Speaking of the majority of the Indian films, the first thing that comes to our mind is the imaginary and vague form of society shown in them. No doubt, there are films portraying the real Indian society, but they are too scarce in number to bring about any change in the current scenario.
Recently, I came across a film by a reputed actor, made some two or three years earlier and surprisingly, I could just predict what was going to happen in the subsequent scenes. Now, the question which pops up in this sort of a condition is that, “Are these helping or entertaining in any sense?” Yes, they are entertaining but not helping.
We Indians have always suffered from a disorder, the disorder being ‘My Country, Right or wrong”, this has shaped our perspective towards the world around us since a long time, and this has acutely been represented in our taste for films. While, we rarely find a person watching good world cinema, there stand many to just neglect the practice of watching them based on their impact on Indian society, which is practically very less.
In about a long time, we come across an Indian film which has elements to satisfy both the masses and classes. Why is it like that?
There can’t be any straight answer to that but only some reflections on the probable cause. One such may be the Indian fetish for “masala” movies. The directors need t understand that they, with their huge capital, have been bestowed upon not only the duty to entertain but also have been endowed upon with the power to influence a large section o the population towards progressive ideals and better understanding of the society that we inhabit. It will be foolishness on our part to assume or expect that everybody will start making something for a cause, or that somebody will make something only for a cause for the whole of his lifetime, that’s not possible. But it’s possible that while they try to do good business for a few ones, they should also have the mettle to make something useful in between those.
Business is a must, but when business shows something utterly out of place, then it’s just a bad business. Hindi films have showed everything over the years, from college students marrying while in college, to sex on Malaysian beaches to cheating your wife for a better girl to defying the laws of physics. But is our society only about cosy evenings and bright mornings?
The answer is a straight “NO”. The masala films are a necessity for the masses but they should be also exposed at times to the truth, the naked truth of our society which is our attitude towards people with different sexual orientations, the molestations of women and children, etc and the list goes on. Entertaining films are a must, but films with a proper message should also come in between those, otherwise the whole industry of Bollywood, in time will be turned into nothing but a well that only gives water to satisfy our thirst for a split second but can never provide us with the long heave of relief, that is bound to occur, on drinking the sweet waters of India.
Amidst all these, directors like Shoojit Sircar, S.L. Bhansali, Mahesh Bhatt, Vishal Bhardwaj, etc bring about fresh waves into our viewing list. While “Chakravyuh” depicts the Maoist situation, “Piku” gives us a picture of a Bengali troubled with the common Indian problem of gas, “Zakhm” showed glimpses of the unrest between Hindus and Muslims. Over the time, there have been revolutionary films, but the only problem is that they have been very less in number. Who can dare forget “Lagaan” or “The Legend of Bhagat Singh” or “Haider”? They did not have huge star casts, nor did they have a vague portrayal of the society. They had one thing, and that was the truth, the truth in the storyline, the truth in their maker’s intentions and of course, brilliant acting. We need more such brilliant portrayals of the Indian society; we can do with lesser umber of unrealistic action flicks and romances.
Speaking of romances and action flicks, a good romance or a good action movie is always welcome. Such movies are like a mind refresher, and if teamed up with proper acting skills and direction, can do wonders for the industry and the masses. A whole generation learned how to romance from KKHH, and DDLG, such movies are always welcome, but such brilliant acting is a rarity these days where the depiction of the female body has taken over the acting skills portrayed.
The dynastical theory of succession, which has ruined our political scene for decades, has been witnessing a steep increase in the field of cinema too. While the sons and daughters of film personalities find it cakewalking smooth to launch them, many better and fresh talents get lost in the slums of Mumbai. The few which somehow make it out to the next stage frequently face horrors like extortion, harassment, etc. The disorganised system of our film industry eats up many without a burp. One prime cause for this is the huge section of disorganised labour engaged in the film industry without having a proper platform to organise themselves and vent out their feelings and lost aspirations.
All I am advocating here is for a proper system, where everyone gets a fair chance of expressing and showcasing their talent. I agree that acting, singing, etc are talents that cannot be justified with a certificate, hence a free and open system of testing ones talent is the way forward, and such exams should not be restricted to the number of attempts or age, so as to provide everyone with a fair chance. The government should intervene in this to prevent the thousands spoiling their life running after something which either their talents or their present pockets can’t afford. Alternatively, theatre or any such relative platform can also be made compulsory for anyone wanting to work in films. The disorganised labour employed in our film industry needs to be brought under a common system and banner to raise their levels and also, their wages.
Let me say one last thing which is vital to this piece, I am not an expert on films neither am I actively or passively involved in the industry, these are just my opinions towards how innumerable lives can be spared of the horrors of evils like casting couch, harassment for roles, etc.
