A new movie about Hitler is being produced in Bollywood and some people there hope it can help take the Indian movie scene in a new direction. Some information for the discerning smart chick about this new film:
- It is titled Dear Friend Hitler in reference to letters written to Hitler by Mahatma Ghandi. Interestingly, the actor who was supposed to play Hitler (Anupam Kher) has also played Ghandi in a previous role. There seems to be something ironic about this, doesn’t there? Negative press about the issue has recently caused the well-known actor to back out of the role.
- The film is intended to depict the final days of Hitler’s life. It is supposed to be a highly emotional piece that looks at his relationship with wife Eva Braun as well as some of the insecurities and pressures he may have been dealing with in those final days. Does this mean we’re looking at a sympathetic portrait of Adolf Hitler?
- The film is intended to be highly stylistically different from most Bollywood films. Although it may contain some musical numbers, they will be limited and will not include the main actors in the film.
- Some Indian film producers hope that this film can help add a new level of serious movie-making to Bollywood. In recent years, filmmakers in India have tried to escape the pigeonhole of the cheesy musical but have not been very successful. Hard-hitting films about serious issues just don’t do well in the nation. There is some hope that this new movie will be the turning point for that, allowing for a new serious genre of movies to come out of India in upcoming years.
- Should the film gain international attention, it may raise awareness of the fact that many people in India are not as highly educated about the issues surrounding Hitler’s reign as say the average person in Germany or America. This is not to suggest that the people there are ignorant of the issues but rather that there is not the educational emphasis on World War II there that exists in the countries that were more primarily affected by that war. It has been suggested that the film will depict Hitler’s love for India which could lead to some controversy depending on the chosen portrayal.
