The Twenty Eight States and the Stereotypes about them that Bollywood has Imbibed Into Our Minds:

Bollywood has been infamous for its cheesy cliche movies like 2 States, most of which have relied on the use of socio-cultural stereotypes to convey images of the stark differences of the North and South and the East and the West, which are more than often hyperbolic. The twenty eight states and the NCR are the ones generally victimised by the biases of Bollywood, which convey a substantially incorrect image to the audience in the country and abroad. It is necessary to retain the originality and portray influx of cultures, without exaggeration or factual misinformation.

Beginning with the south, the first state that comes into our mind is Tamil Nadu, aka the Madrasis who are expected to be oblivious of Hindi vocabulary, therefore “forcing” upon guests and tourists a mixture of Tamil and English. What most people don’t know is that the state houses people who are NOT engineers/doctors/CAs- big surprise! And they DON’T always eat dosa-idli from banana leaves or have big ancestral homes where the practice of embellishing their hair with oil and flower garlands is popular among women. The state has their own film industry where the topics are not limited to superfluous use of graphics.The south is more than often linked to songs like “Lungi Dance”, which are nothing but unnecessary misrepresentations. This region also includes Andhra Pradesh which is overshadowed by the surrounding states in Bollywood and the only thing we know? Hyderabadi Biryani! Even in the genre of movies based on history, the rich heritage of this state is often ignored. Next on the list is Kerala- the state with the highest literacy rate, matriarchs and uber progressive! The only things talked of about this state are the backwaters, elephants, temples and rice-eaters who LOVE gold. And once again the coconut oil chronicles!Be it in food, in hair -EVERYWHERE! Karnataka is another overshadowed state- but if there’s an IT company mentioned, it’s got to be in Bangalore.

Moving over to the east, we have West Bengal, Bihar , Odisha and Jharkhand. This zone is probably the least popular setting for a mainstream movie unless it’s a biopic or some exception. Bihar is synonymous in Bollywood to the land of corrupt individuals, thugs, betel nuts, paan and of course LALOO PRASAD. Ee hain hamra Beehaar,kaise ho babua - the people are generally expected to speak in their native tongue. Once again! The EAST and the SOUTH are oblivious of proper Hindi vocabulary and accent - so the punishment for this infernal sin is no representation in Bollywood. Bengalees- the (pseudo-)intellectuals and artistic people, who are staunch patriots, indulge in addas about politics and football, or eat “maach-bhaat” and rosogolla. The dress is “white saree with red border and bindis larger than faces” for women and dhoti for the men.Once again biopics of people from these parts are as rare as vegetarian tigers. Jharkhand? Bihar’s twin brother, who is often mistaken for Bihar. This case is similar for Odisha and West Bengal.

With drum rolls, we welcome the overrepresented part of the nation- the northern states and Delhi. Punjabees are super flashy, super loud or super conservative, with a penchant for eating chicken/paneer tikka, guzzling alcohol, wearing clothes and jewellery heavier than themselves and throwing money around (literally). Especially during weddings, and not necessarily in that order. They are obese from ghee-laden parantha-gobbling and practically illiterate compared to their South Indian counterparts. Balle balle, Santa Banta are the terms we associate with them. Haryana is once again Punjab’s identical overshadowed twin in Bollywood. Uttar Pradesh is portrayed as the land of paan and gutka where there is a juxtaposition of corruption and loyalty towards job- everyone is either an IAS or in some other government job. Himachal Pradesh is also seldom in the picture, unless it is used as a setting for the movie- a cheaper alternative to Europe. Uttarakhand is the land of pilgrims- cradled by hills and lakes, but proper CITIES and people with normal JOBS are a big no-no in Bollywood while portraying this state. If you are a Kashmiri, you are either a terrorist(victimiser) or the tall and fair scared localite(victim). The north is expected to revolve around Delhi- the land of “uber-rich”, “uber-popular” and “uber-beautiful”. The NCR’s many flaws are more than often ignored if it’s a cheesy mainstream movie centred around a university.

Finally we have approached Mumbai and the west. The only city with all the glamour, fashionistas and all the rich businessmen is MUMBAI- aka the Bollywood Hub. The rest of Maharashtra has a polar opposite image as Home to zunka bhakar, vada pav, “Bombay” bhel and right-wing politicians who insist on all “outsiders” learning Marathi, the land of women in nauvari (nine-yard) saris and men in white dhotis. Rajasthan- Kota , deserts and LOTS of history! Gujarat in the mainstream movies is primarily home to the businessmen- the men call each other bhai, while the women call each other ‘behen’. Everyone here wears shiny clothes, dances the garba 24/7, is vegetarian and insists on sweetening even savoury dishes. Goa is the smallest state, with the sea and beaches- everyone is sunbathing, drinking, partying and eating pork vindaloos. JOBS are generally not associated with Goa in Bollywood.

Deviating from the four cardinal directions is abhorred by filmmakers of Bollywood. No wonder Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, the central states tend to be treated as not being a part of India in terms of their geography lessons. The north-east? The land of Ching-Chongs! And that’s not even racist! The Seven Sisters and Sikkim have been the setting of movies, but actors from these states are seldom seen on-screen and even if accidentally a movie is made involving a character from the north-east, make-up is the best alternative as a character-appropriate cast is a big no-no once again.

Overall, the only hope we have as audiences is to appeal through social media to demand cultural appropriation and an inclusive casting.