Something related to the kind of Bollywood movies I had seen and heard about in the past couple of years had been nagging me but I was not able to narrow down to it, before I had an interesting discussion with a colleague. Kashish Nanavati is one of those few people who watches a movie in theater every weekend! I remember when he mentioned that if he does not watch a movie or go out on weekend he feels like wasting two wonderful days doing nothing. Rockstar starring Ranbir Kapoor and directed by Imtiaz Ali had just released and we were talking about the response it received at the Box office. Kashish felt the movie was good, along with the fantastic songs composed by A. R. Rahman. Some of our friends debated that people slog 5-6 days a week at office and deserve entertainment, not something which will make them stress their minds.
I have not yet seen Rockstar but Kashish says that it's a very good fictional biography of an artist. Although it received almost no appreciation for anything else except songs, it seems to be something new and fresh. Just an assumption, which I derive from the previous films made by Imtiaz Ali. I am sure you folks vividly remember Jab we Met by Imtiaz, but he has also made films like Socha na tha and Love Aaj Kal, and written the story for Ahista Ahista. I like the freshness in his approach, and also of filmmakers Dibakar Banerjee (Khosla ka Ghosla fame), Sriram Raghavan (Ek Hasina thi and Johhny Gaddar fame), Raju Hirani (Munnabhai series and 3 Idiots fame), Anurag Kashyap (Black Friday, Dev.D, Udaan and Shaitaan fame), Shimit Amin (Ab Tak Chappan, Chak De and Rocket Singh fame) and a few more. These people are audacious enough to break barriers and think different.
Otherwise, what new do you find in Bollywood movies? It's more of a follow-the-flow attitude. A Murder comes, and is followed by movies with steamy scenes as attraction point. A Dabangg comes and filmmakers follow the trend. Where is innovation? Filmmakers are more involved in working on the marketing aspect; how to promote the film, how to generate curiosity and above all how to make money! Now I can relate why media terms Bollywood as an industry; people are here to earn money and nothing else. Gone are the days when people made movies as an artistic venture. I heard on radio couple of days back, when Rishi Kapoor was talking about how difficult it was for his family when Raj Kapoor's Joker did not do too well at the Box Office. They lost all that they had as every penny was spent on that movie. Similar situation happened in the life of Dadasaheb Phalke as well, the pioneer of Indian cinema. Back then people were passionate about creating something which they had in mind, without worrying much about it's acceptance. Art was the reason behind it and not Commerce.
I am awe struck by the variety of subjects brought forward by Hollywood movies. Godfather series, Rocky series, Rambo series, Terminator series, Jurassic Park series, Harry Potter series, Twilight series, Kung Fu Panda series, Inception, Blood Diamond, Beautiful Mind, Troy; the list is virtually endless. People use their brains to come up with subjects not explored before. And it's not just the story, the newness in it's execution is really cool. Look at the work of filmmakers Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and many more. Look at the performances of Al Pacino, Robert Di Niro, Tom Hanks, Sylvester Stallone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Eric Bana, Will Smith, Jackie Chan, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Robin Williams, Natalie Portman, Kate Winslet, Amy Adams; again an endless list. Hollywood delivers movies with substance effortlessly, ranging from realistic to larger than life. Yes they are free willed people with a broad mind, unlike conservative people like us.
A vast portion of our population will always be hungry for masala movies with Salman's and Shahrukh's. People who are interested to watch 21 stars in the same frame, item songs by Malaika's and Katrina's, comeback' by yesteryear stars and what not. All this is excellently exploited by the marketers cum filmmakers. Media is bought to get 4 star ratings, pairing up with tv shows for promotions, visits to reality shows by star cast, even awards seem to have been bought, which is strange. A good product sells itself; has this skipped out of their minds? Every good subject will have an audience, volume will vary. Instead of doing massive promotions of Ra.One, Shahrukh Khan can act and promote movies like Swades and Chak De more often. Akshay Kumar can come up with something like the Bourne series or Indiana Jones. If only these stalwarts consider bringing up the downtrodden standards of Indian cinema, we can hope for a revival. I would always prefer Bollywood matching Hollywood in diversity of subjects and performances rather than money. I want movies like Raaz, Anzaad Apna Apna, Murder 2, Dhoom and Dilwale Dulhaniya le Jayenge, and also like The Stoneman Murders, Bheja Fry, Dor, Wednesday, Aamir and Zinda. After all, variety is the spice of life, isn't it?
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