Why Bhutanese Films Sing and Dance?

It can happen anytime, anywhere, anyhow.

Be it a family drama, a sick-to-the-core romantic comedy, a bucket-filling romantic tragedy, a what-is-this-all-about film, you will get it. A guaranteed ordeal during your Bhutanese movie watching experience.

They, I mean, the hero and heroine of the film (and maybe a side-kick or two to make them move) are falling in love. It’s so evident. I mean, you know it when ‘they’ are about to fall in love, right? Maybe…but you know this time. The scene changes. Even the colour and what is that? Ah, music! They are totally in a different place now. What? Are they wearing those out-of-the-closet kingly and queenly dresses?

Yes, there you have it now! A Song! Totally out of the blue!

They are in love! Lord!

Waterfalls…mountains after mountains…apple blossoms…lush green landscape…Spring! There! I cannot look. What was that for? Dancing those dance steps around the trees…Nice! Perfect lip-sync…Where are they now? What place is that? Where is it?

Enough!

Anyway, they sing and dance around the trees along the stream and up by the hillside and down by that valley when they are in love, happy, sad, and when someone in the film dies. For all occasions, you would say?

I know, I know, Bhutanese films are influenced by Bollywood films. But is it our standard? Is it our style? Is it our tradition?

At one instant we say we are not colonised by any foreign nation, then we blatantly include such practice in our lifestyles. What is colonisation if not this?