morocco bound to hindi cinema

8/2/2019 Morocco Bound to Hindi Cinema

1/15

Finished with those gaudy and strange movies in India

named the masala films (1) ,New Indian cinema lightens

the world with its beautiful stars and show-business

and even locally Moroccan bollyphiles are continuously

becoming more Hindi fans than ever, writes ALLAL

EL ALAOUI .

Arrived at the Golden hotel which faces a rising millinum town of Morocco

called Sal(2), Bina Paul a south Indian woman of Kerala, which is a magical

place in Asia said to me why Sal film festival has not chosen an Indian film

for competition this year 2006. Bina Paul is an artistic director and member of

Kerala International film festival in the south of india . She came to Sal to

become a member of jury of the international women film festival .

Sal was famous of her cinema theatres such as Collis, El Malaki and opera .

Although some of them were used as cinclubs in the seventies especially the

Opera theatre for cultural reasons and also for the promotion of cinema and

cinemagoers ,animated by Nour Eddine Sail himself (3) , other cinemas just

could not resist to project Indian movies just like Dosti and Mother India By

Mahoob . Just after independence named proudly, the goden age,Hindi films

were dubbed into Moroccan slang(Arabic) by local pioneer artists namely

Ibrahim Essaih (4) , Hamidoo ; Said Bachir and others.

Ibrahim Essaih was right to dubb indian movies that time, because the

majority of the Moroccans were analphabets . Local Rabat intellectuals keep

making pressure on Moroccan governement to increase the budget for cultural

purpuses.Yet,movies were nationally done in a shy manner, 2 films per year

until the recent fund policy,which CCM, the national center of cinema has

made ;14 to 30 fims per year.

Hindi cinema has been a major point of reference for


2/15

Indian culture in this century. It has shaped and

expressed the changing scenarios of modern India to an

extent that no preceding art form could ever achieve.

Hindi cinema has influenced the way in which peopleperceive various aspects of their own lives. With one

mighty leap, Bollywood has gone from melodrama to

youthful reality, reports Kevin Maher,The Times

journalist In England.It is true that filmmakers in India

have been plagiaristic to the extent that even Hollywood

would remake Munnabhai MBBS and becomes GangstaMD ;an American movie by Chris Tucker. The seven

Samurai by Akira kurasawa became Sholay in 1975 by

Bollywood legend Ramesh Sippy .

Thanks to Ismail Noormohamed Abdul-Rehman , known

as Ismail Merchant, indian cinema becomes worldwildand because of his great talent as a producer and

director , every good actor in the west would love to

work with him . This man sells dreams of elegance and

beauty, of dignity and propriety, of literate splendour

and intellectual stature and above all, of traditional

reverence and venerable taste,Lubna aziz writes on AlAhram weekly.This seems contrary to the thoughts of

Moulay Driss Jaiidi ,a local cinema critic who states that

Hindi movies have bad taste on Moroccan cinemagoers .

Unlike CIFF , Cairo International film festival and

carthage film festival , FIFM,the International film


3/15

festival in Marrakesh, focuses only on European and

American cinema and badly to Asiatic films , It is time

that Grand Maghreb mainly Morocco, because of its

arising bollyphiles who watch nearly 80 new indian filmsper year out of 350 imported films , confirmed to me by

Kamal Mghazli, an employee of CCM, Moroccan national

center of cinema based in Rabat spearheaded by Nour

eddine Sail. India now is one of the largest film

producing nations in the world, with 1,013 films in 2001

and some 4.5 billion rupees in revenues in 2000 throughexports, films are subject to various taxes

(entertainment tax, new taxation release tax, show tax

and property tax).

Interviewed with a house of film distribution , Amal

films, a distributing house based in casablanca has

stated that although the prevailing of CDs and DVDs ,Bollywood cinema remains poweful in consuming and

still welcomed in Morocco and especially now television

holding SNRT and 2M are interested to diffuse films

such as DEVDAS , LAGAAN and VEER-ZAARA highly

praised by international critics around the world. I dont

know what Moulay Driss Jaiidi says about recentstatistics of Bollywood Box office made by CCM that in

2003 Morocco imported 378 Hindi films , the number of

fans were 3 783602 and ticket revenues were

36101026. Although CCM confirms that these stastics

are not fully complete , but in 2006 up to june we had

264 Hindi films and ticket revenues were 581800.


4/15

Moulay Dris Jaiidi would love to see these numbers

increasing in other cinema importations just like US

hollywood and french cinema , but at least we could behonest and realistic to the Moroccan Bollyphiles.

Sometimes ships dont head for the direction it wants ,

even in America and very often, Oscar nominees and

winners are selected on the basis of considerations

other than strictly artistic merit. This means, goodcinema suffers, writes Gataman Bhaskaran. Prabably we

wont see any Hindu film being selected on competition

this year in Marrakech 2006 just because there are still

some constipated mentalities that favor American and

Eureopean films than any good indian films . FIFM,

bureau de la fondation (5) should think this matterseriously about Bollywood cinema because apparently

the cinemagoers and producers already think of

Morocco as a magical place to shoot future films instead

of making them in Swisland .This European country

makes heavy taxes on commecials films favored by the

legendary producer Mukesh Bhatt (6) . Besides, Moroccois still open to all Indian producers to work by showing

easy policy to show-business .CCM has now two

recorded clips ,one is NAACH produced by Varma

corporation limited,shot around Tangiers,

Marrakesh,Agadir ,Essaouira and the second is HALKI

NEEND/SARU produced by Corner pocket films ,shot in


5/15

Marrakesh ans Essaouira .

Quentin taratino and Micheal moore , famous and

respected filmmakers in America ,encourage to piratetheir films, unlike Amitabh Bachchan, a mega-star and

ambassador of IIFA ; international indian film academy ,

disagrees about hacking films and resumes that this

matter becomes a major problem and it is difficult to

solve . thanks to Free market and Internet, cinephiles

now enjoy to have millions of good films with goodquality at home including the Indian ones.However, CCM

locally keeps an eye on outlaw CD and DVD dealers

Derb Rallef (7) in casablanca and swika(8) in Rabat ,and

recently CCM Have ceised 400,000 CDS and DVDS

containing all new hacked genres of International

cinema including Bollywood films. CCM intends to fightagainst films hackers and hopefully cinema theatres will

be open again.

Sal itself suffers a lot of cinema theatres being closed

including Dawliz complexes (9) owned by a Moroccan

filmmaker,Souhail Ben Barka. Now, in Sal there is onlyone cinema open , found in a popular ghetto called EL

WAD (10) . This cinema theatre is called Hollywwod and

ironically accepts only bollywood movies.

Sal women festival was unlucky this year to have an


6/15

indian film in competition but it could have thought only

one of those three womenish films that deal with

modern feminism in India traditions namely Mohra

1994, Mother India, made in 1957 by Mehboob and MirchMasala, made in 1989 by Ketan Mehta. Unlike Amitath

Bachan who works on commercial films Jaya Bachchan,

his wife ,participates only in serious films ; starring in

Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar (The Big City 1963), who is

influenced by Neo-realism cinema Pather Panchali

.This type of cinema is called art films in India which ismore stylish treating human conditions, and is similar

to the cinema dauteur in Europe. No doubt that Nair

Mair a filmmaker installed in America , famous of her ,

Salaam Mumbay and now with her latest film

Namesake wakes up America and Europe to recognize

the potential of Indian cinema.

Indian Cinema has always been loved by Moroccan

cinemagoers and bollyphiles and even since its early

start with legendary Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (1870 -

1944) affectionately called Dadasaheb Phalke is

considered as the 'father of Indian Cinema'. Central inPhalke's career as a filmmaker was his fervent belief in

the nationalistic philosophy of swadeshi, which

advocated that Indians should take charge of their own

economy in the perspective of future Independence.This

was confirmed to me by the most respected filmmaker

Yash Shopra who was in Marrakech in 2005 with his


7/15

wife, Pamela Chopra . Going around Marrakeshi souks

and suburbs especially the Jamaa el Fna (11) square,

Yash shopra said how amazed and astonished he was by

the Moroccan people and its traditions that really has

great affinity with the ones in India. Both India and

Pakistan Should be grateful for the symbolic union that

gathers these two countries through VEERZAARA By

Yash Shopra.It is an outstanding drama which tries to

break the barriers separating two lovers, Veer Patra

Sing (Shahrukh kan) and a Pakistani woman , ZarraHayaat Khan (Preity Zinta). When he projected his film

at Berlin film festival, Yash Shopra was scared that the

people would not understand the story , However ,at the

end of the film, he saw people crying. The presence of

Aishwarya Rai in Marrakesh , a former Miss World and

Bollywoods first genuine cross-over icon, , lightenedMarrakech with her beauty and let all Marrakeshi young

men eyes wild open. These artists are well honored by

the Moroccan people and FIFM,the international film

festival in Marrakesh. Morrocco now became known in

Mumbay and the majority of Bollywood stars would love

to come to this country.

Not far from Agadir, Las Palmas , a spanish litttle

island, is overcrowded with indians and enjoyed the


8/15

double culture there. Indians have immigrated to every

corner of the globe with contingencies in South Africa,

the Gulf countries, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand,

US, Canada apart from the UK. Wherever the Indians go,their films and their food go with them. With curry and

chutney now international favourite foods, it was

inevitable that their exotic films, their melodies, the

romantic strains of their sitar, the striking beauty of

their leading ladies and the dark and daring magnetism

of their dashing heroes would eventually reach thehearts of the West despite all of Rudyard Kipling's

poetic protests, reports Lubna Abdel Aziz, from Cairo Al

Ahram weekly . Of course, he did not know then the

strength and might of the Seventh Art, which proved to

be the best meeting ground for East, West, North and

South.

Many critics in Morocco would immeditaly judged Indian

cinema as an emotional cinema which only seeks

imposssible love, and therefore damages the taste with

its chosen six songs and pharonic scenes and yet

praised and admired by others just like Razak, a Hindufan and film critic who is illuminated by its new wave ,

indepentent anti-studio cinema , pioneered by Madhur

Bhandarkar .Razak continiously makes local cinephiles

more aware about Indian cinema using his power as a

wonderful plume .He writes how exquisite , beautiful

and magnificanctly arising and yet glorifying world wild


9/15

Hindi cinema is.He also predicted in his RABAT EXPRESS

newspaper that BLACK of Sanjay Leela Bhansali with

Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee as best actor and

actresse ,would win an Oscar in Dubai during IIFA filmfestival this year 2006.His prophecy became true in the

United Arab of Emirates last june during IIFA ceremony

in Dubai. By the way, the Arab world is also fascinated

by this genre of Cinema .Whenever you go, Bollywood

movies prevail in popular theatres, for example

,Cairo,casablanca and Dubai cinemas are full withbollywood fans, and you can hardly find your ticket. Now

resoursefully, people in Mumbay listen carefully to

European cinephiles who admire latest of Sanjay Leela

Bhansali BLACK because simply of its new style

without using songs and exotic scenes.

Ideas like creating an agency that deals only with

Bollywood films and Wizcraft artistic communications

becomes a wish not only for Razak , Ahmed

Sijilmassi but also for Abdelillah Al Jawhari and Allal El

Alaoui (12) . Those tink-tanks see that it is time to sit

down, and dicuss continuous meeetings where filmdistributers, producers and fimmakers tackle

mechanism and the future of Indian cinema.

Since the The first film in Southern India was made in

1916 by R Nataraja Mudaliar- Keechaka Vadham, the

hindu wish to impose their style of making cinema .


10/15

Now thanks to wizcraft agency, Indias first and premier

event management and entertainment agency,

pioneered by Wiz Andre Timmins , Wiz Viraf Sarkari ,

Wiz Sabbas Joseph . These men are giving power to IIFAto become more world class ceremony.

- 2000 : London,United Kingdom.

- 2001 : Sun City,South Africa.

- 2002 :Genting Highlands, Malaysia.

- 2003 :Johannsbourg,South Africa.- 2004 :Songapore.

- 2005 :Amsterdam,The Netherlands.

- 2006 :Dubai,UAE.

-

Morocco has,alas, missed this year 2006 appointement,

but rumours say that 2008 IIFA awards will be onehundred per cent Moroccan . This pushes Yorkshire to

swiftly call for IIFA festival to be held in its land.So,

Lata Mangeshkar, a Guiness record holder, Mukesh,

Mahmood Rafi and Kishore, will sing Godlike lyrics to

beautify British souls . Yorkshire lads and birds

including five millions Asians would enjoy beautifulmovies when they would put the kettle on.

Yorkshire then hosts IIFA , the international Indian film

academy awards , oscar-style and is backed by brillant

staff of Yorkshire tourist Board whose chairman is Judith


11/15

Donovan including members of YTB such as Sir Thomas

Ingilby , Colin Brown , Zulfi Karim, Cllr. Carl Les and

others .They already mise-en scene the platform of

the seventh edition festival already called Love atfirst sight.

Surely the seventh edition of the IIFA festival will shake

cinema lovers and bollyphiles around the globe

especially Yorkshire plays the leading cultural link

between the fiveth continent. Stratford -upon - evenwhere William shakespeare is born ; a few kilometres

from quintessential Yorkshire towns where the festival

will be held , Richmond Old theatre eighteen century

and the glittering town Leeds ,these local cultual

treasures of Yorkshire will be seen and honored.

Famous personality & Celebrities will invade British

Islands mainly Amitah Bachan,Karishma Kapoor, Aamir

Khan, Kajol, Madhuri Dixit and Shah Ruhk Khan who

reports on himself I have created a myth. Sometimes I

think of myself in the third person Im the Shah Rukh

Khan now. Hes a brand of his own. Its not me anymore. Now a myth is created. This is what my films have

created. That myth can be called King Khan. Yorkshire

expects millions and millions of tourists from around

the world. The event is expected to boost tourism

income across the region by nearly 10 million pounds.

The inaugural IIFA awards event was held at London's


12/15

Millennium Dome in 2000. The summer of 2007 is also

expected to attract nearly 30,000 people from Europe,

India, southeast Asia and the US, and signifies the

exalted status the Indian film industry has attained inBritain.

FIFM bureau de la fondation, CCM (13) and house

distibution in Morocco should consider and give

importance and value to Hindi cinema and especially

the taste of passionate Moroccan people who just lovethis cinema. In academic circles here, LA Times (14)

reports that Indian films are no longer seen as quaint,

gaudy and oriental items, but a resilient cultural

powerhouse in the subcontinent that challenges the

near-global domination of Hollywood films.

Muqtedar Khan (15) writes that India is already well

situated to become a major economic and cultural power

worldwide. Indian culture, through the popularity of

Indian cinema, is already giving India the kind of "soft

power" that only America enjoys worldwide.

Bina paul will never forget Sal and its traditions . With

her digital camera , she took pitures of women tatooing

their hands with El Hana, a spiritual herb also used in

India for the same purpose.She carefully took notes of

those women making their spiritual journeys to

Marabouts (16) . This reminds Bina of her people doing


13/15

the same pilgrimage not of course to Marabouts, but to

cinema theatres where they expect good endings

eternel heroes , widows and homeless children.

Coming out from El Madrassa al Bouanania (17), bina paul

amazed by its marvellous Islamic frisks , remembered

her colleague filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan from

Kerala saying that India has always been an immence

bazar of images .

ALLAL EL ALAOUI

Zhor idrissi : secretariat.

International women cinema in sal.

Centre national de la cinematographie.

www.CCM.ma.

Noureddine sail ( CCM ).

Kamal Mghazli ( CCM ).

Ahmed Araib ( CCM ).

Razak ,( rabat express).

Al ahram weekly .

Lubna aziz from al ahram weekly.

Le monde diplomatique.

The times, UK.

LA TIMES.

1- the masala films : The 1970s saw the advent of the


14/15

multi-generic entertainment extravaganza replete

with dramatic dialogue and spectacular song and

dance sequences.

2- SAL : A millinuim town in Morocco .3- Nour Eddine Sail is a Moroccan thinker and cinema critic and head

of the main cinema institution of cinema called CCM.

4- Ibrahim Essaih is a Moroccan Indian film dubber . He was the

pioneer of dubbing Hindi films after the independence.

5- FIFM bureau de la fondation is an institution in

Morocco that organizes International film festival.6- Mukesh Bhatt is film producer in India.

7- Derb Rallef is a popular market in casablanca where

one can find any goods.

8- Swika is a popular market in Rabat .

9- Dawliz complexe is a Place of entertainement,

restaurants and luxuary cinemas in Sal .

10- EL Wad : a dangerous Ghetto in the north of Sal .

11- Jamaa el Fna square : one of the most famous

entertainemnt souk in Marrakesh ( see UNESCO) .

12- Razak, Ahmed Sijilmassi, Al Jawhari and Allal El

Alaoui; Cinphiles and intellectuals ,on line free-writers

and especially Indian movie fans and critics .

13- CCM is a national institution of cinema that is

strictly administratif dealing with distribution ,

Film visas , festivals and co-ordinations

14- LA Times : Los Angels Journal in America .

15- Dr.Muqtedar Khan is an Assistant Professor

in the Department of Political Science and

International Relations at the University of
http://www.udel.edu/poscir/index.htmlhttp://www.udel.edu/poscir/index.htmlhttp://www.udel.edu/http://www.udel.edu/http://www.udel.edu/poscir/index.htmlhttp://www.udel.edu/poscir/index.html


15/15

Delaware.

16- Marabout is a spiritual leader or saint in

Morocco.

17- El Madrassa al Bouanania is an old medieval

univeristy in Sal famous of its superb arabisque

frisks and mosaique.
http://www.udel.edu/http://www.udel.edu/

morocco bound to hindi cinema

Documents