Bollywood is the nickname for the enormous Hindi film industry. It was called that by analogy with Hollywood, but the B is for Bombay where it’s located.
However, Bombay was renamed Mumbai several years ago. So the Hindi movies should now be coming from Mummywood! Right?
Why? The Hindi film industry took the nickname “Bollywood.” Though it may have originally derived from the location, the word itself has nothing to do with the location.
I know this may shock you, but many Hollywood movies aren’t made in Hollywood, either.
:eek: It was? I hadn’t realized. I’m just now rereading Midnight’s Children were he mentions the original name was after the goddess Mumbadevi, until the Portuguese came along and named it Bom Bahia. Interesting…I wonder how Mr. Rushdie feel about it :).
But that said I think we’re stuck with Bollywood. As it’s an idea that has transcended the particular location, much as “Hollywood” has (a place, if we were talking about a place, where no holly has every grown).
Many Indians I know still refer to it as “Bombay”, in the same way as many still refer to Kolkata as “Calcutta”. Of course this could be because my Indian relatives come from a region that has Catholic/Portuguese origins, “Bom Bahia” being named by the Portuguese.
Quote:
When I asked him about Mumbai, he complained of not knowing any place other than “Bombay”, and added, “With the Shiv Sena goons around, it is no longer my Bombay.”
See, this is what I love about this place. Thanks, bonzer