How Bollywood Movies Influence Indians Study Abroad Dreams

And after our Indians, Tizana went. And they keep applying for visas at the consulate. And this determines the type of the bridge. As the winds began to blow, the rain started to fall, and my heart began to race. Read what needs to be written in the script—it's also becoming quite spicy. Why does life abroad always seem better? Why do we all feel this? And if you trace that feeling back, all the way back to when you were still in school, You land in a dark theatre, watching a man in winter clothes, dancing with a woman wearing summer clothes, running through a snowy hillside And we haven't even looked as far as Nepal. We think of Bollywood, one actor in particular, sold an entire generation a dream And we embraced it wholeheartedly. This is our opinion, not a documentary Just a theory we've been obsessed with for some time now Ask any Indian family with a child in class 11 or 12 What the dream looks like. Chances are, at some point, abroad comes up. No one sits us down and explains why. It's just there. as if it had always been there. But feelings, this universal, Don't come from nowhere. Someone built this one. and we're going to show you who. Go back to the 1990s, India opens up economically, satellite TV comes in, and more importantly, foreign investments. And Bollywood, had been focused on angry young men and their local problems Their view of the West was, first, a corrupting place from which Came all the dons and whams who were promptly defeated by our Sati Savitris and angry young men. Option 2, honeymoon packages. But now, All of that changed with one man. Now suddenly, the ideals surrounding the Indian hero Template changed. He was the typical Indian NRI. born and brought up in the UK or the USA speaking perfect English and participating in Western culture. While also being traditional, speaking Hindi without any accent and being a true desi. Movies like DDLJ did not obviously market themselves as study abroad content They were love stories. But the backdrop did something quieter. It made abroad look like a place where good things happen to everyone. Clean streets, amazing infrastructure, luxury life, money, money, money. Imagine watching all this on screen in a crowded single-screen theater, Going back home on your father's shaky old scooter travelling on roads that are too narrow and full of potholes to a house that is too small and to a life that is simply not enough. These movies were selling you a feeling, a feeling that the hard-working Indian can do and should go outside India and they will find success, just as Shah Rukh Khan did. Feelings are stickier than facts. Here's where We have to be honest with you. Correlation is not proof. But look at the number of outbound students from India over the last few decades. They climb, and they climb hard. In the same window, This cultural shift was taking place on screen. We're not saying Bollywood caused a policy shift or an economic boom We're saying it built an emotion appetite of the entire nation. The systems, loans, agents universities actively recruiting they just met a demand that was Already primed and ready to board an international flight So here's the uncomfortable part. How much do I want to study abroad? Is it actually about the syllabus? And how much of it is about the the version of yourself you saw in a movie screen, confident, glowing Seen at last? We're not saying that it's a bad thing to want. We're saying it's worth knowing the difference between wanting an education and wanting a story. In fact, going abroad Still makes sense for many people. Better research funding, Different exposure, real career upside. This part is not fiction. But the lived reality, the living situation, the part-time job the loneliness, you will never see SRK dancing to all of that in a song. And by the way, have you ever wondered who was the First Indian to go and study abroad? Check out this video now to figure it out. Spoiler alert, He had nothing to do with SRK. SRK can choose the girl, the song, even the location. But your University? Maybe don't leave. that to Bollywood. GradWrite helps you find the right universities and programs for your goals, Budget and career.