»Does Matrix Trilogy have any impact in India?«

Hi, I just read through the Matrix-Hinduconcepts thread in this forum and something in that discussion intrigued me ... so I want to ask:

Do they show the Matrix Trilogy to India? If so, do they market it? Is the movie shown also in English or is it translated?

Finally, and this is what I am really curious about, does the Matrix Trilogy have a BIG impact in India? By "big" impact, I mean the kind of impact that there is in USA (where I have watched the movies).

I mean this movie is certainly a lot more than just sci-fi and action. It has a mixed of religions and lots of philosophy (although generally misunderstood to be "christian"). The strongest religious themes the movie draws from is actually Gnosticism (although I can understand why it is easy to be confused with "mainline" christianity by some people).

As for me personally, the movie certainly has a HUGE impact on me, on the way I look at the world (especially about religion and the philosophy of Kant and Nietzsche).

Thanks for any insight!

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Do they show the Matrix Trilogy to India? If so, do they market it? Is the movie shown also in English or is it translated?

didnt u read the whole hindu concept thread? i've posted the answers to those on the 2nd page.

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Finally, and this is what I am really curious about, does the Matrix Trilogy have a BIG impact in India? By "big" impact, I mean the kind of impact that there is in USA (where I have watched the movies).

the impact on the zeitgeist is not as big as it was in the USA, but there is an impact. there have been many indian movies which imitate and plagiarize the matrix. most of the young audience are addicted to the trilogy, but very few see beyond the kung fu and bullet time. if u ask if a lot of people like the matrix, yes a LOT of people. it has a slight impact on the culture here, but only with the external aspects like the shades and trench coats and whatnot. only a few are interested in the philosophy. but here people are very fatalistic and quite serious abt life, they would think it quite ridiculous to look for meaning in a hollywood movie. few people would consider it anything more than a pop-movie with a little philosophical/religious aspirations.

Hi, ralph_angelus

Thanks for your answers! Ah, so from the thread on MatrixHinduconcept, I see the movie has been dubbed into different Indian languages, quite interesting.

Oh, so aside from the leather jackets, and kung-fu, it has otherwise little impact, much like what it is in US (we must remember that the total number of people in US, who "get" the matrix, who think about it seriously, maybe about 10,000 people in total, I guess, is still a VERY small number compared to the mainstream audience who see movies.)

I am curious, and I do *NOT* mean to be sacrastic, because I am genuinely interested, (I have worked with some very hard-working computer engineers from India, but otherwise know very little about this interesting culture), when you say in India, people are usually "fatalistic and serious about life" .... does that mean people have to struggle with the day-to-day living conditions, struggle to earn an income for their families, hence they tend to accept their current conditions and have little time to ponder about philosophy of life?

Or am I completely misunderstanding you? (Quite possible). I am curious because it would seem to be Indian philosphers have been around for 4000 years *BEFORE* Descartes came along to ask "Is anything real? ... How do I know what is real?". I read a book called "A Brief History of Philosophy" which surveys philosophy around the world in over 6000 years, but as you might understand, the focus is still on Western philosophy.

Personally, I strongly believe that the Matrix Trilogy is NOT just a Hollywood movie, it has far more philosophy in it than many philosophers might think (at least, food for thought). No, by training, I am not a philosopher, but then everyone is a philosopher

triple-geek wrote:

I am curious, and I do *NOT* mean to be sacrastic, because I am genuinely interested, (I have worked with some very hard-working computer engineers from India, but otherwise know very little about this interesting culture), when you say in India, people are usually "fatalistic and serious about life" .... does that mean people have to struggle with the day-to-day living conditions, struggle to earn an income for their families, hence they tend to accept their current conditions and have little time to ponder about philosophy of life?

thats almost exactly what i mean. but ur conclusion is different from mine. they tend to accept their conditions, but i wouldnt say that they have little time for philosophy. what i mean is that the hard conditions give them an edge of realism - what does it mean to, say a middle-class man in india, what little a movie says abt philosophy? does it have any relevance to his life? indeed i think that the hard conditions make the people think abt life more than the people in America. for eg., would an average teenager in the US think abt philosophy? but someone of the same age here would be FORCED to contemplate life, mayb just from the hunger. or they arent bombarded with stupid pop-culture and have more time for contemplation.
anyway, (correct me if i'm wrong) my view is that while an american teenager might be wondering abt what to wear from the prom or how cool eminem's new song is, an indian might be contemplating the meaning of his filthy life.

Hello, ralph_angelus

I enjoy reading your postings and your ideas in this forum. Interestingly in your reply, you are comparing teenagers in India and in US. I would guess, with complete respect to you, that you are most likely a teenager yourself. If you are a 16-year old, then I would be twice that age! But that does not make either one of us any older or less mature. Quite the opposite, it means the Matrix Trilogy draws people from different age groups together. Otherwise you and I would not be in this forum.

Now, if you are not a teenager, then I apologize. I certainly do not mean you sound like a teenager. In fact, I would find it hard to believe you are a teenager, because you seem to sound far more mature. Only because you were comparing teenagers in India and US, would I guess that (my origianl question deal with people in India, not just teenagers!)

Since you asked about here (in US), let me give you the other side of the spectrum ... really really really old people ... like me (just kidding, sorry could not resist the joke). Americans in their 30's, after going through college or university, with 1 or possibly multiple education degrees, have worked for a few years in some company, possibly one with many cubicles. When we were little kids (below 10 years old), once upon a time, we were promised ... "if you work hard and study hard, then you will be rewarded." That is almost what is known as the "American Dream". Work hard and you will be rewarded.

Okay, then years of schools later, after working in cubicles for years, and then what? You discover you are .... ready? Thomas Anderson.

What does Thomas Anderson look like? A smart guy, who pays his taxes, works in a software firm, among a bunch of cubicles, working for a boss who combs his hair like Agent Smith. Then our loney sympathelic hero, who looks *awfully* pale, with no life ....

That is what many American "adults" find themselves. So, for example, when I saw Matrix 1, I "got" it. Most people, teenagers or not, but even adults continue to go back to work at their cubicles, in a software firm, for some boss who combs hair like Agent Smith. But some adults, like myself, can relate to Thomas Anderson, and see that perhaps, oh, shall we say, there is more to life than a cubicle ... perhaps there is a NEO somewhere inside, waiting to "save the world".

You see? So the Matrix Trilogy can have an impact beyond teenagers in India or US (or other parts of the world). Of course, this is just the view from one guy!

you seem to understand me very quickly. yes, i am a teenager, 16, as u might have seen frm my profile. of course, i agree that the matrix draws people of all ages.

i just mentioned teenagers because that is the group which i can describe most easily. a large number of my friends are matrix fans, but to be honest, i dont know a single teenager in india who is interested in the philosophy or symbology of the matrix. in fact, i personally dont know a person of ANY age group in india who has an interest similar to ours in the matrix. many of the adults i know have seen the matrix and recognize the symbology and philosophical implications, but they consider it too crude or insignificant to take any further interest in it. nobody has explicitly told me this, it is only something i have deduced from their indifference. also, in media other than the internet, i have not yet seen an article or review which mentions the symbology. in 2000, i was even amused to read a review by the india edition of a computer(Chip or Digit or PC World, i dont remember) which described the movie as some sort of video game. and a few weeks ago, a newspaper in malayalam(a local language) gave this description of the The Matrix as it came on HBO -

(a rough translation) A group of computer engineers want to create a world for themselves(they mean 'creating a world' metaphorically) and they have the police in hot pursuit.

the only few instances of people interested in the movie, which i have found, is on the net. eg.

Hello, ralph_angelus, sorry, I did not mean to ignore your last postings. I enjoy our chat in this forum and reading your opinions very much. I will definitely reply and say more about the "American Dream". But I will be leaving town for Christmas on Monday for 2 weeks (without access to computer for 2 weeks), so I must finish doing a few things before plugging back to this system for further enlightenment.

I guess from your last posting, the "American Dream" is also the "Indian Dream" for people in our generation (teenagers to 30's), but you also painted a pretty dark and gloomy picture for the adults (over 40's). It seems there is a discontinuity there. The adults in India, if I understand correctly, accept whatever fate or destiny has alloted them, make enough income, marry off their daughters, struggle with their day-to-day living, make an income for survival. Whereas the "new generation" is far more optimistics. They are working very hard in school, probably all trying to get into the Indian Institute of Technology. Kind of like the first phase of Thomas Anderson, trying to make the most out of his potential (of course, that is only the first phase, his complete transformation, does not come until Neo has transcended himself with self-knowledge, rather than just intellectual beliefs). So the new-generation of India is trying to ... FREE YOUR MIND, as Morpheus would say, and bend the rules, break the rules, the rules of tradition set by their parents, and venture into a brave new world.

If my synthesis is correct, that surely must be causing some fire in the household, as we seem to witness 2 different cultures in the same household between parents and children.

Am I competely off?

Well to start off the Matrix trilogy hasnt made that big of an impact in India. I think more people watched the movie Titanic than the Matrix I also have a feeling that Basic Instincts may have been watched by more Indians than the Matrix trilogy. Anyway more on that later.

As far as accepting ones fate is concerned that seems to be true everywhere. All over the world the younger generation are optimistic and ambitious. The unique thing about India is that we have certain beliefs that make it easy for us to accept our fate.
First is the Karma and re-incarnation theory: If someone is having a bad life then explanation for that is that he/she is being punished for the evil deeds commited in the previous birth.
Second is the belief in Vedic Astrology: Usually people accept their losses since the astrologer informs them that during the bad period the stars and planets are not in favourable positions. So if an individual were to lose his job he would probably accept the fact that his loss was due to the influence of Saturn. This does not imply that Indians believe in a Pre-destined life. Since the fundamental belief is that our lives is a combination of fate and our own actions.

Now the new generations is experiencing the "globalization" phenomenon. This results in the new generation being very ambitious and compettitive. Since we want the whole world in our hands (there is a terrific Hindi song that echoes this sentiment). As far as a fire in the household is concerned that is again a common instance that exists everywhere.

I hope this answered your questions.