Key highlights
- Bollywood has always been both: local emotion with global technique.
- Globalization increases craft and markets, but can flatten cultural texture.
- “More Indian” is not about flags; it’s about specificity.
Myth vs fact
- Myth:Global means better.
Fact:Global often means safer, cleaner, and less culturally risky. - Myth:Indian means traditional.
Fact:Indian can be modern, urban, experimental—while still rooted.
Bollywood changed sharply after economic liberalization in the 1990s: diaspora audiences, brand partnerships, global shooting locations, and a more international aesthetic. This gave cinema polish and reach. It also encouraged a certain “export-friendly” neutrality—stories that travel, but sometimes lose local smell.
In 2026, the most interesting work is not choosing India or the world. It’s combining them without dilution: global craft, Indian specificity.
Reader checklist
- Are settings and behaviours culturally lived-in, not postcard-designed.
- Does the dialogue sound like real Indian conversation, not translated English thinking.
- Does the film respect local complexity instead of simplifying it for broader markets.
What’s better in 2026 is not “more global” or “more Indian.” What’s better is moreprecise. Precision is what turns a film from content into culture.
