9. Bollywood and the Indian diaspora

Reflections on Migration through Film: Screening of an Anthropological Documentary on Indian Youth in London

“…While an audience at a documentary film festival in New Delhi is moved by the misfortune of the young woman as they watch the film in silence, one in a college of the rural town of Anand, Gujarat, reacts with laughter to the emotional distress displayed. The varied reactions are in line with findings in reception studies that suggest that audiences are active and that media content is open to interpretation [Hall 1973[Hall , (1980[Hall ) 2005Morley 1980Morley , 1981Jensen and Rosengren 1990;Moores 2000;Shively 1992; Verstappen and Rutten 2007]. Through different ways of ''decoding'' [Hall ibid.…”

“…8. This Hindu association was mainly visited by immigrants from Suriname and their offspring, who are descendants of indentured laborers that migrated from British India to Suriname in the colonial period [Verstappen and Rutten 2007]. 9.…”

Cinematic itineraries and identities: Studying Bollywood tourism among the Hindustanis in the Netherlands

“…Consequently, after Suriname gained independence in 1975, there was a wave of migration of this community to Holland (Hira, 2008). This pattern of double migration led them to be connoted as the 'Twice-migrants' (Verstappen and Rutten, 2007). Decades of spatial detachment later, they still actively maintain a keen interest in their distant homeland-India.…”

“…Many Dutch Hindustanis identify themselves -to varying degrees -with these three nations and their cultures. Second, this group is known for their pronounced affinity with Bollywood cinema (Mishra, 2009;Verstappen and Rutten, 2007). According to Yashraj Productions -one of the top production houses in India -the Netherlands is the second largest national market after the United Kingdom for Indian films in Europe (Verstappen and Rutten, 2007).…”

“…Second, this group is known for their pronounced affinity with Bollywood cinema (Mishra, 2009;Verstappen and Rutten, 2007). According to Yashraj Productions -one of the top production houses in India -the Netherlands is the second largest national market after the United Kingdom for Indian films in Europe (Verstappen and Rutten, 2007). These points strengthen the choice of studying the Dutch Hindustanis as a starting point to understand the global phenomenon of diasporic film tourism to India both in the actual and the mental realm.…”