BSU professor explores India's Bollywood film industry

Nov. 24, 2015 -- India’s Hindi film industry, Bollywood, is the largest film industry in the world. Bollywood produces over 1,200 films and sells nearly 3 billion tickets worldwide each year. Located in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay – hence the nickname Bollywood, the Hindi language film industry is known for its glamor, color, big budget shoots, fantastic locales and most importantly its song and dance sequences. Dr. Rucha Ambikar, assistant professor of sociology at Bemidji State University, will explore this vibrant world of Hindi cinema Dec. 2 as part of the university's Honors Council Lecture Series.

Her lecture, “Bollywood for All,” will be held at 7 p.m. in Hagg-Sauer 112. Honors Council lectures are open to everyone free of charge.

Amibkar will discuss the common themes of movies – romance, family drama, action, comedy and others -- and explore how these themes showcase India's cultural values. The history of India’s society will be examined through Bollywood's cinematic lens, leading to a discussion of the cult-like following of India’s leading stars.

"Bollywood has achieved global popularity," Ambikar said. "With savvy marketing through social media, Indian films are entertaining and educating billions of people worldwide. In this lecture, we will come to see what all the fuss is about and, most importantly, try to answer why people keep breaking out into musical numbers at the drop of a hat."

About Dr. Rucha Ambikar

Rucha Ambikar is a native of India and a lifelong Bollywood enthusiast. She holds a doctorate in social and cultural anthropology and is currently an assistant professor of sociology at Bemidji State University.

About the Honors Council Lecture Series

The Honors Council Lecture Series is hosted by the Bemidji State University Honors Council. The council is the advisory group to the honors program composed of 12 faculty members representing each of the university’s colleges. Student representatives are also elected to the council by their cohorts for one-year terms.