Indian Bollywood Girls

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We're pretty spoiled in our country as parents. When we're looking for a movie to watch with our kids, there's only one or two little letters we're looking for to help us make the brunt of our decisions. The MPAA rating system, though imperfect as any rating system would be, is undoubtedly a great help in deciding if the movies we watch will be objectionable or not.

However, the ratings system in our country does not extend beyond our country's boundaries. In my own new fascination with Bollywood movies and music, I have come across this problem. My kids also want to watch, but the movies are, for the most part, unrated.

How then is the best way to evaluate what the kids should watch? It would be impossible for me to lay down rules for your family. Bollywood movies that are touted as family-friendly in their country aren't necessarily so friendly to my family. In this case, it becomes necessary to be a little more vigilant than I normally am in choosing appropriate entertainment that my kids and I can enjoy together. Some of the following are my own criteria, which you may or may not consider important.

Content and themes
It's helpful to me, before I choose a movie to watch, to look up some background information on particular Bollywood movies. Sometimes there are clips of the movie available at YouTube or other sharing sites. Sometimes Amazon or IMDB has synopsis of the movie's story. If the content of the story sounds adult in nature (such as drugland gang wars or horror stories or girls being passed from man to man), the nature of the story is often a pretty good clue to how appropriate the movie will be for the whole family.

Dress
Bollywood movies are rife with bare stomachs. The stars of these movies often have an ocean of dancers behind them while they sing and dance. These dancers or other minor characters are sometimes dressed in barely-there outfits. Some are variations on traditional Indian clothing, and some are pretty far out. It's something you'll want to consider before you let the kids watch it. The clothes are so beautifully colored your daughters may want to wear something similar. Ritual piercings and/or tattoos may be another concern for some, as there are many in the Hindi tradition, and these are often depicted in their films.

Attitudes
One thing I picked up on was the strong macho vibe in some of these Bollywood movies. It's not uncommon for a man to tell a woman to “shut up” or to refer to women in less-than respectful terms. Whether that's a matter of translation or not, I can't say for sure. All I know is, it's something to watch out for if this kind of treatment of women if it's something you don't want the kids to consider as normal. Even Hindis sometimes complains that the depiction of their culture is unrealistic in these movies, but it's something to be aware of while investigating a certain movie.

Violence
Some of it is very slapstick, such as slapping each other Three-Stooges style. (Bollywood movies tend to be somewhat melodramatic compared to American films). Some of it rivals American movies. A good way to gauge is to, again, get the story in advance, and read any reviews that might be available for any particular movie you're interested in.

Sexuality
Be prepared for an eyeful of this, but not always overtly. Romance stories are paramount in Bollywood. The irony is that there's very little lip action involved. For some strange reason, kissing is seldom done in Bollywood movies, and some actors even refuse to do nude scenes or ever kiss co-stars on the lips. Actual sex scenes tend to be much tamer than a standard Hollywood scene.
Don't think as a parent that you can relax in this area though. Bollywood actors and actresses are masters of flirtation and use of other body parts and props to portray sexuality, which sometimes creates a more tantalizing result than a simple kiss would. Be aware of your children's level of development, and of how much exposure to sensuality would be healthy for them.

Language
Even in movies that are promoted as family-friendly in Bollywood, the language can sometimes be too shocking for children. The only way to tell is to watch the movie yourself beforehand. If it burns your ears, don't turn around and burn your kids' ears.

Overall, try to err on the side of caution. The lack of ratings simply means that you as the parent have to step in and do any censoring you deem necessary. It also helps to talk to your kids about what they see, and to keep channels of communication open with them. If they're uncomfortable with anything you watch, respect them. These simple guidelines can help to make sure your foray into foreign movies, especially Bollywood movies, is a good thing for you and the kids as well.

About the writer Lance Haas has been publishing web content, on the net and in the real world, for more than four years. This writer normally produces on wellness and conditioning, dating, losing weight and fat loss related issues. Read her latest posts at her website. She is also a hypno therapist, Electrician and journalist. Follow her stress decreasing once a month workshop on video which can be found at My Foreign Bride or on lots of common website pages on the net.

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