Boogie Woogie
I haven't really watched much TV since we got here. Well, the cricket matches are an exception so what I should really say is that I have seen very little Indian cable TV programming.
For some unknown reason, tonight I found myself in front of the tube when a show called "Boogie Woogie" came on. As expected, everyone at home knew about this show and were riveted to the set.
It's a Sony TV program with the concept that I found rather intriguing. Kids--all under the age of 11--put their dancing talent on display in the hopes of winning prizes and advancing to the next round. Of the four kid contestants, three were 8-year olds. Decked in glittering costumes with faces smeared with layers of makeup, the kids happily danced and lip-synched to Bollywood remixes. The dance moves of these little girls would have put grown women to shame. Their repertoire had the unmistakable stamp of Bollywood all over it--the thumkas, the jhatkas... they did it all. And with such pluck and pizazz that you would think they were veteran performers. They were good!
Clearly, Bollywood wields tremendous power over these youngsters. And as if there already aren't enough song-dance routines in movies and MTV-type shows, the show producers had to rope in 8-year olds to sell their ad time. I'm not sure if this was exploitation, but I did walk away thinking how much talent these kids have.
For some unknown reason, tonight I found myself in front of the tube when a show called "Boogie Woogie" came on. As expected, everyone at home knew about this show and were riveted to the set.
It's a Sony TV program with the concept that I found rather intriguing. Kids--all under the age of 11--put their dancing talent on display in the hopes of winning prizes and advancing to the next round. Of the four kid contestants, three were 8-year olds. Decked in glittering costumes with faces smeared with layers of makeup, the kids happily danced and lip-synched to Bollywood remixes. The dance moves of these little girls would have put grown women to shame. Their repertoire had the unmistakable stamp of Bollywood all over it--the thumkas, the jhatkas... they did it all. And with such pluck and pizazz that you would think they were veteran performers. They were good!
Clearly, Bollywood wields tremendous power over these youngsters. And as if there already aren't enough song-dance routines in movies and MTV-type shows, the show producers had to rope in 8-year olds to sell their ad time. I'm not sure if this was exploitation, but I did walk away thinking how much talent these kids have.
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