter, and although he makes some valid points, I don't think those points can be applied to something like this lady's DVD.
A question can be asked, every time a Tam Brahm mother or a Punjabi Khatri father wishes to arrange a marriage for their son/daughter to the opposite gender equivalent of the same, could that not be seen as "exotification" too? -- in the sense that there are certain "characteristics" - in terms of habits, condition, culture, behaviour, food preferences and even looks, that those parents think such prospective brides/grooms will fulfill.
Just as one might assume that this lady's DVD will implant or reinforce an idea in the customers mind about Indian women or India in general.... isn't that what happens in the mind of Bengali Gour Brahmin mother whenever she thinks of a Bengali Gour Brahmin bou for her putra?
it could have lost the child abuse aspect of the story
I don't know. I sort of felt the child abuse story was necessary. The other plot lines just didn't have enough dramatic tension to carry the movie, in my view. I also thought it raised one of those issues that almost never gets talked about in the Indian/Indian diaspora setting.
Louiecypher
Can you elaborate or provide a link? It's important to me because I have a friend who is in the process of creating something similar for the Indian market and he'd really need to know about this before he spends too much time/energy/money on the idea.
exoticism represents the great catch-22 of identity politics. central to this framework is the denial of a transcendence of knowledge, ie you (the privileged) don't know what its like to be black, brown, gay, transgendered, etc. a perspectival view of truth becomes central to respecting the viewpoints of the disenfranchised.
but then as soon as the privileged accept this notion, that we are different, that there is this unbridgeable chasm, we whack 'em again with accusations of exoticising and othering. thus, our victim status cannot be taken away under any circumstance.
which is the whole purpose of multiculturalism.
I should've been clearer. I felt it had one too many plot points, and the reason I mention the child abuse aspect is that the movie just didn't treat it with the depth that it deserved, and the resolution was just a little too pat and convenient. I don't see how the movie could have dealt well with that storyline and still done justice to the rest. (Also, personally, I don't necessarily need dramatic tension to carry a movie, a perceptive slice-of-life film could be great too.)
muralimannered, yes I loved "OYYYY DUBEY"! The Dubey guy was great as the Sardarji in Company too. There's a new crop of actors coming out from film school and getting character parts in many Hindi movies, and I hope they are able to continue to get good roles. Khosla Ka Ghosla was one such movie, populated almost entirely by these "unknown faces" (except for Anupam Kher).
I'm with hema and Runa on the child abuse.
My favorite part about Dubey, in addition to the character himself, is the pun within his name. :)
PG, I don't think the scenarios are analogous, and I think there's a pretty clear definition of "exotification" folks are working with. There is a difference between essentialization and exotification. If someone is trying to find someone they think reflects their identity for their child, it is because they are making sweeping generalizations. If someone exotifies someone (thus, inherently positioning as different, other, not to be included), there is a different dynamic at play. Do both utilize stereotypes? Yes. Are both exotification? Not necessarily.
The reason I cite Said, Kahf and Prashad is because there's a clear body of literature on representation and identity, and I think it is easier to have a lengthy conversation about why (or why not) exotification is problematic if the conversants are somewhat on the same page re: understanding the underlying factors and theory around the topic itself.
To 106 - ingay paar
And for all you Monsoon wedding fans:
The contractor is Vijay Raaz
only if Tamil Brahmin and Punjabi Khatri communities constituted a 1-billion person nation.
exotification is more a glorification of the delight that some feel when they are about to uncover something that was previously unknown, to a certain degree, and can present themselves with a physical/emotional reward rather than simply thinking that an experience will involve some assumed dynamics.
A caste-minded mother, selecting a spouse for their child of the same caste, is more of racist, in terms of perceived culture superiority, than an individual exotifying a brown-themed exercise DVD. Exotification involves less knowledge about the subject than the calculated casteism performed by the casteist mother. The consumer of the exercise dvd has vague images of snake-charmers/dusky concubines/temple sculpture sex positions running through their head--not assumptions based on experience.
Exotification involves blurring the edges of cultural items so that they lose much of what distinguishes them from others in the same general geographic area.
The mother is following through on her casteist upbringing.
Rahul, too many plot points ?! What plot? Inda PK Dubey woos maidservant Alice. Inda amma Pimmi, she smokes in latrine. Then this NRI marries Aditi who is dumped by TV producer after kissing on mouth at night in a minivan because of cop-interrupted. Then our NRI goes to his almamater IIT Delhi canteen and asks for Splenda instead of sugar. Naduvula inda Pimmi oda purushan begs Walmart exporter golf-buddy for cashflow issue. Then andha mota paiyyan wants to cook and get fatter while dad wants him to be like sachin tendulkar. Idu yellam oru plotaa ? If you take out the child abuse angle, whole thing will fall apart. Its just too trivial, like a Lifetime Channel soap. No maal, no masala. imho, Mira's strength is in creating the right milieu & ambience. Characters are paper-thin, their motivations are silly. Aana onnu, Mira knows how to market. The movie has made roughly 80 TIMES its investment! From a plotless soap if she can milk out 80 times initial, imagine what she can do for a real plot like Shantaram.
There's nothing much to see here other than commercial motives... and frankly I feel it's completely justified. The Indian tourism board has always been about the 'spirituality' of india .. it is afterall, what sells the most. Just like Africa sells adventure, Amsterdam sells sex and freedom, India sells Spirituality. Period.
[ Remember the tourism board's message to Jade Goody after her spat at Big Brother - May India 'heal' you ... etc etc. ]
If as a nation , our tourism board proudly markets ourselves as a spiritual nation, I don't see why it's wrong for individuals to market their parent nation (or parts of the culture of the parent nation) the same way. You can twist this story any way - One side will say she's 'celebrating her diversity' .. another side will say she's 'reinforcing stereotypes'. I'd say - she's just a smart damn business woman laughing her way to the bank.
Muralimannered
Murli-
Speak for yourself. Unless you are antar-yami, there is absolutely no way you can tell what is going on in other people's heads.
I for one only envision a exercise DVD with sitar music in the background and the woman encorporating Khajaraho sculpture style poses into her exercise/dance routine.
but razor sharp. When Naseerudin harangues his son when he's unloading the car, I had violent flashbacks to similarly humbled, car-unloading events supervised by an uncle.
it's things like that.
Yeah, I'll say it: I love BiLB and Monsoon Wedding. I don't care if that makes me tragically unhip and a lover of cliches, anyone who wants to hate on my love for those two fillums can GFT. ;)
I sometimes think we are more critical of BiLB than we need to be. To me, it's in the same "feel-good" category as Love Actually, Legally Blonde et al. I don't hold it to a higher or lesser standard because it's brown. That said, I love it more than everything I just listed in part because it's brown and though I might not be Punjabi, I related to a ton of what was depicted...having to lie to go do things which weren't even that naughty in the first place, not being able to wear certain outfits around my parents, tension with my sister because of drama between me and my parents, loving family even as you're heartbroken that they don't understand your most cherished goals...but maybe my over-identification with Jasminder's plight is a strange and anomalous thing.
As for Monsoon Wedding, the child abuse subplot was very necessary, for the reasons already cited and more: molestation happens far too often and no one wants to admit it, life isn't neat and simple with just one storyline and nothing else happening alongside it and yes, the scene where the dad stands up for Ria...the surprised and grateful look on Ria's tear-stained face is etched in my memory, it's the most poignant moment in the film.
I've never seen Water or Bride and Prejudice. I didn't mind Vanity Fair. :) But maybe, I'm just partial to Reese.
That I agree. And all the things you say about Dubey, Pimmi, Aditi etc - the love interest, Sachin Tendulkar etc. contribute to it. But you can still make an interesting movie that just conveys this milieu and ambience. One thing that really irritates me about movies is when they throw in issues to make themselves look serious or deep, but then do not actually examine them with any seriousness or depth. The child abuse plot was an example of that.
I haven't read Shantaram yet, the few excerpts made it seem like the prose was too purple and would just irritate me. And why oh why, did she have to put AB in the movie? It might be worth it there is a scene involving him dropping the soap in the shower though.
As for marketing, no doubt about that. Although if you want to talk about a crappy Mira Nair, talk about Kamasutra (see I'm back on topic on this thread too!).
but you are not the exotifying agent. i'm not saying that everyone who sees this is exotifying it but that a typical exotifying agent would probably be imagining some stereotypical 'Indian' images like those I listed.
On Monsoon Wedding: I was raised in Delhi, and that movie was absolutely amazing (and precise) at recreating upper-middle-class life in Delhi. I think it also captured the class relationships (Alice and the family, Dubey and his coterie) and the hunger for upward mobility very nicely (although I was ambivalent about the montages).
I personally don't think brown people should be allowed a free pass for exoticizing their culture. Most of us recognize the now-hackneyed "Indianness-is-not-a-monlithic-identity" claim. So it is problematic if specific individuals start making overt generalizations like the "cultivation of sensuality [is] a sacred duty," as if it is The Truth. Now that may be a gross simplification or a convenient (if happy-making) mining of Indian scriptures. H's promotional materials are only an interpretation of the KS, and are not generally accepted cultural absolutes. In general, marketing materials are very heavy-handed about making claims about "India" and "Indian" products.
We all cringe when we see dust-jackets with mangoes and silk. H's product could be great in helping women to cultivate sensuality but she could be a little more self-reflexive in her marketing. Of course,