Lights, Camera, Controversy: The Indian Film Industry, 2022
Lights, Camera, Action! The film industry of Hindi Cinema gathers today to pave the way forward into the 21st century. And yes, it is an industry. Beneath the artistry and grandeur, there is the complex network of money, connections, and politics that keeps the film machine churning. Bollywood has come a long way from the grainy black-and-white films of the silent era to the colorful mega-productions and innovative indie pictures that we see today. From the very beginning, it has always sought to push the boundaries of artistic expression while staying in tune with both traditional and popular culture. As of now, COVID has wrecked the production process and transformed the way people consume cinema. Actors - with their larger-than-life personalities, overwhelmingly large egos, and mysterious lives - are insecure about their roles and their future. Producers with large budgets are anxious to produce the next 1000 crore film post-COVID. Directors want to bring Bollywood to a global level, hoping they will soon be walking the red carpet at the Oscars giving celebratory speeches. Meanwhile, politicians, as always, wish to use Bollywood’s reach and platform for their own career goals. A seductive form of escapism, unifying force, and national artistic amalgamation, Bollywood finds itself in not just a singular crisis, but at the crux of modern-day India. From issues of nepotism to censorship, competition with upcoming regional cinema and OTT (streaming) platforms along with a brewing financial crisis, Bollywood faces countless crises; it is high time for this committee to step in and shape the industry’s future.
Henry Branch
Chair
Henry is a fourth-year originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan studying Global Studies and Arabic. This will be his third and final year of ChoMUN, serving first as an AC for “I Miss Idris: Libya 1959”, and last year as a CD for “A Whole New World: Disney 2012”. After 11 years, Henry is excited to round out his time in Model UN with his friends. Aside from ChoMUN, Henry plays on the club tennis team and loves all sports and lifting. He also likes to listen to lots of music (EDM, Techno, Garage) and hang out with friends on campus and in downtown Chicago. He loves travel, languages, and is excited to learn more about Bollywood with this committee. Please reach out to him at branch@uchicago.edu if you have any questions or need anything before the conference. He’s excited for next April and can’t wait to see you all in Chicago!
Sarthak Kejriwal
crisis director
Sarthak is a senior studying economics and history. He grew up in Bangalore, India, and loves raving about the microbrewery and startup culture of his hometown. Last year, he was the assistant chair of the crisis committee ‘It’s a Whole New World: Board of Disney Directors. From storming the committee as a rat king to beatboxing for the Disney rap, he loved formulating the narrative of the committee. Having participated in various high school MUNS, he has a rich experience with crisis committees. In his free time, he loves cooking and swears by Dosa. He is a cinema enthusiast and loves the Sopranos and Breaking Bad. Feel free to reach out and connect with Sarthak at sarthakk@uchicago.edu.
PS: help me increase my LinkedIn followers by connecting with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarthak-kejriwal/
Aman shah
crisis director
Aman is a fourth-year majoring in Economics and Public Policy. Do not let his American flag Discover Card misguide you, he is originally from Mumbai, India. This last year, he was assistant chair of the crisis committee ‘It’s a Whole New World: Board of Disney Directors’, where he cosplayed in committee as Indian[a] Jones and a violent George Lucas protestor. Having participated in primarily general assemblies in high school conferences, he is enjoying his new experience with crisis committees. In his free time, this Geography Bee likes to complete the New York Times Crossword (courtesy of his paid subscription), watch reruns of Modern Family, and plot out which cheap flight he can hop on next weekend to be anywhere but school. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out at amanshah@uchicago.edu.