Bollywood at Brandeis

Reversed Video and Bollywood

In a number of the films we have watched, there was moderately well to poorly implemented reversal of video, especially in music videos. The two that stuck with me were in Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe from Dil Chahta Hai, and Satrangi Re from Dil Se. In Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe, many of the shots with the neon and black-lit dancers are reversed, especially when they are ribbon dancing. The effect is fairly well blended in, though noticeable, and adds to the video with a bit of visual flair. In Satrangi Re, there are numerous shots of Meghna swirling her dress around in the desert, culminating in a reversed shot where she is twirled up into a long cloth, the visual clearly being reversed.

While many times the effect is easy to see, it ultimately does not detract much from the films. It is probably used to create visual appealing shots, or in the case of Satrangi Re, shots that would be much more difficult most other ways. Additionally, in the Bollywood universe’s suspension of disbelief, the abnormal motion created by the reversal does not clash as much with the sense of realism the view might otherwise have.

Filed by jeremyap at May 9th, 2013 under Uncategorized