Now we are ready to start.
Kelly: Hey,
Peter, why don't we go to the cinema together over the weekend?
Peter: I don't
like cinemas. There are crowds of people with pop corn and soda,
and mobile phones will go off every now and then. It
is difficult to concentrate. I would
rather rent a DVD.
Kelly: Good
idea! Let's watch this new Indian film which was released last month.
Do you like Indian films?
Peter: I have
never watched a single Bollywood film before so I really do not
know. I hear they are very long and boring.
Kelly: I will
agree with you about the length but this is because of the amount of
the song material. Besides, it is a cultural thing –
when Indians go out for an evening's
entertainment, they want a saga, a drama, a life story
– all in one and with some comical
episodes as well. It is problematic to put all these
aspects into 90 minutes, you know.
Peter: I see.
Well, I guess singing and dancing must be a great strength of Indian
commercial cinema. When actors show extreme emotions,
just facial expressions may
not be enough.
Kelly: Exactly.
Songs and dances make the message loud and clear. Of course, it's
not real – after all, who breaks out in synchronized
dances with many extras when one
is happy? But this is a characteristic of Indian
cinema.
Peter: What is
the main theme of Indian films?
Kelly: Well,
India cannot be considered a rich country but movies show an image
of the upper-middle or rich classes. Most Indian
people live a life which is completely
different from what is there on the screen. This makes
these films so attractive and
bright.
Peter: How odd!
Kelly: I say,
Peter, you mentioned "Bollywood films". What do you mean?
Peter: Don't you
know? It is one of the largest film producers in the world – three
films a day are finished there, which makes it about a
1000 films a year – can you
imagine? The name is a combination of Bombay where the
studio is situated and
Hollywood.
Kelly: I didn't
know that! So, what is your decision?
Peter: Well,
let's go to the rental shop, shall we?
Keys
1. True
2. False
3. True
4. Not stated
5. True
6. False
7. True