In American cinema, when two romantic characters reach an emotional peak, they make love.

In Indian cinema, when two romantic characters come to a climax, they break into song and dance.

Of course, with Disney in the equation, the distinction between Hollywood and Bollywood become blurred.

As a result, American fans -– particularly teens and pre-teens -– ended up with the third chapter of The Cheetah Girls saga.

On August 22nd, the Disney Channel took viewers halfway around the world to highlight a culture that is the epitome of song-and-dance storytelling. With Bollywood and Hollywood intently flirting with each other, executive producer Debra Martin Chase found it fitting to share the union of the two movie industries with a song-and-dance production of her own.

She may have busted the emotional floodgates wide open with The Cheetah Girls: One World.

“They have the music and dance tradition of their own,” Chase said of producing her latest project in the central Indian state of Rajastan. “I am fascinated with India as a country. The movie is very much a celebration of India.”

Her fascination was shared by many, as Disney and Chase hoped the made-for-television movie would promote a sense of cultural globalization.

“To travel to India, a place we’d never thought we’d visit, was so amazing,” said Adrienne Bailon, the eldest of the three remaining Cheetah Girls. “The people in India were such happy people and always at peace. The more you learn about other cultures, the more you learn about where you are from.”

Bailon, who is of Ecuadorian and Puerto Rican descent, was not the only person who soaked in the cultural experience of filming in India.

“Every time I go back to India, I learn a little about myself,” said Rupak Ginn, an Indian-American who plays Rahim in One World.

Based on a successful book series, The Cheetah Girls have been on television and radio for nearly five years.

The first Cheetah Girls movie was released in 2003, also as a made-for-television movie on the Disney Channel. A musical movie franchise from the onset, the Cheetah Girls initially started as a quartet featuring Bailon, Kiely Williams, Sabrina Bryan, and Raven-Symoné.

After The Cheetah Girls 2 was released in 2006, which was set in Spain, Chase found it fitting to film the third coming of the musical-movie in India, where Bollywood seems to have perfected the art of storytelling through song.

“The particular movie is pretty Indian in terms of the songs and locations,” said Deepti Daryanni, who stars in her first American-based movie production and plays Gita in the musical. “It encompasses Indian culture and is pretty diverse. You have singing and dancing, and the story unfolds through song.”

Daryanni, whose character Gita is a choreographer, says The Cheetah Girls: One World is quite universal in its message.

“It’s a movie about love and friendship,” she said. “That idea would click with children all over the world. Because it’s a Disney movie, it’s very cultural as well.”

“It is a journey of finding true love,” added Ginn, who got his big Hollywood break in Mira Nair’s The Namesake. “But it’s also a movie about a global village and experiencing culture.”

Themes of culture, love, and friendship abound, The Cheetah Girls: One World follows the format of other recent Disney television-movies, including High School Musical and Hannah Montana. Each movie highlights the glory of making it big while maintaining friendships and staying true to those who love you.

Ironically, while The Cheetah Girls movie series featured a strong friendship among the original quartet in the first two films, the third version is almost completely void of one of the most significant characters -– Raven-Symoné.

In the recent incarnation of The Cheetah Girls, Symoné’s character, Galleria, apparently breaks away from the group to attend England’s Cambridge University. While she is away, the other three girls travel to India to compete for one role in a new lavish Bollywood flick, Namaste Bombay.

Yet, throughout the movie, there is almost no reference to Galleria –- no phone calls, e-mails, text messages, or cameo appearances. Instead, Symoné pursued her solo music and film careers, leaving Bailon, Williams, and Bryan to pick up the slack.

Thankfully, the trio had plenty of material to work with -– beautiful sets, charismatic love interests, and the ultimate backdrop in the centuries-old castles of Jaipur and Udaipur.

“It was so enchanting to be in these monumental structures,” said Kunal Sharma, who plays an Indian prince named Amar who falls in love with one of the Cheetah Girls. “I am really happy they decided to film in India. It made it feel more authentic and real. When you watch it, you almost forget you are watching a movie and you think you are really there.”

That seemed to be the point of One World –- to take Disney’s young viewers to India and tell them a story of dreaming big while staying close to family, even if one of the family members took a different path.

“The girls have big dreams of stardom,” said Chase, a graduate of Harvard Law School. “But they are trying to hold on to family and explore the world.”

Sharma agreed, adding that One World will expand the horizons of its viewers.

“It starts off with dreaming big,” he said. “The thing with the Cheetah Girls is that they dream and dream big, and they never give up. They have each other to overcome their obstacles, through friendship and support.”

An Indian-American born in Andover, Massachusetts, Sharma’s princely role gave him an opportunity to illustrate the common bond between life in India and the United States.

“The merger between east and west is very evident,” he said. “By falling in love, the prince and the Bollywood superstar are all vulnerable, just as they are here.”

Most importantly, the theme of the movie may be most evident in its title –- One World. The entire cast and production crew included a diverse array of American and Indian team members. In true Disney fashion, the movie, with all of its color and song and dance, demonstrated that no matter how different our goals or backgrounds may be, we all live in the same place, and all that matters is friendship and understanding each other.

“The Indian crew members were really proud of what we are doing, and they understood we wanted to create a movie to introduce their culture to America and the world,” Chase said. “Even in the smallest villages, kids are going to school. People feel they are improving themselves. That is what The Cheetah Girls is about –- experiencing the world.”

American lead actor (and star of the upcoming Beverly Hills: 90210 remake) Michael Sterger, whose character Vikram Bhatia plays the musical director, agreed. “Being a half a world away makes you appreciate other people’s differences,” he said.

For Ginn, One World was instrumental in using a Bollywood-themed movie, not just to introduce a different culture back home, but to confirm the amount of diversity in Hollywood as well. “This movie is going to be seen by about every teen and ‘tween in America,” he said. “I have to applaud Cheetah Girls in taking a chance in casting an Indian male as a lead. When you present something with an Indian leading male and leading female lead, they (Disney’s viewers) accept it at face value at such an early age. Now, these kids are going to have this seeded into their minds and will expect to see diverse lead roles for the rest of their lives.”

Also starring Roshan Seth (of Gandhi fame), The Cheetah Girls: One World struggles to resolve its global community and international friendship theme with the defection of one of its own core members, but the movie still is colorful and energetic.

Perhaps Disney will return with a fourth Cheetah Girls movie, where the theme may be friends supporting each other’s individual aspirations instead of shunning it for the sake of the group. Until then, enjoy the unique cultural diversity –- and unity –- of One World.

Popularity: 11% [?]