Till 2003, when Koi Mil Gaya was released, the popular perception was that aliens only preferred to visit the USA. In fact, the job role of the President surely would have included defending America from green creatures in suits. But why didn’t aliens like India? Although a clinical study hasn’t been conducted, the likely reasons could be a painful visa process, monstrous traffic jams, or some other cause.
Today, on World UFO Day, we decipher our association with aliens on celluloid.
Koi Mil Gaya (KMG) was a blockbuster hit with a stellar performance by Hrithik Roshan, and the short-statured blue alien Jadoo became a household name. Partially inspired by Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), KMG is certainly the more entertaining of the two and also led to the hugely successful Krrish franchise.
A decade later, Aamir Khan’s PK (2014) landed, exploring the concept of an alien who questions the religious babas of our country, ending with a surprise cameo by Ranbir Kapoor as a wide-eyed alien.
However, quiz any Bollywood buff on other notable aliens in Indian cinema and they would mostly draw a blank. Some, of course, may mention Joker (2012), not to be confused with Batman’s favourite nemesis. This Shirish Kunder-directed science-fiction comedy movie, starring Akshay Kumar, tanked at the box office. Hollywood, on the other hand, has so many otherworldly creatures that it would make a never-ending list: Independence Day (1996), Men in Black (1997 and onwards), Interstellar (2014), Extinction (2018)... it goes on. Their fascination with outer space can be credited to the infamous Roswell incident of 1947, when a United States Army Air Forces balloon crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. However, alternate theories suggested that it was actually a flying saucer from another planet that had crash-landed, and the balloon was used as a cover-up story.
Dara Singh in Trip To Moon (1967) |
Indian cinema, on the other hand, does have two significant movies in this genre that have been forgotten over the last few decades. The first was a Tamil movie called Kalai Arasi (1963) directed by A. Kasilingam, starring M. G. Ramachandran and Bhanumathi. In it, aliens from a scientifically superior planet travel to Earth as they’re lacking in their arts and culture department and want to recruit an earthling to improve their dance and performances back home. Sounds similar to an inaugural season of a show that might be called Earth’s Got Talent.
Another gem lost in the sands of time is Chand Par Chadayee (Trip to Moon), a 1967 Bollywood science fiction film starring India’s most famous wrestler, Dara Singh. The plot revolves around two astronauts who, after landing on the moon, have to face off against warriors and monsters. Interestingly, the film also starred 70s diva Helen.
One would have to wait and watch to see what other offerings from outer space Indian cinema has for us in the years to come and how they tackle the subject. Although, even if some little green men or women do visit us, it certainly won’t be in the next four months, as the dreaded Mumbai monsoons are upon us. Unless they start some UFO Uber service, traveling in the city would be quite a headache for them.
