I ran up against a surprising wall when I began to watch and study Indian
films.  Many Indians I talked to in Chicago--between I'd say 20 and 40
years old--had very little sense of even having a film history.  When I
told them my favorite actor was Guru Dutt, they responded in one way or
another that since he had been dead for so long, he was not an acceptable
choice.  If a major film is a flop, and has no big star names, the video
stores usually sell the original to the first buyer.  Stores don't keep
classics as I would define them unless they are still big rental
items--which usually means big with the elders.  Watching in the present
has an entirely new meaning.
 
I don't know what it is like in India.  I'm thankful that the fan magazines
carry a lot of articles about yesterday's stars.
 
Carol Slingo