Why Bollywood?

Question

Traditionally, Bollywood portrayed Muslims as Rahim Chahcas or indolent nawabs chewing betel nuts and splurging their money and time on Lucknavi mujras. Other muslim characters, if any, broke into a quawwali at the slightest provocation.

Why Bollywood does that?

Answer 1

Shani,

Your observation is correct. These ludicrous stereotypes of persons R somehow prevailing & surviving since old times in Bollywood.

A Christian aunty will be a selling  hooch  , but  will have a golden heart,a madrassi will be clumsy & speak funny Hindi,a ferocious looking crude Pathan ( Shaikh Mukhtar) will have childlike simplicity, and a Hindu priest with tuft will be laughably fanatical & crazy for his Dakshina.

Since none protests , reality is kept away from the silver screen. Cant help it perhaps .

Answer 2

Bollywood thrives on stereotypes. Muslims are thus portrayed in the manner described by you. South Indians (clubbed together under this single category even though there are four states with their own distinct cultures) always exclaim, "Ai Ai Yo!". Bengalis are weaklings and always on the look out for a plate full of rossogollas. Since, the prime audience of Bollywood are the North Indian Hindus, everyone else is converted into caricatures to satisfy the ego of the target audience.

But thanks to a new generation of young Bollywood directors and producers, the new films appear to be breaking the shackles of earlier stereotypes. The characters are portrayed with a lot of realism and hackneyed caricatures avoided.