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Science Fiction in India Hevil Shah: Spring 2005 |
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Evidence of science fiction in India can be found as far back as 1500 BC in the ancient Vedic literature. In these texts, there are many descriptions of unidentified flying objects referred to as "vimanas." These "viminas" can be of two types: "manmade crafts that resemble airplanes and fly with the aid of birdlike wings or un-streamlined structures that fly in a mysterious manner and are generally not made by human beings" (1). Yet, despite with these early science fictional images, the influence of this genre on Indian literature and culture is only beginning to be seen. The father of literary Indian science fiction is considered to be Acharya Chatursen. He wrote more than 400 books during his lifetime, of which many were novels based on historical events, mythology, or social issues. Yet of the 400 books, he only wrote three science fiction novels: Khagras (The Eclipsed Moon), Neelmani (The Sapphire), and Adbhut Manav (The Amazing Man). Similarly, following in Chatursen’s footsteps, author Guru Dutt wrote almost an equal number of social and historical novels, yet only had one science fiction novel titled Sangarsh (The Struggle). This novel dealt with the social problems brought about from geriatrics and the fountain of youth based on cellular regeneration (2). Even in Indian cinema, which churns out up to 950 movies a years, the influence of science fiction is only beginning to be felt. The first Indian science fiction film, Kaadu (The Jungle), was made in 1952. A Tamil-American co-production, this film was about an expedition to find why the animals in one region were behaving strangely. As it turned out, the cause of this abnormal behavior was an invasion of wooly mammoths (3). However, the foundation of science fiction in film was not laid until 35 years later. In 1987, Shekhar Kapur's Mr. India brought the idea of science fiction to the Indian masses. The story of a young Indian male who falls across his father’s invisibility device and battles a madman’s attempt to rule the world changed the face of Indian cinema forever. Yet, as original as the story seems to the Indian population, there is a strong influence of American culture, with the literary characteristics of pulp era American science fiction and a dash of Steven Spielberg’s Indian Jones. Recently, the idea of the non-human extraterrestrial was brought onto the face of Indian cinema. A combination of Spielberg’s E.T.-the Extra-Terrestrial and Daniel Keyes's Flowers for Algernon, Rakesh Roshan’s Koi… Mil Gaya (I found someone) deals with the rise and ultimate demise of a mentally-challenged man as he befriended the alien being.
Works Cited (1) "Vimanas of Ancient India." UFO Evidence. Last Accessed 8 Dec. 2004 (2) Gupta, Cyril. Science Fiction in India. Last Accessed 8 Feb. 2005 (3) Leeper, Mark. "India’s Hollywood Takeaway." SF Crowsnest. 2003. Last Accessed
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