Found in Translation: From Hollywood Hits to Bollywood Blockbusters

Bollywood cinema is a proverbial machine, cranking out upwards of 800 new films each year. Recently, however, Indian directors have begun looking toward Hollywood for an abundance of storylines to reform for Bollywood consumers. In most cases the original Hollywood plotline is indiscernible amidst the Bollywood panacea of singing and dancing and Indian religious references are often inserted to validate and legitimate characterizations, situations and bring an Indian cultural atmosphere that Bollywood audiences require. This paper examines the translation of several Hollywood hits into Bollywood blockbusters and explores why religion is an integral trope utilized in making sensitive plotlines derived from an American culture palpable to an Indian audience