One of the advantages of taking a Hindi course is that it will allow you to watch Bollywood movies without reading the subtitles. Bollywood, of course, is the Hindi-language film industry located in Mumbai. The most prolific film production center in India, it is among the most prolific in the world. Bollywood movies are usually musicals, and incorporate melodrama, romance, derring-do and such plot devices as mistaken identity and the reunification of long-lost family members. The color, the drama, the musical numbers of those movies are a great return on the investment of time that you put into your Hindi course.
Bollywood movies embrace an Indian tradition of the performing arts called “rasas.” The “rasa” refers to the primary emotional expression that an artist brings to a piece of work or that is evoked in the audience. There are nine rasas and each one has a primary color and a deity associated with it. Since part of your work in your Hindi course should include an appreciation of Indian culture, you should become at least a little bit familiar with them. The rasas are as follows:
- Shringar refers to love or attractiveness. The associated color is light green and its deity is Vishnu.
- Raudra refers to anger. The color of anger is red and its deity is Rudra.
- Hasya indicates laughter and its associated color is white while its presiding deity is Pramata.
- Vibhatsaya is disgust and is represented by the color blue and the deity Shiva.
- Veera refers to heroism and is associated with the color yellow and the deity Indra.
- Karuna is compassion, which has a gray color. Its associated deity is Yama.
- Bhayanak is fear. Fear wears the color black and is associated with the deity Kala.
- Adubhuta is wonder and is represented by yellow and is associated with Brahma.
- Shanta is peace or tranquility and its color is blue. Like Shringar, shanta is associated with Vishnu.
In the performing arts, the rasas are expressed by carefully defined gestures and facial expressions. In India, the performing arts are often a mixture of dialog, dance and music. Bollywood has borrowed from many Indian traditions, including Sanskrit drama, where dialog, dance and music are invested with emotional meaning through the gestures and facial expressions closely associated with rasas.
Taking a Hindi course is a great way to learn about the richness of Indian culture. One of the centuries-long traditions is that of the performing arts, which continues to be a vital, high-profile part of the culture of India today. Learning Hindi gives you a chance to watch Bollywood films without the intermediary of subtitles. So work hard in your Hindi course and enjoy the benefits of Bollywood!
