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    The Indian Eye
                                            EYE ON BOLLYWOOD                                                                                44
                                                                                                                         JULY 10, 2026

              Bollywood: The silver screen that

                keeps India close to its diaspora

              For millions of overseas Indians, Hindi cinema has been more than entertainment—it has

                                 been a cultural lifeline connecting generations to their homeland

            OUR BUREAU
                                                                                                                  tural America. It highlights how im-
            Mumbai                                                                                                migrants negotiate modern Western
                                                                                                                  lifestyles  without  abandoning  their
                 or generations of Indians living                                                                 cultural identity. New York itself be-
                 thousands of miles from home,
            FBollywood  has been  much                                                                            comes a character in the story, sym-
                                                                                                                  bolizing  opportunity,  diversity  and
            more than entertainment. It has                                                                       the  evolving  experience  of  Indians
            served as a powerful cultural bridge,                                                                 who  now  consider  America  their
            carrying the sights, sounds, emotions
            and  traditions  of  India  across  conti-                                                            home.
            nents  and  helping  successive  waves                                                                       THE NAMESAKE
            of the diaspora remain connected to                                                                               (2006)
            their roots. Long before social media,                                                                    Based on The Namesake, the
            streaming  platforms  and  affordable                                                                 film  presents  one  of  cinema’s  most
            international  travel  made  staying  in                                                              nuanced  portrayals  of  the  Indi-
            touch easier, Hindi cinema offered                                                                    an-American diaspora. It follows
            overseas Indians a window into the                                                                    a  Bengali  immigrant  family  as  they
            festivals,  family  values,  languages                                                                build a life in the United States while
            and aspirations of the country they                                                                   raising  children  who  identify  more
            had left behind—or, for second- and                                                                   with  America  than  India.  Through
            third-generation    Indian-Ameri-                                                                     Gogol  Ganguli’s  journey  of  self-dis-
            cans, a country they often knew only                                                                  covery, the story explores identity,
            through stories told at home.                                                                         belonging, generational conflict and
                As the Indian diaspora has    ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ highlighted how immigrants negotiate modern Western lifestyles without aban-  the search for cultural roots. Rather
            grown  into  one  of  the  world’s  larg-              doning their cultural identity (File)          than portraying assimilation as either
            est, Bollywood has evolved alongside                                                                  wholly positive or negative, the film
            it.  Filmmakers  increasingly  began                                                                  captures  the  complexities  of  living
            setting  stories  in  overseas  commu-  an  values  with  the  materialism  and   nancial  struggles,  exploitation  and   between two cultures and the evolv-
            nities,  portraying  the  hopes,  strug-  cultural assimilation experienced by   loneliness. The film portrays the gap   ing meaning of home across genera-
            gles and identities of Non-Resident   some Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).  between the glamorous image of the   tions.
            Indians  (NRIs)  while  reflecting  the   The  film  follows  Ganga,  a  young  “American  dream”  and  the  realities   ENGLISH VINGLISH
            complex relationship between life   woman from India, who becomes en-  many  immigrants  face  while  trying      (2012)
            abroad and emotional ties to India.  gaged to Rajiv, the American-raised   to establish themselves. At the same   Set largely in New York, English
            From celebrating cultural traditions   son  of  an  affluent  Indian  family.  time, it emphasizes resilience, family   Vinglish  portrays  the  Indian  diaspo-
            in  foreign  lands  to  exploring  ques-  Through her experiences in the U.S.,  bonds and emotional ties with India,   ra through the experiences of Shashi,
            tions of belonging and identity, films   the  film  explores  questions  of  iden-  suggesting  that  prosperity  abroad   an  Indian  homemaker  visiting  her
            such as Pardes, Aa Ab Laut Chalen,  tity, family values, cultural roots and   cannot entirely replace a sense of be-
            Kal Ho Naa Ho, The Namesake and   generational change. While present-  longing and cultural roots.    relatives in the United States. The
                                                                                                                  film  explores  immigrant  family  life,
            English Vinglish transformed the di-  ing an idealized vision of India, it also   KAL HO NAA HO       multicultural neighborhoods and the
            aspora from a peripheral audience   acknowledges  the  emotional  dilem-        (2003)                challenges  of  language,  confidence
            into a central theme of mainstream   mas  faced  by  immigrants  balancing   Set almost entirely in New York   and adaptation. Unlike many diaspo-
            Indian  cinema.  In  doing  so,  Bolly-  success abroad with their connection   City, Kal Ho Naa Ho presents one   ra films that center on identity con-
            wood not only entertained millions   to their homeland.             of Bollywood’s warmest depictions   flicts,  it  focuses  on  personal  trans-
            abroad but also reinforced a shared    AA AB LAUT CHALEN            of Indian-American life. Rather than   formation  within  a  global  setting.
            cultural  identity,  reminding  Indians       (1999)
            everywhere that home could be both    Aa Ab Laut Chalen offers a    focusing on culture shock, it portrays   New York’s  diversity  allows Shashi
                                                                                                                  to interact with people from differ-
                                                                                a settled immigrant community that
            a place and a feeling.            more  grounded  look  at  the  immi-  has built successful businesses while   ent  countries,  reinforcing  the  idea
                        PARDES                grant experience by examining both   preserving  close-knit  family  tradi-  that migration creates shared human
                        (1997)                the aspirations and hardships of In-  tions.                        experiences across cultures. The
                One of Bollywood’s earliest and   dians seeking a better life in Amer-  The  film  explores  relationships   film  celebrates  cultural  pride  while
            most influential portrayals of the In-  ica.  The  protagonist  travels  to  the   across  generations,  community  net-  encouraging openness, learning and
            dian diaspora in the United States,  United  States  hoping  for  economic   works, festivals and the everyday   self-confidence in an increasingly in-
            Pardes contrasts traditional Indi-  success  but  instead  encounters  fi-  lives of Indian families in multicul-  terconnected world.

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