Why do these movies capture the imagination of so many across the globe?

I feel it has to a lot with the diversity they celebrate. The idea of one-ness of humanity, of a people it aspires to idolize.

Yes, days of 'Amar, Akbar, Antony' seem long gone where religious differences were brushed aside with the yearning for brotherhood and a geuine aspiration to treat all equally. The turbulence of the 90's allowed the repressed feelings of many to emerge - particularly among the right-wing Hindus. The 'equal brothers' theme was replaced with question marks and doubts over each others intention.

But Bollywood, though often giving in to the mass anti-Pakistan hysteria, still rises above these elemental and myopic feelings. It gives you 'Main Houn Na', or 'Veer Zara' (haven't seen the later).

There may be a fascist Modi in Gujrat with millions of followers, and every other Muslim may be a Modi-like fascist at heart with his self-righteous Islamic zeal zealously denying all other religions an equal status with Islam, but the truth is, Hindus and Muslims are not two nation. There is nothing 'two' about them.

Bollywood is a celebration of that unity and the defiance of religious self-righteousness. Yes, Bollywood cannot prevent masscares and carnage. But it does prick the conscious.

Where else would you find someone like the Great Govinda, who wins an election seat on a Congress ticket defeating a fascist BJP candidate who had won that seat for years? Govinda, whose conscious must have been moved to go out of his way to idolize secular ideals. Going so far as to adopt 'salam' as the regular greeting. How many Muslims would go out of their way to adopt unislamic practices after having seen all the passionate divisiness, the 'us' against' 'them' - a divisivness Govida saw though not of the same extent?

Bollywood and its music are a call to the lost lost soul of humanity. A soul that has forgotten itself in the shenanigans of religious zeal and mindless exclusivist ideals and has no conscious.

Long live Bollywood!