# How come Bollywood hasn't been renamed Mummywood? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2005, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505 "2005-04-28T05:46:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/1 "2005-04-28T05:46:09Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/2 "2005-04-28T06:35:13Z")
Won’t work—it’s already the title of a porno Arnold Vosloo did. (“Pass out a king—these plebeans don’t \*\*\*\* worth a damn!” :eek: 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Graycat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Graycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Graycat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/3 "2005-04-28T14:03:13Z")
If **Bom** bay = Bollywood, then **Mum** bai should =Mollywood. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/4 "2005-04-28T14:12:23Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/5 "2005-04-28T19:47:57Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > However, Bombay was renamed Mumbai several years ago. So the Hindi movies should now be coming from Mummywood! Right? :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). ---
**Author:** ![Sarah\_Woodruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sarah\_Woodruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarah_Woodruff)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/6 "2005-04-29T01:14:43Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/7 "2005-04-29T11:06:18Z")
> [@betenoir](#): > > I wonder how Mr. Rushdie feel about it From [this interview](http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD06Df03.html) with him: > [@](#): > > 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.” ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/8 "2005-04-29T12:06:53Z")
Well, the whole Mumbai thing is a Shiv Sena thing anyway. They want people to think that nobody except the Maratha ever lived in Bombay. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/9 "2005-04-29T12:49:58Z")
> [@Sarah Woodruff](#): > > 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. Do they refer to Chennai as Madras, too? ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/10 "2005-04-29T21:55:37Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bollywood-hasnt-been-renamed-mummywood/301505/11 "2005-04-29T23:22:13Z")
“My dream is to go to Bombay, India, and become a movie star.” “You don’t go to Bombay to become a movie star! You go where we’re going. Hollywood!” “Sure. If you want to do it the easy way.” Just thought I’d share that reminiscence.