Bollywood Goddess

Part 2 of "Putting the Fun in Fundamental" made for Channel 4.

The story of the movie "Jai Santoshi Maa" and how belief in the goddess propelled this micro buget film to become the highest grossing Indian movie of all time.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Jai
• Santoshi
• Maa
• Ma
• Bollywood
• Amitabh
• Bachchan
• Anita
• Guha
• Bela
• Bose

[epicurean1986]

...thats too bad...i think it would hv been much more interesting if she were a goddess born from cinema...

[tearecords]

You could say that she was the first Goddess to become famous through cinema. Not as interesting but still unique.

[epicurean1986]

I wish the goddess could speed up my internet connection so i can see you entire video :(. Internet speed in India sucks, which is something Im sure you experienced. Can you possibly upload it in smaller bits?

Im curious to know if she was simply conjured up by the script writers or was there some basis to this random goddess invention?

[tearecords]

I'm sorry, I can't upload it in smaller bits as I don't have the quicktime file on this computer. It shouldn't matter how long the file is for streaming anyway, just the bitrate which is actually quite low on this. I do know that the Goddess wasn't conjured up for the film as she had appeared in stories from at least the early 1960's and the film was based on one of these. I think the actress Bela Bose read it and showed it to her husband who then wrote the script for the film.

[epicurean1986]

how does a goddess just 'come onto the scene'??(considering she was previously unheard of...).

[tearecords]

This is a deep theological question that only an expert in Hindu deities could answer! It does happen though.

[naveen004]

its really nice , i m thankful , i believe in Santoshi mata n pray her , i m thankful to for this to believe in her

[Ambika145]

great movie! I enjoyed it! thanks!

[epicurean1986]

Not half as cool...That has happened too many times ever since...Also before with mythical beings like Nagin, but i dont know if she is a goddess. There has always been a barrage of Goddesses on TV....nothings changed, even the CG is as tacky as it used to be! There was this crazy obsession with the actress who played Sita on TV...she ended up standing for elections!

[tearecords]

In the early 1960s, the Goddess Santoshi Ma, previously unheard of, came onto the scene. Although no one knew where she had come from and and there was no oral tradition surrounding her, she began to command attention. Several temples were built in her honor and in 1975, she manifested in the film, Jai Santoshi Ma. With the spectacular success of the film, Santoshi Ma became a major religious figure practically overnight. Today, she is thoroughly integrated into the pantheon of Hindu deities.

[epicurean1986]

forgive my ignorance, but why is there no mention of Santoshi maa before the 1975 film in any hindu scriptures?