Does anyone know if any of the actors or actresses in Bollywood films are Brahmins?
I am currently devising a study called ‘Brahmin culture - The Theory and the Practice.’
Thank you in advance for any help provided on this exciting topic
Madhuri Dixit for sure, sushmita sen, munmun sen, suchitra sen, mausami chatterjee. shobhana samarth was brahmin. so kajol could be or maybe mixed.
[This message has been edited by ullu (edited July 18, 2000).]
Thanks for your reply. Can I ask how you know this? Is there some Bollywood site that lists these facts?
sen, chatterjee, bannerjee, muckerjee etc. are brahmin surnames in bengal. about madhuri dixit, it was mentioned when she married.
i cant think of any brahmin actors though.
some more, pooja bhatt. bhatt is definitely brahmin. anupam kher and raj kumar were kashmiri. but i donno if they are pundits.
[This message has been edited by ullu (edited July 18, 2000).]
mamata kulkarni, sonali bendre, tara deshpande, milind soman, dr. lagu are marathi names i can recognize. musician c. ramchandra was actually ram chitalkar, brahmin name. from my town Nagpur.
But generally, brahmins have been few and far between in bollywood. It has been mostly dominated by Muslims.
[This message has been edited by ZZ (edited July 18, 2000).]
ok,
as Brahmin is considered highest caste in India, how would traditional Brahmins view acting as a profession? Please no B/S.
Bharatmuni has written a book on Natyashastra which deals with theatre and its theory. I forgot the name of the book. It was one of the 64 arts taught in ancient india.
However, in brahmins of older generation, acting profession was looked down upon.
In those times, I believe, brahmins did not act, though they wrote dramas. Read Bharatmuni in original. I haven't. That should give idea of structure in those times.
[This message has been edited by ZZ (edited July 18, 2000).]
"as Brahmin is considered highest caste in India, how would traditional Brahmins view acting as a profession?"
Actually...very interesting question. It is surprising to note how much "Brahmin culture" has changed over the years, at least in my home state. Today Brahmins are the most liberal of Indians..(things may be different in Bihar etc). For example I donot know of a single Brahmin from my state who is a vegetarian. A lot of Brahmin's these days donot mind their kids working in films, or working as models. On the whole I think acting/modelling as a profession has become more acceptable and respectable over the years. In fact I mostly see Brahmins only in private firms. The percentage of Brahmins working in government jobs is among the lowest in the country -- there are also very few in politics. Thats why it always surprised me to find that many Pakistanis are under the impression that politics in India is dominated by Brahmins -- I find that even "intellectual writers" from "respected" Pakistani newspapers are under this impression. One good thing I can say about Brahmins is that they have always laid an emphasis on good education for their children.
[This message has been edited by BombayKid (edited July 18, 2000).]
Its quite gratifying to note that Mr. Xtreme is currently devising a study called 'Brahmin culture - The Theory and the Practice.'
I am sure he would do more than justice to it...but why Bollywood alone...he could also do a similar study on Indian cricket team,Indian guppies etc,Indian politicians....
After all one is either a Brahmin or one isn't.
U should rather name it :
'Brahmin culture - Xtreme Theory and the Practice.'