Catch a glimpse of India at Bollywood theater
By Molly Gore
Bollywood films have all the guilty pleasure of a soap opera, the aesthetic appeal of a high-budget Broadway show and the plot depth of an irresistible paperback romance novel.
And it's all only 2.01 miles away from school.
In the summer of 2004, Lalik Chopra purchased a business from his friend who was moving back to his home in India. Since then, the Indian Movie Center 6 has received a steady flow of Bollywood films in four South Asian languages and Tollywood films in all other Indian languages, all with English subtitles.
Typically, Bollywood films are very dramatic, musical, full of vivid colors and dancing, include plenty of romance stories, and are often three hours long.
"There is more dancing in Indian movies. That's why people enjoy these films. American films are probably an hour and a half long, so we entertain twice as much as American films do, for the same price," said Chopra.
Most of the patrons of the Indian Movie Center 6 are between 25 and 40 years old, according to Chopra. Even though the entertainment factor remains just as high as about any popular American film, American college students still remain outside Bollywood's target demographic, Chopra said.
Chopra earned a master's degree in India before coming to the United States, where his brother was studying. He chose to bring part of India's entertainment industry with him. Originally, he tried bringing Indian live theater to the Bay Area, but it proved difficult, and when a colleague offered his business for sale, it seemed to be the best idea.
"You try to bring everything you had back in India, but not everyone can bring everything," he said.
Chopra cited the high number of first-generation Indians in the Bay Area as a reason for the theater's success and consistent business.
However, the appeal of the theater differs across generations. For those first-generation Indians, the attraction lies in the entertainment factor, the spectacle and the social element.
For the second- and third-generation, the films serve as a tool in learning Hindi language and meeting other young people.
"My cinema is here because there are people who come from India, and they are single and alone because they don't have anyone," said Chopra.
"They want to enjoy the culture back in India, but they don't speak our language. They watch the movies, read the English subtitles and learn to speak. Otherwise it is very hard to teach the language," he said.
If there is a good place to meet other young people outside college, a Bollywood theater may be the venue. If not, at least it's an amusing love story you can snap your fingers and move your hips to.
Chopra finds the social element the most appealing, and has created a larger network of friends, thanks to the business.
"I like to be social," he said. "I like to see and meet people. I have a lot of friends now because so many people have come in since I started here. Many people come to see every single movie. That is why I enjoy it here."
The Indian Movie Center 6 is less than 10 minutes down The Alameda from Santa Clara and shows films in South Asian languages including Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam and Bengali, with the addition of English subtitles to all.
The theater is currently showing five films, most of which cost only five dollars for adults on Tuesdays.
Correction: The story incorrectly stated that Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam and Bengali are Hindi languages. In fact, they are separate languages primarily spoken in South Asia. The story incorrectly stated the names of Telegu and Malayalam languages. Those are the correct spellings.