Sci-fi in INDIAHow my mom sees the Transformers

Pratik AnandSteam id : bihari_ninja

Twitter handle : @pratikone

• Sci –fi is a mainstream genre in the west hence, over the period of time, many sub genres got created and became separate genres.

• It is still in nascent stage. So, anything and everything ranging from pop culture to super heroes to the obvious time travel, comes under sci-fi.

• Sci-fi literature never hit home in India because of high illiteracy for decades. As a result, the original Indian sci-fi literary genre is still not as mature as those of west. But it is changing and fast…

•For an average Indian, sci-fi was introduced by Hollywood movies with their villians and their evil machines. For us, even James Bond movie is also a sci-fi, irrespective of its original genre by a western mindset.

• Sci-fi in India is everything from pop culture to comics to space travel to zombies , basically everything which is not about running around a tree, singing songs.

So what forms Sci-fi in India?

How an average Indian sees sci-fi ?

Imagine your autowallah who goes and see the localized version of

Spiderman. How he would perceive the movie? Makad-manav anyone ?

Why they have to break so much of furniture ?

My mom on watching The Matrix

Guess the movie name !

Hindi poster names of the actual Hollywood flicks

Fauladi Rakshak

Fauladi Rakshak

Angaare bane Sholay

Angaare bane Sholay

Maha Dabang

Maha Dabang

Humshaklon Ka Hamla

Humshaklon Ka Hamla

Sherni No. 1

Sherni No. 1

Why can’t they drive nicely on road ? Don’t they have traffic

police or something?

My mom on watching car chase scene in Transformers

Malegaon ka Superman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd1GOt-1UJE

A bit of history…

Illustration by Jaikar Marur

Sci-fi before Hollywood

• Ramayana and Mahabharta Sci-fi mixed with spirituality

Chariot of The Gods ? by Erich von Däniken Suryavanshi as Aliens, Flying Pushpak Viman,

Nuclear powered Bhramasthra, Birth of 100 Kauravs.

Sci-fi before Hollywood

• Modern original Indian sci-fi started emerging from 1880s in Bengal.

• Early sci-fi writers : Jagdish Basu (yes, the very same), Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain (wrote feminist sci-fi story, Sultana's Dream), Premendra Mitra (Ghanada tales)

• Even Chandrakanta (fantasy fiction 1888) has some sci-fi elements too.

Sci-fi before Hollywood• Popular science fiction written by eminent scientists

and others to pique interest in Science, using complex scientific ideas

• Parallel Universe - Jayant Narlikar's The Adventure• Post Apolcalyptic world - The Phoenix• Mutation, Spacetime paradox - Professor Shonku by

Satyajit Ray• Alien lifeform - The Alien by Satyajit Ray• Ajantrik (Bengali) – A car with consciousness

Switch to the film with the blue -blue tribals.

My mom asking to switch to Avatar on TV

Hollywood happened…BAD OR GOOD

?

Changing Times…

Illustration by Jaikar Marur

Did it ever happen to you ?

Illustration by Jaikar Marur

Post Hollywood

• Influx of Hollywood movies with mind-numbing special effects was a revelation to Indians.

• Western concept of sci-fi became dominant. Sci-fi became more visuals-oriented than complex concepts (Superhero movies).

• Indian sci-fi literature took a backseat while comics and movies started adapting to these new concepts.

IHAZSWAG !!!

Post Hollywood

• Comics like Nagraj, Doga are inspired by their Marvel and DC counterparts.

• Series like Space City Sigma, Shaktimaan and Captain Vyom introduced superhero and space drama to TV.

• Knight Rider (about a talking supercar)was a rage on Doordarshan even when very few people owned cars.

• Indian movies too though, hesitating to change, started adapting sci-fi elements.

Post Hollywood

• Indian movies with sci-fi elements:• Mister India (Hindi) – Invisible man• Vikram (Tamil) - Advanced computers and

security systems• Mr.X In Bombay (Hindi) – Mutation, flying car

etc.• Koi Mil Gaya (Hindi) – Jadoooo• Endhiran and Ra.One - Meh!

On a side note…

Real life jaadoo from Koi Mil Gaya

2003 2007

Tamil Superman

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL5jd-8s5Wc

Ram Ram. Why they have to start doing it every time they get free?

My mom on watching kissing scenes in Thor 2

Mix of ideas

Western concepts with a dash of Indian culture

Ramayana 3392 A.D.

Project KALKI

DEVI

The Rabhas Incident

18 Days : Mahabharat

Zombifying Bollywood

Illustration by Jaikar Marur

Why rods are coming out of his hand ? Who would hide them

there ?

My mom on watching Wolverine

Mix of ideas

• Quickgun Murugan : Indian cowboy fighting against non-vegetarian food restaurant chain

• Angry Maushi : The marathi maushi hitman putting bullets in corrupt politician’s head

• Odayan : Indian Assassin’s Creed• Calcutta Chromosome novel• Malegaon ka Superman• The Gameworld Trilogy by Samit Basu• The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet and other

short stories by Vandana Singh

The Future

• Ramayana sci-fi style is in making (for a long time…). May come out soon.

• No expectations from Bollywood of the future.• Novels based on Indian culture are catching up. It is

happening for every genre. Expect for sci-fi too.• Comics and Graphics novels are already producing

great fusion work. Just they need more comic reading crowd. Hence, Comic Con.

• Sci-fi games based on India. None yet, but hoping soon..

Credits• Wikipedia editors• Illustrations by Jaikar Marur (

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=229770577105684)

• Book - It Happened Tomorrow by Bal Phondke• Level 10 comics and Graphics India• Blog -

http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2008/10/07/in-search-of-indian-science-fiction-a-conversation-with-anil-menon/

• Nagraj and Doga images - http://siddharthpanwarart.blogspot.in/2012/04/work-for-raj-comics-doga.html