13. Where the Hindi Movies Are? Where the Libyans Are?

When we first arrived in Libya, we didn’t know anything about the TV channels broadcasted here. Whenever we went out, any Libyan we encountered would look at us and exclaim, “Oh, Hind! Hind!” (Oh, Indian!) and approach us with great enthusiasm. They would then ask, “Kef halal?” (How are you?) as they exchanged pleasantries and introduced themselves to us. Almost immediately, the conversation would shift directly to Hindi movies: “Do you know Amitabh Bachchan? Does Shah Rukh Khan live next door to you? Is it true that Aishwarya Rai is Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter-in-law? Katrina Kaif is so beautiful, isn’t she? Is Dharmendra still acting? How is Hema Malini? Why hasn’t Salman Khan gotten married yet? If you have Hindi movie songs, can you load them onto our flash drive (pen drive)?” The way they asked, it felt as though Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Katrina Kaif lived right next door to us, or as if they were our friends or relatives. We would look at them in amazement. Not just that, they knew Rekha, Jeetendra, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Priyanka Chopra... and the list keeps growing longer and longer! I was extremely curious about how our Hindi movie actors and actresses were so well-known to them. Unable to control my curiosity, I finally asked them, “How do you know all of these actors? You speak as if you’ve known them for years!” They replied, “We know them through the Hindi movie channels broadcast here, like Zee Aflam and B4U Aflam.” They went on to say, “Hind (Indian) films kwayis (very good), miyyah miyyah (excellent),” praising Hindi movies to the skies. It made me happy to know that our Bollywood stars had extended their popularity even here. Once, I asked some Indians who had been here for many years, “When you first came here, did they also ask you similar questions about Hindi movies?” They nodded and said, “Yes, they did. People here seem to have a kind of obsession with Hindi films.” Why do they have such a craze for Hindi movies? Don’t they have films in their (Arabic) language? If they do, aren’t they good enough? As I dug deeper into this, I found out that this country doesn’t produce films at all. In fact, except for Egypt, most Arabic countries don’t have a film industry. Even if movies are made, it’s just one or two films every two or three years. But these films don’t come close to matching the quality or appeal of our Hindi films. That’s why Hindi films enjoy immense popularity here.

The production of Arab films, when you look at it, has significantly increased only in recent times. Even then, it’s primarily limited to countries like Algeria, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, and Syria. The honor of producing the most Arab films belongs to Egypt. This is because nearly three-quarters of Arab films are made in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. In most Arabic countries, including Libya, film production is largely restricted to short films and TV series. While countries like Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq have produced films, their numbers are so few they can be counted on fingers. During the 19th century, when cinema was first invented, most Middle Eastern countries were under British and French control. Two decades after the invention of cinema, these two colonial powers divided the Arab nations between themselves through the Sykes-Picot Agreement and began ruling them. This led to significant economic and political constraints for Arab countries, which in turn hindered film production. However, Egypt stood as an exception to this. At the time, the Arab market was flooded with European wholesale goods, which naturally made Europeans the investors, while local entrepreneurs took a back seat. Arabs not only faced political oppression but also cultural suppression. Initially, cinema theaters here were owned by foreigners who produced films only in their own languages. However, these films failed to connect with the local population, resulting in significant losses for the foreign producers. In contrast, Egypt, which was relatively independent during the colonial period, went on to establish its own National Film Industry. Beginning in 1909 with the filming of a procession for their leader’s funeral, Egypt’s cinema production grew to the point of founding the Egyptian Film Industry in 1934. From then on, Egypt became a prominent producer of numerous Arab films, gaining widespread recognition. Most Arabic TV channels, broadcasting from various Arab countries, predominantly air films produced in Cairo. Apart from that, they also telecast Arabic mega-serials and documentaries. This is why channels like Zee Aflam and B4U Aflam have become immensely popular here. Recently, another channel, MBC Bollywood, has also been added to the list. Initially, I thought only Libyans had a craze for our Hindi films. However, when my Jordanian, Syrian, and Sudanese colleagues also started discussing Hindi films, I realized that Arabs, in general, have a deep fondness for our movies. However, based on my observations, Egyptians seem to be less inclined toward Hindi films. Perhaps this is because, like our Bollywood film industry, they have their own thriving Arabic film industry.

Speaking of the channels that have fuelled the craze for our Hindi films, the two major ones are Zee Aflam and B4U Aflam. Zee Aflam is an India-based channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises and launched in Dubai. It is extremely popular across many Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia. This channel, available via NileSat, broadcasts only Hindi films 24 hours a day. Initially, it aired Hindi films with Arabic subtitles. However, nowadays, many Hindi films are dubbed into Arabic, which has further increased their popularity. Alongside Zee Aflam, two other channels on NileSat—B4U Aflam and MBC Bollywood—broadcast Hindi films with Arabic subtitles. Recently, even NDTV Imagine has started airing Hindi films dubbed in Arabic, further expanding their reach and appeal in the Arab world. It's hard to say how much they watch their own movies here, but they are definitely more enthusiastic about watching Hindi films broadcast on these channels. So much so that they are familiar with almost all our Hindi film actors and actresses. Many of our Hindi film songs are on the tip of their tongues. A lot of my students save Hindi film songs on their mobile phones and listen to them frequently. As for my female students, they aren’t just fans of Aishwarya Rai but also of the bangles and dresses she wears. Her performance in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and especially the song "Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan..." is their absolute favorite. They express their admiration for her saying, "How beautiful she is! We wish we were like Aishwarya Rai. How lovely is the dress she wears in that song? Can you bring us such a dress too?" From this, you can imagine how deep their obsession with Hindi films runs! Once, I asked them, "Why do you love Hindi films so much? What aspects do you like in them?" They enthusiastically replied, swaying with excitement, "The songs, the dances, the settings, the stories, and the way love is so beautifully portrayed in them." They openly admit that many love scenes from our Hindi films have inspired their own romantic expressions. So, where the Hindi movies are? Where the Libyans are? What a fascinating connection between the two! Photos: Photo 1: A scene from an old Arabic film Photo 2: The logo of Zee Aflam channel Kannada Original: Uday Itagi English Translation: Uday Itagi