When we first look at a country, we categorise it by
various standards. A country can be recognised as a first world country based
on its economic growth and development. Or it may be recognised as a country
with a rich heritage recorded by history.
It can be defined by a certain scientific or cultural
legacy. But most of all, a country is recognised by its people and their
popular culture. In a globalising world, popular culture becomes a major medium
through which we learn about other countries.
Influence from Other Cultures
Everything is laid bare on the global platform and the
gap between cultures is shrinking. These different cultures also influence each
other giving rise to various hybridized forms of culture. This can be seen in
the way we eat, dress, and talk.
Everything we see and experience influences us, and this
influence encourages us to form our separate, and perhaps new, identities. This
influence and knowledge of a foreign culture also lead to an almost unconscious
comparison, even competition, which may result in positive growth.
When we talk about the influence of foreign countries on
our everyday lives, the most important media are popular cinema, television
series, music, and books. This influence is often derived from how culture is
represented.
Bollywood influence on us
The most suitable example for India would perhaps be
Hollywood. The fact that Bollywood, the Indian entertainment industry is
borrowing a lot from western countries and is incorporating them in their
native productions is proof as well, of the hybridized identity that it has
acquired.
This identity in return is also making the industry
popular and known to other cultures. A lot of Bollywood cinema and music is
influenced by pop culture from western countries. Indian cinema makes a lot of
adaptations to reach a wider audience.
However, one of the first things that India is known for
abroad is Bollywood and its musicals. It is true that the popular culture of a
country, or a distinct region, is defined by its people.
It is the people who make things popular. Education or
literacy are not the determining forces of culture but entertainment and
popularity are. In this globalised world, we can‘t say that the demand for
entertainment is limited to native productions.
Popularisation of Korean Industry
Even though there are a lot of western movies and
television series which have gained mass fan followings in India, another
instance of the international spread of popular culture has been from South
Korea, also known as the ―Korean wave‖.
Television dramas, Korean pop music and films have
received good reception throughout the world. Korean dramas are family-friendly
which helps in the propagation of a certain types of values and traditions.
Korean pop music, in similar ways, has had tremendous popularity all over the
world.
Korean music has fused traditional and ethnic components
with western elements, gaining a diverse audience. It won‘t be wrong to say
that popular demand, which shapes popular culture, reflects the culture of the
country or the region.
‘Relatable’ art is
in increasing demand worldwide over the past decade. This ‘relatability’ is
precisely what makes it popular. This is true for all cultures, making them
paradoxically homogenous.
Take the representation of patriarchy in these cultures,
for example. Some of these dramas, which have been dubbed in Hindi (Descendants
of the Sun, Boys over Flowers) are very similar in their treatment of
patriarchal conventions.
Both of them have received a lot of popularity and
acceptance all over the world and have an 8.6 and 8.2 rating on IMDb,
respectively. Being conventional romantic comedies, both these shows depict a
love story between a man and a woman.
Strong and independent women are trying to survive in a
male-dominated world, but at the same time, are shown to have very
stereotypical feminine personalities who always need a male masculine figure to
rescue them.
The blending of Korean and Indian Cultures
This is very similar to the essential plot of Indian television
shows as well. Although Indian and Korean cultures differ from each other in a
lot of respects, this similarity in such a popular medium somewhat dissolves
the distance between the cultures.
A lot of popular Bollywood movies like Ek Villain,
Jazbaa, and Zinda are adaptations of Korean movies called I Saw the Devil,
Seven Days, and Old boy respectively. There have been several attempts made by
the South Korean government as well as their entertainment industries to reach
out to the Indian audience.
These include some variety shows like Exciting India, and
other K-pop contests in India organised by the Korean embassy. The hybridizing
and homogenising influences on our respective popular cultures increases their
accessibility to others all over the world, which helps in bridging the gap between
them.
Similar gaps may be bridged, not between nations but
between different cultural communities. The difference between various Indian
popular cultures is immense. The widespread acceptance of other, foreign
cultures (Chinese, Korean) often brings them close together. Dubbed versions or
subtitled translations help us access different cultures of the world and in
effect, help us grow.
Written By - Chavi Goel
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