India’s divided north and south are drawing closer in unlikely ways
has brought mayhem to India’s cinemas. One of Banyan’s colleagues watched it in the southern city of Chennai and could barely hear the dialogue for all the hooting, whistling and dancing in the aisles. Outside the hall, fans poured milk over giant cut-outs of its lead actor. In Mumbai they arrived with brass bands and banners. Shows start as early as 7.30am and as late as 11.55pm. It is a non-stop party.
India’s north and south are divided along economic and political lines: the south is richer and more stable, while much of the north remains poor and ridden with caste and religious conflict. The divisions that elicit the greatest passion revolve around social issues. The five states that make up the south are culturally distinct. Their Dravidian languages are of a different family from the Indo-European ones in the north. Their lingua franca is English, not Hindi.
Culture flows in the other direction, too. Though south Indian dishes such as dosas have long been popular all over India, speciality restaurants are introducing the north to new things. Lately some of the most successful films have come out of Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad, which make movies in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. A.R. Rahman, India’s most beloved composer, is from Chennai.
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