Bolly’s crossing borders: How Indian cinema has found an audience in Colombia

Colombia, a nation with a population of about 46 million, is, like many South American countries, known for its love of football.

Less well-known is its passion for Bollywood – one of India’s dominant cultural forces – which has triggered a sort of cultural invasion in a country thousands of miles away.

“Bollywood films find a suitable ground in Colombia because of the things we have in common,” says Roberto Restrepo, a Colombian documentary director and producer based in Bogotá. “For instance, we, like Indians, are not an individualistic-orientated society.

“For us, family is more important than individual interests. We share such values, and so Colombians find it appealing to see them on screen and they are usually displayed in Indian films,” adds the filmmaker, whose documentary about the river Ganges, Jala – A Journey Through the Senses of Water, is due to be released soon.

With their romantic and dramatic themes, foot-tapping songs and emphasis on family values, Bollywood films have conquered the hearts of Colombians, now some of the biggest fans of Indian movies in Latin America.

Cristhian Salamanca, the president of the Bogotá-based Amigos de India (Friends of India) association, agrees. “Movies from India get a lot of attention, he says. “Many people in Colombia are aware of the Bollywood style of storytelling.”

Continue reading at The National:

Bolly’s crossing borders: How Indian cinema has found an audience in Colombia