16 Responses for "What Is The Difference Between Hollywood And Bollywood Movies?"

1. sunrise September 13th, 2009 at 7:52 pm 1

   Hollywood -USA – english
   Bollywood – India – hindi

2. pellmelo September 13th, 2009 at 8:01 pm 2

   None of these answers suited me, as someone who is a fan of both genres of movies (and I won’t EVEN get into any kind of ridiculous political notions because Hindi films…the preferred name for Bollywood movies…can be equally as political).
   Bollywood movies are long because they do have singing and dancing, but it also gives the masses a chance to get out of the heat of India and into some air conditioning. The singing/dancing added to the story simply makes the movie a more rounded entertainment experience for the average movie goer.
   Movie tickets in India are cheaper than in the U.S. Yet the population is poorer, so they want good value…paisa vasool…for their money.
   Within the last few years, because of the increasing influx of foreign money into Bollywood films, and because of the growing market of showing the films overseas (foreign box office is very important to Bollywood films), Bollywood movies have become more “Westerized,” though this isn’t always well received.
   While Bollywood films have singing and dancing, classifying them as “musicals” isn’t totally correct. Hollywood musicals have the actors breaking into song in the middle of a scene. In Bollywood, the song sequences are generally stand alone, meaning a lot of times, they are nearly like music videos (and they are marketed like this to help promote the movies). Sometimes, the songs are used to push the storyline along with various scenes of the actors doing something. In this way, it actually shortens the film by pushing the plot along without excessive dialog. Bollywood movie soundtracks can be as important to the marketing of the film as the movie themselves.
   Bollywood is beginning to catch up to Hollywood standards where FX and action is concerned. With the influx of higher standards and the need for foreign box office, they have to compete for the audience’s attention.
   Another difference is that religion can play an important role in Bollywood movies. While not every one features something about religion, it is important to note that religion is an important aspect of Indian culture, so you will find more religious tones or ideas in Bollywood films than you will in Hollywood. So it goes without saying that nudity or overt sexual scenes are not prevalent in Bollywood films. Beautiful women in swimsuits? Sometimes. Steamy sex scenes (sometimes not even kissing) are a no-no. Many times, it depends upon the actor’s feelings as to whether he/she will kiss in a movie. Some will, some won’t.

3. Jack K September 13th, 2009 at 8:13 pm 3

   Bollywood movies usually have a lot of dancing, songs, some marriage/love story theme, and slap-stick humor.
   The stereotypical Hollywood movie has lots of action, special effects, and a ton of cliches. Hard to really define Hollywood movies as there are so many different kinds.
   Americans have a short attention span and there are no intermissions at American movie theaters, which is why the movies are only 2 hours long, as opposed to the standard 3 hour length of Bollywood movies.

4. mayhem September 13th, 2009 at 9:06 pm 4

   yeah,simply put it’s just a cultural thing,but insisting that the length of american movies is determined by some sort of national A.D.D. is absurd.the average length of movies today is 2 to 2 1/2 hours easily.where as going back as recently as 10 years or so the average length of a “hollywood” feature was 85 to 100 minutes long,and the 2 hour plus mark was reserved for those considered “epics”,the godfather,schindler’s list,gladiator etc..the length of “american” films has most certainly increased,anything under 2 hours today is abnormally short.

5. Beautiful Chaos September 13th, 2009 at 9:54 pm 5

   Anyone who says Americans have a short attention span has a nationality problem. It’s not an American “thing”. It can be anyone’s problem. There is quite the number of Hollywood films that span over 2 and a half hours.
   The difference is that Bollywood films are typically ‘musicals’ to put it in a nutshell. Most musicals are about that long.

6. Zahavah September 13th, 2009 at 9:55 pm 6

   http://mutiny.wordpress.com/2007/02/01/b…
   Even though I dislike Hollywood I prefer it to Bollywood
   Bollywood has a lot of dancing and practically the same tunes in every movie … a lot of cliches too … not only that but google ” Bollycat ”
   Anybody whom thinks that Bollywood is the capital movie industry of the world is sadly mistaken … sure India has a lot of people and since a lot of people there go to see the movies people assume that they have more of an audience … the thing is that they have a lot of people going to the same stuff … plus I never knew much of Indian actors and actresses in the ” general media ” and now that I don’t see much Bollywood stuff anymore I don’t know it anymore
   Sure a lot of people here in Africa , some in Latin America and many in Asia see Bollywood but many cannot names the actors or actresses or many movies
   For example I know whom Nicole Kidman is
   I know whom Audrey Hepburn is ( didn’t spell her name right though … ) and movies like ” Fair Lady ” of hers
   I came to know whom Winona Ryder is through the 1999 movie ” Dracula ”
   And Keanu Reeves through the ” Matrix ”
   And Gerard Butler ( yep … ” 300 ” is a VERY famous movie in the Third and Second world too … not just the First world )
   Sadly Hollywood right now is engineering a LOT of ” leftist ” propaganda … I just went to see ” Julia & Julia ” in the USA ( thank goodness not in my home country !!! There is a cinema here too ) and it’s anti Republicanism ( even though Republicans are not fiscal conservatives or a combination of fiscal with social conservatism ) turned me OFF
   And I wasn’t the only one to walk out of it
   A LOT of people walked out of it
   And it’s ” extremist ” ‘right wing’ propaganda in other movies ? I am SICK of seeing Hitler or the KKK or their portrayal of what they think are REAL conservatives
   I am a fiscal conservatist
   I am a strong security , nationalism , support of military with some isolationist policy
   I am a social conservative and no I am NOT ” rabid ” about gays
   Put that into your mouths
   And that includes the hateful and narrow-minded atheists/agnostics whom hate religion so much ( even though some religion does deserve shunning … )

7. xobooklo September 13th, 2009 at 10:41 pm 7

   there are a few differences..first of all bollywood movies tend to show a lot of the indian culture. second, bollywood movies are usually3 hours because they incorporate lots of dancing and songs,,,which kinda adds up to an hour. also in bollywood its mostly hindi with little bits of english. and i think bollywood shows a lot more emotion than hollywood

8. rickdvd2 September 13th, 2009 at 11:36 pm 8

   Americans have shorter attention spans than the people who live in India, I guess. Most movies in the USA are targeted toward younger people, while Bollywood movies are targeted to an older section of the population. Those are the two biggest differences.

9. jaipali s September 14th, 2009 at 12:06 am 9

   why only the time..there is more of everything in bollywood movies… more people behind stage,more people on the screen ,more in the cinema hall and more countries watching them !

10. Prof.VLV September 14th, 2009 at 12:50 am 10

    H and B
    as in Hot and Boring
    as in Heavy and Beautiful
    as in Hip and Best
    as in High-cost and Bare-minimum

11. ritu September 14th, 2009 at 12:51 am 11

    bollywood movies have songs , imotions while hollywood movies have only gun.

12. Green bows , x September 14th, 2009 at 1:03 am 12

    well all i can say is that hollyood is the glam and glitter and bollywood is idian culture and there fashion ?

13. AcidAbbie ♥ All Time Low September 14th, 2009 at 1:40 am 13

    Hollywood -USA
    Bollywood – India

14. Shanks September 14th, 2009 at 1:41 am 14

    There’s one hour of singing and dancing in Hindi movies

15. martin September 14th, 2009 at 2:18 am 15

    both are same only movies create first in hollywood then bollywood copy them

16. Legolas September 14th, 2009 at 2:46 am 16

    i think the letter B only