‘Our Stupid Reactions’: Indian cinema via the lens of two Americans

Express News Service

With an excessive amount of time and never sufficient Hollywood trailers to react to in 2019, American actors Rick Segall and Korbin Miles of YouTube’s ‘Our Stupid Reactions’ (OSR) fame determined to show their eager eye towards Bollywood. 

They debuted with Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’, and the duo’s response video to it was an on the spot hit, setting off an countless flurry of ‘please-react-to-this’ requests from white-people-opinion-loving (and-hating) Indians on YouTube. Today, as their channel with a subscriber base of 1.17 million is increasing, so is their repertoire of movies, with the duo taking over not simply Bollywood, but in addition regional cinema from throughout the nation. Rick and Korbin allow us to in on their journey to this point.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q: What drew your curiosity in Indian movies?

Rick: We had no clue about Indian cinema. When we watched Gully Boy, it reminded us of ‘8 Mile’ and simply blew us away. The size of time Bollywood movies takes gives house for feelings, which is new for somebody like me, who’s used to conventional movie arcs. We found such nice cinema in India––we will’t assist however maintain coming again. OSR can also be how I met my spouse, Indrani Mukherjee Segall! 

Rick Segall and Korbin Miles.

Q: Tell us the rationale behind your title ‘Our Stupid Reactions’

Korbin: Some of our takes on movies could also be completely off, therefore, our tongue-in-cheek title is a protection mechanism towards our haters to say, “Hey, we are just dumb White guys, we don’t take ourselves so seriously.”

Q: Tell us a few movie you lately loved.

Korbin: We actually beloved ‘RRR’. Now that we’re used to seeing characters having superhero-like talents like choosing up a bike by hand, we might admire the movie with out asking questions on logic.

Rick: ‘RRR’ offered us with a festival-like expertise — it confirmed that some films are made for sensible causes… to be watched on the massive display. 

Q: What do you suppose the viewers study from you?

Rick: Viewers inform us they study quite a bit about movies basically from us, notably our views on technical brilliance. They additionally say they get to listen to about movies from different areas via OSR, making them look past the movies produced of their respective areas.

Q: What are your opinions on the movies produced by the non-Bollywood movie industries?

Rick: Malayalam movies are according to our pursuits––they’ve unpredictability and groundedness which is exceptional, like what we noticed in ‘Android Kunjappan Version 5.25’. The performing is excellent. We love what Fahadh Faasil does. We additionally intently observe the work of artists like Vijay Sethupathy, Soubin Shahir, and Lijo Jose Pellissery (whom we interviewed). We notably like Bangla movies— they’ve a lot coronary heart. 

Q: How do you entry culturally-rooted movies?

Rick: Mohanlal’s ‘Vanaprastham’, the place he performs a Kathakali artiste, had nuances we didn’t perceive. But language and tradition aren’t obstacles. We completely beloved the latest Tamil movie ‘Kadaisi Vivasayi’ on the lifetime of a farmer––it was a rural arrange however the story is human. The movies are regional, but in addition common.

Korbin: We had been known as ‘Bollywood bootleggers’ as soon as, however we’re acutely aware of the variety right now. 

Q: In your opinion, why do viewers join with you guys?

Rick: We are trustworthy about what we like. Also, we will perceive and speak about artistry as a result of we’re actors ourselves. We actually love India and its artwork/artistry, and it’s sadly so uncommon for Americans to see India the way in which Indians do.