Bollygarch

English

Etymology

Blend of Bollywood +‎ oligarch. Compare boligarch.

Pronunciation

Noun

Bollygarch (plural Bollygarchs)

  1. (informal) An Indian oligarch or billionaire.
    • 2011, The Economist:
      The Bollygarchs' magic mix.
    • 2013 June 6, Bloomsbury Publishing, The Authors XI: A Season of English Cricket from Hackney to Hambledon, A&C Black, →ISBN:
      Getting into politics will cost you: India's Election Commission estimates the cost of fighting a seat is twenty- five million rupees. Only cricketers and Bollygarchs can afford that.
    • 2020 December 21, Philip McMichael, Heloise Weber, Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective, SAGE Publications, →ISBN:
      The Indian "Bollygarchs" became a transnational oligarchy, investing in real estate in London, New York, and Singapore, along with Chinese and Russian plutocrats.

Usage notes

Because the "B" in Bollywood originally came from "Bombay" (Mumbai), it might carry for some a connotation of that city, but the term is chiefly used outside India to refer to oligarchs from anywhere in India.

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