Western movies may boast cutting-edge technology and huge box-office revenues, but Hollywood cannot diminish the attraction of Bollywood movies to audiences in Jakarta.
Bollywood films are a growing social and cultural phenomenon for both Indian-Indonesians and urban moviegoers in the capital.
Communities in Jakarta and across the archipelago are coming together to appreciate Bollywood culture through fan clubs, Internet groups and dance studios.
"Bollywood is not just about movies. It's about the whole Indian culture, including dance, art, music and fashion," Bollywood enthusiast Herri Rahul Burman told The Jakarta Post recently.
Herri is the founder and administrator of the India Fan Club and Bollymania Fan Club Indonesia.
He also established Sanggar Mohabbatein, a Bollywood dance studio in Jakarta, which teaches children and adults Indian dances from famous movies such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or the classic Kasmir Ki Kali.
Herri's groups organize annual Bollywood festivals in Jakarta, which have attracted hundreds of aficionados from as far away as Tangerang, Banten; and Bandung and Cirebon, West Java.
Programs are aimed at quenching the thirst of Bollywood fans and are comprised of fashion shows, dance competitions and community forums, he said.
Celebrity fan clubs also actively promote Bollywood artists, songs, and dances in Jakarta.
The Shah Rukh Khan Fan Club Indonesia (SRKFCI) holds regular community meetings to organize events or discuss upcoming movies featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood's most famous actor.
"We booked a theater in Central Jakarta to watch his latest movie, My Name Is Khan," SRKFCI chief Jihan Shahira Usman said.
Group discussions usually follow movie screenings, she added.
Jihan and other Shah Rukh Khan fans are always looking for news of the idol on the Internet. They are monitoring blogs and Khan's official twitter feed all day long for news, or to communicate with the celebrity, she said.
"We are online until 4 a.m. just to let Shah Rukh Khan know that his fans in Indonesia exist and love him," Jihan said.
The club is quite active on behalf of its members and has invited the actor-cum-producer to come to Indonesia. The club also promotes Khan through sending videos and cards, she added.
Die-hard Bollywood fan Hilda told the Post she was happy with the emergence of Bollywood communities that provide information about the Hindi-language film industry to the public.
"However, I am a bit disappointed that some theaters in Jakarta charge audience higher rates for Hindi-language movies," she added.
Hilda said moviegoers must pay Rp 50,000 (US$5.50) on weekdays and Rp 75,000 weekends for a ticket for a Bollywood film at a Central Jakarta theater.
Tickets for Hollywood movies at the same theater are sold for Rp 25,000 on weekdays and Rp 50,000 on weekends, she added.
Ticket prices are higher for Bollywood movies because Indian films are longer than Hollywood films and some run for up to four hours, one theater worker said.
There is no doubt that Bollywood's dynamic and energetic culture has attracted more and more young Indonesian people, said M.K. Singh, the director of the Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Cultural Centre (JNICC) in Jakarta.
"It is a fusion of folk, classical, and modern elements that is tasty and spicy, like Indian curry," he said.
Singh said the JNICC previously supported several Indian-themed events, such as an Indian cultural festival at a mall in Serpong, Banten last year, which many Bollywood communities enjoyed. (tsy)
