A Bollywood Fable!
Often in polite company, we are asked what we do for a living. And often when I answer, I get a feeling that while talking, I have suddenly morphed into a very bright, colorful, exotic talking bird. Everyone stares for a moment before breaking out into a gamut of expressions. As though the entertainment industry was a dirty word. Some people are downright rude and use that opportunity to run down Bollywood as harshly as they can. Some people think writing and making films is frivolous. While some others want gossip on demand.
Bollywood actually is a great leveler. Everyone and anyone in India can unite over Bollywood in its many forms. The films, the actors, the directors, the sleaze and the gossip. As a nation, we are most unforgiving of our film industry, which, as of now, is the biggest in the world. Churning out more films per year than Hollywood. Just like the world has suddenly discovered Indian art and artists and is shelling out millions for their works, Bollywood too had the same Rip Van Winklesque reaction from the world. Today, it’s a global rage. Everyone knows that Bollywood has arrived.
Yet, most educated Indians are so unforgiving, biased and scathing in their reactions. Why is it okay to fawn and swoon over the fact that the Delhi Metro is an exact prototype of the Australian Metro? People look at it and are filled with awe. But why do they get so vitriolic when Bollywood looks towards Hollywood for technical inspiration (NOT creative, which I agree, is wrong!) and the way the corporate culture works? Our communication services, our banks, our FMCG companies, our space programs, our largely capitalistic economy are all based on the western module. Do we complain? Do we say horrible, mean things about them? No we don’t. Largely for two reasons.
1. We are not equipped to talk about these things. Like Parkinson’s Bike Shed Law.
Bollywood actually is a great leveler. Everyone and anyone in India can unite over Bollywood in its many forms. The films, the actors, the directors, the sleaze and the gossip. As a nation, we are most unforgiving of our film industry, which, as of now, is the biggest in the world. Churning out more films per year than Hollywood. Just like the world has suddenly discovered Indian art and artists and is shelling out millions for their works, Bollywood too had the same Rip Van Winklesque reaction from the world. Today, it’s a global rage. Everyone knows that Bollywood has arrived.
Yet, most educated Indians are so unforgiving, biased and scathing in their reactions. Why is it okay to fawn and swoon over the fact that the Delhi Metro is an exact prototype of the Australian Metro? People look at it and are filled with awe. But why do they get so vitriolic when Bollywood looks towards Hollywood for technical inspiration (NOT creative, which I agree, is wrong!) and the way the corporate culture works? Our communication services, our banks, our FMCG companies, our space programs, our largely capitalistic economy are all based on the western module. Do we complain? Do we say horrible, mean things about them? No we don’t. Largely for two reasons.
1. We are not equipped to talk about these things. Like Parkinson’s Bike Shed Law.
2. These are things that mark our country’s development. Things that have taken it to being the 12th richest country in the world, and the country with the fastest growth potential.
And Bollywood is a part of it too. But still, we keep dissing it.
“Why do we have all that song and dance still?”
“Hollywood superheroes are so much better than Krrish!”
“Why do we make films for the NRI audiences?”
“What sort of reality is being portrayed in modern films?”
It goes on and on…ad nauseum.
Why? Is it because we all think we are highly knowledgeable when it comes to film technology? Or just because it’s easier to bitch about it? It’s easier to sit in our living rooms watching a film and criticizing the sets, the action and the dialogues in any which way we want. If not that, we will comment on how fat the actors are, how bad their clothes are, the sets are lousy… Does anyone even know what it really takes to make a film and to present it to a billion plus strongly opinionated people in our own country? Not to mention worldwide audiences?
How many people are familiar with the history of the Indian film industry? Just like knowledge of our national history is important when we discuss our economic and technological progress. Why do we ignore the fact that the Indian film industry too has come a long way? And it has not been easy. It has a history. And a rather rich one at that. Let me quickly educate you as I hold a masters’ degree in the subject!
Did you know that India was one of the very first countries to swing into film-making, and has seen global collaborations and won global laurels very early on? The Lumiere Brothers came to Bombay in July 1896 within 7 months of their opening show in Paris. Even before 1913, when Dadasaheb Phalke made Raja Harishchandra, there were several one- and two- reelers made and exhibited. Bombay and Calcutta were beehives of film activity with people such as Hiralal Sen and Save Dada producing and exhibiting films. Films were being made in American cities, but California and especially Hollywood became a center only in 1909 when Col. William Selig went from Chicago to the Pacific Coast in search of perpetual sunshine, something that was in ample supply in Bombay and Calcutta.
The world in those days was more cosmopolitan. Indian pioneers like Himanshu Rai, who made the classic Light Of Asia with Emelka Company of Munich in 1925 had no problem with German collaboration. Franz Osten worked with Rai as a director and had a German cinematographer. In the 1950s another German cinematographer filmed Anand Math and films like The River by Jean Renoir, based on Rummer Godden’s novel, and Bhowani Junction based on a John Masters novel, were made. Indian films went abroad and won prizes in international film festivals. Sant Tukaram won an award at the Venice Film Festival as early as 1937.
After independence, the flow back and forth from India to the West continued, but politics began to change the film industry’s stance. Satyajit Ray learned from Jean Renoir filming in India and went on to regain India’s international position in the world by winning awards year after year. Right after independence.
Independent India was obsessed with making its own hardware and for the first 40 years, a lot of resources were wasted on making machines rather than buying them. Only after 1991 we realized that India is better at software than hardware. Yet, the film industry was there as a shining example of an industry which worked with imported cameras and sound recording equipment and raw stock and yet created the world’s largest motion picture industry.
From the 1960s on, India was also cut off from exchanges with Hollywood as the mutual Indo-American paranoia took hold after Lyndon Johnson’s clash with Indira Gandhi. Collaboration with Hollywood, or indeed any western film-maker, stopped, and foreign producers found shooting in India difficult.
Indian policy makers treated cinema like dirt and something so frivolous, that they refused to give it industry status. Thus driving it into the clutches of black money, underworld, and extortionist financiers. Films were (mostly) financed by the underworld or diamond merchants charging exorbitant rates of interest - 30 per cent and more. The dons dictated the stars, interfered with the storyline, and sometime asked "special friends" to be cast alongside the hero, virtually guaranteeing that the film would bomb. Only after 1991 did sense prevail and by the turn of the century, industry status was accorded to cinema. Bollywood was corporatized in the year 2000. Which meant that filmmakers could now legitimately borrow money from banks and hopefully float equity.
It is now very clear that the world likes Indian cinema or Bollywood as it is and not just in art films. There is a diaspora out there as well as a new fan club growing around the world for Indian cinema. It’s no longer just the NRIs. It’s a global audience. And if it were not so, we would not be holding grand premieres in cities like Paris where even English is not the main language. Parisians going crazy over SRK and the recently concluded Bollywood Week is something to be proud of. We have loads of opinions on Veer-Zaara. Yet the French loved it. After very positive reactions from the German media at the 55th Berlinale Film Festival last year Veer-Zaara was released to the German public in the German language to unprecedented response. The music and the DVDs of Veer-Zaara are the highest selling titles in Germany for a foreign film.
How did this happen? Well, post 2000, the film industry grew up, the corporate world spotted an opportunity, and the rules of the game changed irreversibly. Stars began to report on locations in time not because some bhai was arm-twisting them, but because it was written into their contracts. Films went on to the floor on schedule and were wrapped up on time because the contracts had completion bonds written into them, and because such things as bound scripts had become mandatory to the process. And the phrase "bombed at the Box Office" became redundant because, whether they ran or not, chances are that everything from 36 China Town to the ill-fated Tom, Dick and Harry made at least enough money to tide them over. In a matter of only a few years, filmmaking in India has changed rapidly, crossing over (a favorite Bollywood phrase) to the Hollywood mould.
Why this is important to mention is because now the producers and filmmakers have that security for their investments. If they ensure that minimum returns are guaranteed, they can freely experiment with new techniques, stories and scripts without giving in to the industry stereotypes. Pre-corporatization, films like Black, Lagaan and Rang De Basanti wouldn’t have been possible. Now, arguments like, a film with a blind heroine and no hero, or, a period film on cricket with no action, or a multi-starrer where not only does everyone die the climax doesn’t belong to the hero…are passé.
Just six years, and the results are in front of all of us. Change doesn’t happen overnight and all at once. We’ve successfully covered the first tentative steps. We’ve got the techno-wizardry down pat. In fact, so well that Hollywood has begun outsourcing visual and special effects to Bollywood technicians. Case in point: Lord Of The Rings – Return of the King. How many Bollywood bashers know that the visual effects for this epic film with its mammoth scale of production were done by an Indian company called Applause Entertainment? The same production house that also made the successful film Black last year. No matter what we say about Krrish and his songs and dances, the fact remains that it was a bonafide Bollywood film which did indeed wipe out Superman Returns all over the world. American critics in publications like Newsweek applauded the brilliant $20 million Krrish as they panned the $200 million Superman Returns.
Isn’t this an indication of how talented we are and how technically advanced as well? Our first superhero film does not have any computer generated stunts. Yet, we find it hard to digest the fact that we have indeed made a film that is challenging a Hollywood biggie. Which has broken film records all over South India as well, which is the toughest territory for a Hindi film. Not just that, Krrish is now a case study for our IIM’s and even Harvard Business School and various other top B-schools in Europe as well. And then again, Hollywood is looking Eastwards without any prejudice to remake our films. Soon, Munnabhai MBBS will have a Hollywood counterpart in Gangster MD. Are we proud yet?
Rang De Basanti and Krrish are the harbingers of a new era in Bollywood which began in 2006. No two films will have the same theme. We will have an action-adventure film, romantic comedies, a family drama, a film on extra-marital relationships and infidelity, an Indian version of Lolita, an Indian adaptation of Othello, a fast-paced thriller and more. All the major Hollywood studios have landed here and started production. Right from Twentieth Century Fox to Walt Disney Pictures to Sony Pictures and Columbia Tristar. They’re all here and they’ve brought in their business acumen and distribution networks to make Bollywood bigger and better and totally global.
And Bollywood is a part of it too. But still, we keep dissing it.
“Why do we have all that song and dance still?”
“Hollywood superheroes are so much better than Krrish!”
“Why do we make films for the NRI audiences?”
“What sort of reality is being portrayed in modern films?”
It goes on and on…ad nauseum.
Why? Is it because we all think we are highly knowledgeable when it comes to film technology? Or just because it’s easier to bitch about it? It’s easier to sit in our living rooms watching a film and criticizing the sets, the action and the dialogues in any which way we want. If not that, we will comment on how fat the actors are, how bad their clothes are, the sets are lousy… Does anyone even know what it really takes to make a film and to present it to a billion plus strongly opinionated people in our own country? Not to mention worldwide audiences?
How many people are familiar with the history of the Indian film industry? Just like knowledge of our national history is important when we discuss our economic and technological progress. Why do we ignore the fact that the Indian film industry too has come a long way? And it has not been easy. It has a history. And a rather rich one at that. Let me quickly educate you as I hold a masters’ degree in the subject!
Did you know that India was one of the very first countries to swing into film-making, and has seen global collaborations and won global laurels very early on? The Lumiere Brothers came to Bombay in July 1896 within 7 months of their opening show in Paris. Even before 1913, when Dadasaheb Phalke made Raja Harishchandra, there were several one- and two- reelers made and exhibited. Bombay and Calcutta were beehives of film activity with people such as Hiralal Sen and Save Dada producing and exhibiting films. Films were being made in American cities, but California and especially Hollywood became a center only in 1909 when Col. William Selig went from Chicago to the Pacific Coast in search of perpetual sunshine, something that was in ample supply in Bombay and Calcutta.
The world in those days was more cosmopolitan. Indian pioneers like Himanshu Rai, who made the classic Light Of Asia with Emelka Company of Munich in 1925 had no problem with German collaboration. Franz Osten worked with Rai as a director and had a German cinematographer. In the 1950s another German cinematographer filmed Anand Math and films like The River by Jean Renoir, based on Rummer Godden’s novel, and Bhowani Junction based on a John Masters novel, were made. Indian films went abroad and won prizes in international film festivals. Sant Tukaram won an award at the Venice Film Festival as early as 1937.
After independence, the flow back and forth from India to the West continued, but politics began to change the film industry’s stance. Satyajit Ray learned from Jean Renoir filming in India and went on to regain India’s international position in the world by winning awards year after year. Right after independence.
Independent India was obsessed with making its own hardware and for the first 40 years, a lot of resources were wasted on making machines rather than buying them. Only after 1991 we realized that India is better at software than hardware. Yet, the film industry was there as a shining example of an industry which worked with imported cameras and sound recording equipment and raw stock and yet created the world’s largest motion picture industry.
From the 1960s on, India was also cut off from exchanges with Hollywood as the mutual Indo-American paranoia took hold after Lyndon Johnson’s clash with Indira Gandhi. Collaboration with Hollywood, or indeed any western film-maker, stopped, and foreign producers found shooting in India difficult.
Indian policy makers treated cinema like dirt and something so frivolous, that they refused to give it industry status. Thus driving it into the clutches of black money, underworld, and extortionist financiers. Films were (mostly) financed by the underworld or diamond merchants charging exorbitant rates of interest - 30 per cent and more. The dons dictated the stars, interfered with the storyline, and sometime asked "special friends" to be cast alongside the hero, virtually guaranteeing that the film would bomb. Only after 1991 did sense prevail and by the turn of the century, industry status was accorded to cinema. Bollywood was corporatized in the year 2000. Which meant that filmmakers could now legitimately borrow money from banks and hopefully float equity.
It is now very clear that the world likes Indian cinema or Bollywood as it is and not just in art films. There is a diaspora out there as well as a new fan club growing around the world for Indian cinema. It’s no longer just the NRIs. It’s a global audience. And if it were not so, we would not be holding grand premieres in cities like Paris where even English is not the main language. Parisians going crazy over SRK and the recently concluded Bollywood Week is something to be proud of. We have loads of opinions on Veer-Zaara. Yet the French loved it. After very positive reactions from the German media at the 55th Berlinale Film Festival last year Veer-Zaara was released to the German public in the German language to unprecedented response. The music and the DVDs of Veer-Zaara are the highest selling titles in Germany for a foreign film.
How did this happen? Well, post 2000, the film industry grew up, the corporate world spotted an opportunity, and the rules of the game changed irreversibly. Stars began to report on locations in time not because some bhai was arm-twisting them, but because it was written into their contracts. Films went on to the floor on schedule and were wrapped up on time because the contracts had completion bonds written into them, and because such things as bound scripts had become mandatory to the process. And the phrase "bombed at the Box Office" became redundant because, whether they ran or not, chances are that everything from 36 China Town to the ill-fated Tom, Dick and Harry made at least enough money to tide them over. In a matter of only a few years, filmmaking in India has changed rapidly, crossing over (a favorite Bollywood phrase) to the Hollywood mould.
Why this is important to mention is because now the producers and filmmakers have that security for their investments. If they ensure that minimum returns are guaranteed, they can freely experiment with new techniques, stories and scripts without giving in to the industry stereotypes. Pre-corporatization, films like Black, Lagaan and Rang De Basanti wouldn’t have been possible. Now, arguments like, a film with a blind heroine and no hero, or, a period film on cricket with no action, or a multi-starrer where not only does everyone die the climax doesn’t belong to the hero…are passé.
Just six years, and the results are in front of all of us. Change doesn’t happen overnight and all at once. We’ve successfully covered the first tentative steps. We’ve got the techno-wizardry down pat. In fact, so well that Hollywood has begun outsourcing visual and special effects to Bollywood technicians. Case in point: Lord Of The Rings – Return of the King. How many Bollywood bashers know that the visual effects for this epic film with its mammoth scale of production were done by an Indian company called Applause Entertainment? The same production house that also made the successful film Black last year. No matter what we say about Krrish and his songs and dances, the fact remains that it was a bonafide Bollywood film which did indeed wipe out Superman Returns all over the world. American critics in publications like Newsweek applauded the brilliant $20 million Krrish as they panned the $200 million Superman Returns.
Isn’t this an indication of how talented we are and how technically advanced as well? Our first superhero film does not have any computer generated stunts. Yet, we find it hard to digest the fact that we have indeed made a film that is challenging a Hollywood biggie. Which has broken film records all over South India as well, which is the toughest territory for a Hindi film. Not just that, Krrish is now a case study for our IIM’s and even Harvard Business School and various other top B-schools in Europe as well. And then again, Hollywood is looking Eastwards without any prejudice to remake our films. Soon, Munnabhai MBBS will have a Hollywood counterpart in Gangster MD. Are we proud yet?
Rang De Basanti and Krrish are the harbingers of a new era in Bollywood which began in 2006. No two films will have the same theme. We will have an action-adventure film, romantic comedies, a family drama, a film on extra-marital relationships and infidelity, an Indian version of Lolita, an Indian adaptation of Othello, a fast-paced thriller and more. All the major Hollywood studios have landed here and started production. Right from Twentieth Century Fox to Walt Disney Pictures to Sony Pictures and Columbia Tristar. They’re all here and they’ve brought in their business acumen and distribution networks to make Bollywood bigger and better and totally global.
By the end of 2007, the Indian film industry would have had a complete overhaul, breaking free from privately owned distribution channels which often dictate the way a film should shape up. New filmmakers will not only get funding easily but also the actors they want if their scripts are strong enough. And yes, the screenwriters can finally enjoy their moment of glory and creative freedom. All this will happen under a stipulated timeframe and under iron-clad contracts.
But the point remains that the “multiplex audiences” have become highly insulated. They are so stricken with Hollywood that they fail to ever appreciate and understand the essential characteristics of Indian cinema. Look at the films that came out last year. Films like Bunty Aur Babli, Parineeta, Dus, Black, Sarkar, Salaam Namaste, Bluffmaster… All of them different, all of them highly enjoyable if one watches them without any bias. Salaam Namaste was actually the first mainstream film showing a live-in relationship as a perfectly normal way of life. Look at our television, which has been completely taken over by the saas-bahu sagas. People like us don’t relate to it. Most of our television viewing is the American soaps and sitcoms. We crib about how televison is so retro. But when our films reflect the changing society and bring to fore issues that we actually deal with everyday, we crib about that too. Completely forgetting the parameters that filmmakers have to adhere to while telling a story.
And of course, no one knows how to criticize in the real sense of the term. Forgetting the one basic law of critical appreciation. That you criticize a work of art for what it is. Not for what its not. If Shakespeare had meant Hamlet to be a tragedy, one can’t say, “Oh but it should have been a little lighter! It was too depressing. There was no humor…” Well, there wasn’t supposed to be humor. Similarly, if a film is about emotions and relationships, it would be downright dumb to expect it to be a thriller. And where songs and dances are concerned, don’t they form a very important part of our festivals and celebrations? Don’t we have songs and dances for our weddings, for different festivals, and each state has its own folk music tradition.
How many of watch films in the old, standalone theaters like Paras and Savitri in Delhi? How many of us have watched films in small towns and villages? It’s an experience to sit in an old movie hall, watching the film begin and watching the audience whistling and clapping the minute the hero enters. They applaud every cool dialogue, their appreciation for the songs and dances is expressed through loud wolf whistles and if they leave the theaters chatting animatedly about the film or singing songs or repeating dialogues, you know its paisa vasool entertainment for them. And they are the majority of people responsible for the success of a film. The multiplex audiences smirk and guffaw when they hear things like how a film has to work for the people of UP and Punjab. But then, those are audiences too. And much larger in number than the multiplex crowds who know exactly what they’re paying their hard earned money for. And they don’t watch Hollywood films. They’ve not seen Lord Of The Rings. But by 2008, when Ramayana will be on the big screen with the same scale of production and visual effects as LOTR, they will be awestruck and bring their entire families for repeat shows while multiplex people will still be nitpicking. Why, I’ve even met people who have their smart alecky comments about a film like Rang De Basanti as well. There are people who think they have such brilliant logic when they critique that film, and they wonder why it worked.
But the point remains that the “multiplex audiences” have become highly insulated. They are so stricken with Hollywood that they fail to ever appreciate and understand the essential characteristics of Indian cinema. Look at the films that came out last year. Films like Bunty Aur Babli, Parineeta, Dus, Black, Sarkar, Salaam Namaste, Bluffmaster… All of them different, all of them highly enjoyable if one watches them without any bias. Salaam Namaste was actually the first mainstream film showing a live-in relationship as a perfectly normal way of life. Look at our television, which has been completely taken over by the saas-bahu sagas. People like us don’t relate to it. Most of our television viewing is the American soaps and sitcoms. We crib about how televison is so retro. But when our films reflect the changing society and bring to fore issues that we actually deal with everyday, we crib about that too. Completely forgetting the parameters that filmmakers have to adhere to while telling a story.
And of course, no one knows how to criticize in the real sense of the term. Forgetting the one basic law of critical appreciation. That you criticize a work of art for what it is. Not for what its not. If Shakespeare had meant Hamlet to be a tragedy, one can’t say, “Oh but it should have been a little lighter! It was too depressing. There was no humor…” Well, there wasn’t supposed to be humor. Similarly, if a film is about emotions and relationships, it would be downright dumb to expect it to be a thriller. And where songs and dances are concerned, don’t they form a very important part of our festivals and celebrations? Don’t we have songs and dances for our weddings, for different festivals, and each state has its own folk music tradition.
How many of watch films in the old, standalone theaters like Paras and Savitri in Delhi? How many of us have watched films in small towns and villages? It’s an experience to sit in an old movie hall, watching the film begin and watching the audience whistling and clapping the minute the hero enters. They applaud every cool dialogue, their appreciation for the songs and dances is expressed through loud wolf whistles and if they leave the theaters chatting animatedly about the film or singing songs or repeating dialogues, you know its paisa vasool entertainment for them. And they are the majority of people responsible for the success of a film. The multiplex audiences smirk and guffaw when they hear things like how a film has to work for the people of UP and Punjab. But then, those are audiences too. And much larger in number than the multiplex crowds who know exactly what they’re paying their hard earned money for. And they don’t watch Hollywood films. They’ve not seen Lord Of The Rings. But by 2008, when Ramayana will be on the big screen with the same scale of production and visual effects as LOTR, they will be awestruck and bring their entire families for repeat shows while multiplex people will still be nitpicking. Why, I’ve even met people who have their smart alecky comments about a film like Rang De Basanti as well. There are people who think they have such brilliant logic when they critique that film, and they wonder why it worked.
Well, for the simple reason that sometimes a film does touch a chord somewhere. And sometimes, it helps for us to shed our cynicism and go back to watching films the same way we heard and read fairy tales when we were young. Actually, even the same way we watched films in the 70's and 80's, when a fatal injury caused during a shoot sent Amitabh Bachchan in the hospital and the entire country prayed for his quick recovery. If that's not love for Bollywood, what is?
The world has enough troubles to keep us sad and cynical all the time as it is. Let’s not carry it over to films, which is after all a world of make believe and fantasy. And really not to be taken all that seriosuly or literally.
The world has enough troubles to keep us sad and cynical all the time as it is. Let’s not carry it over to films, which is after all a world of make believe and fantasy. And really not to be taken all that seriosuly or literally.
Give it a chance!
posted by Vijayeta | 1:59 pm
56 Comments:
Wow. I'm the first to be here? I'm sorry I haven't been visiting--I've been a bad blogger. But you are always great to read.
it helps for us to shed our cynicism and go back to watching films the same way we heard and read fairy tales when we were young.
Brilliant! This post's direct dil se, I can see :)
Well said! :) And I am SO gald you finally did this post! :)
Well it sure feels a little strange commenting here for the first time. Though I have been reading your blog for a long time now and often have re-read some of your previous posts too. Much as your crisp and unsentimental writing style fascinates me, so does the line of thought and the quirky wit and dry humor.
I work in the corporate sector and I travel a lot internationally on business. And in the last year or so, i've noticed the sudden awareness about Bollywood. My European and American colleagues always ask me to send them DVD's of new Bollywood films. I was in Paris when the Bollywood Week was happening and was dragged to the theater by my French colleagues. I realised how "insulated" I had become when i saw a crowd which comprised 80% Europeans, going crazy over films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Veer-Zaara and Black. When they discussed the films later, it was a very different point of view and one which did not say things like Why is there so much song and dance? Or melodrama? Or all the other things the "insulated multiplex audiences" in India say. It was refreshing and it made me look at our cinema in a new light too. You're right when you say that films like Salaam Namaste are a reflection of our changing society. The Western World relates to it too and thankfully the notion that India is all about snake-charmers and elephants is completely passe. Post Bollywood Week, I'm a total convert and I surprised myself and my friends by saying so.
I am also surprising myself right now by typing this comment. But it's a very well-written post, with crystal clear logic and I need to check out all those hyperlinks in detail now. And like someone has already said, you indeed write straight from the heart. Just for that level of honesty and passion, it would be grossly unfair to nitpick!
Keep writing more and more :)
I just found your blog and really liked this post. I'm a European, I've never been to India but I love Bollywood movies. I started watching them a couple of months ago and I'm completely addicted now. I love the songs and dances, I love it that the movies are so long and so different to what I was used to before. OK, I just watched Dus yesterday and didn't like it, but that's because I don't like action movies much. Bunty aur Babli is one of my favourite films though, and I'm really looking forward to the release of KANK.
Anyway, like Ajay says in his comment, there are suddenly loads of people all over the world who are really interested in Indian cinema, even if you just look around Blogger, there are lots of blogs about it.
I'm commenting to say that yours was the longest post EVER by anybody that I've read from start to finish. (That's a compliment, not a complaint! ;))Its always refreshing to come across someone who is so passionate about what they do. You keep going girl, more power to you!! :)
yay! :)
first time here, courtesy, the Basmatic blog. it has been a pleasure reading you, for the last few minutes, especially since anything that even remotely smells films (not necessarily bollywood) catches my fancy. and when the smell is as appetizing as that which u have been serving out here, u cant really blame me for having decided to hang on a bit longer, can u??
shallbe back for more. meanwhile, happy blogging!
:)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
urrrrgghh!
silly me posted the comment twice.
*bangs head*
;)
Enemy of the Republic:
Heyyy! Long time indeed... and thanks :)
Shub:
Absolutely, completely, 100% direct dil se... Phew! Some things do make me really mad! ;)
Ditty:
Yes! Finally! And the fact that i'm in Delhi on a short holiday helps too :p
Ajay S:
I so appreciate your honesty! I'm happy that you chose to comment on this post because this is something that makes me really mad. The attitudes of the "insulated" people. I mean, there has to be something that Bollywood's doing right to take it this far in the world?
And believe me, there will be more posts on Bollywood in the future!
Thanks a lot for all those incredibly nice things you said :)
maja:
You have warmed the cockles of my heart, girl! Bollywood is awesome! I agree with you on Dus. The opening sequence was mindblowing indeed. But I didnt mind the action sequences too 'cos they were the slickest ever as compared to the last few other action films! And Bunty Aur Babli is my all time favorite film too, along with Kal Ho Na Ho. And KANK is now only 10 days away. Yayyy! :D
Wishfulthinker:
*Grinning bashfully at the compliment*
I love what I do. I really do. ...And i hope others love what I do too :p
Oh! And i finally got around to linking you on my blogroll!
And I still think Leddies and Rowdies is a GEM!
Velu:
Welcome! And thanks a lot. I give bownie points to people who love films! I've decided that from now on, this blog will be more about films as well. And on the love for films. No gossip and sleaze (unless something drives me mad again!)... Suggestions are welcome too :)
Hey vijayeta! I'm finally getting around to commenting ;).
I love Bollywood movies wholeheartedly and unabashedly, and I'm glad I'm not the only one with that sentiment. As a fan living in NYC, I have plenty of opportunities to see films in theaters, access to countless DVD and CD shops, and lots of friends who share my filmi passion (the same friends who got me into this obsession a few years ago!)
I find your posts very insightful, precise, and passionate - but please don't post exclusively about films just yet! Everything you write about is of interest!
Totally Basmatic:
Thanks a tonne for saying that :)
It feels super duper awesome when one is trying to prove a point...and it's proven. A large part of Indians here in the metros have indeed stopped admiring Bollywood films for what they are. Instead, we love all foreign films unabashedly, which is a trifle unfair, won't you say? Because filmmakers make films first for their own audiences.
But yes, Bollywood's arrived and 2006 is gonna be a great year, with Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Dhoom-2, Don...
And no, I will not write exclusively about films.
:D
First post of yours to read.
I agree, that Bollywood cinema is chaning. If directors can make movies like Page-3, and Iqbal, and they are getting recognized by people, things sure look bright. Ill be more happy when bollywood turns away from the "item number" syndrome. I guess it sells a movie, but if any movie uses item number to promote itself, that shows that there is no story in the movie.
Wow!.. now that is your best post without any doubt..
I love bollywood, I love where it has reached..I love the song and dances.. I love the fun. the color.. it is the essense of being an indian.. and hey the mention of Lumiere brother's reminds me that Saif and Preity once sat in front of Amitabh and verbally thought over who Lumiere brothers were.. after five minutes of listening.. I shut the TV off.. Just felt like saying..
My 2 cents or roobees : Never compare Hollywood with Bollywood/kollywood/lollywood. We are comparing apples and oranges. Right,Vij?
Mahesh:
The item numbers came to be as a result of the experiment with making "songless" films. But sadly, it doesn't work like that here. Songs and dances are an integral part of our films. Unlike USA, we dont have a very big music industry. Our music business is still 80% film music. Most distributors in states like UP, Punjab, Bihar, MP, Gujarat etc won't buy a film if it doesn't have songs. Or it should be a film like Sarkar, with a huge star cast, which would draw the crowds nonetheless. And if a film has an item number, it is purely for promotional purposes, just to get people to notice the film. It's a tad unfair to say that if a film has an item number there's no story. There are so many films which don't have item numbers and no story either.
Page 3 had an item number too. As did Bluffmaster, Omkara, Bunty Aur Babli... almost all of them! It's important not just for film promotion, but also music sales.
Often, a producer is under pressure from the distributors etc to add an item song. Why do we forget, that end of the day, filmmaking is a business like any other, with crores riding on a single film?
Kd:
Thanks a tonne :)
And you'd be surprised how most people are unaware of our film history. Not expected from people like Saif and Preity though. Sad really :-/
Sriram:
Absolutely! I was handling post-production for a film at Prasad Labs in Chennai, and lived there for almost a year and saw the Tamil film industry up close. I was like, gobsmacked! Case in point, the mass hysteria over Dhanush's Manmadha Raasa dance from the film Thiruda Thirudi. It was just so awesome!!!
Not to get all parochial about north and south etc. The bottomline is: Films drive India!
Where else in the world do you have temples dedicated to movie stars? And then the "insulated Indians" have the cheek to say bad things about multi-starrer films. And talking of Hollywood, while WE can get all their techno-wizardry down to the tiniest detail, can THEY ever pull off a dance act like Dhanush or Hrithik? Ever?
Personally, I consider the period between the mid-seventies and mid-nineties to be the dark ages of Indian cinema. There were some gems here and there but they were really few and far between.
I agree with almost everything you have written. We have started making great, straight out, great movies. The gems have greatly increased in number and frequency.
Earlier I used to think that one of the reasons why Indian cinema could never really progress was simply because of the need to hit a chord with the small town and village population of India but it seems that the small-towns have grown up and more revenues come from the cities. Or else, at least something has changed.
Starting with Salaam Namaste, Black and on to Rang De Basanti, Fanaa (not seen enough of Krrish to comment on it yet), things have blown to a level that I really look forward to new movies being made.
I still have issues with the song and dance sequences though. Not "every" movie needs to be a musical. Some movies, it is good in, some, just unnessecary (Fanaa being a case in point). The way things are going though, I have high hopes. The industry should simply shirk off the nay-sayers. There exist for every industry but since Cinema is so integral in our lives, we just have a lot more of them for Bollywood than other industries.
Good work Bollywood. Fingers crossed, I am waiting for not nessecarily bigger but definitely better. Since I came back to India, I have yet to be really that dissapointed.
:D Hope this made you feel better. I also get a lot of blank faces when I tell them what I do but the responses I get are amusing at best. The most amusing one I got, after a good ten second delay, was, "Yeah, it's a niche field, like ours." I was in the 'Silicon Forrest' with ten other software professionals :D
Btw, WETA did the visual effects for LOTR. Applause Entertainment was subcontracted by WETA for LOTR:III, and they probably did only the final editing. But, Black was stunning. Watched it the same weekend that I watched Million Dollar Baby and Avaiator, but thought Black was way better. Was quite shocked that it was not sent to the Oscars.
That was a very good read on Indian cinema. I always wondered what happened after those wonderful movies of the 60s and 70s. And the business end of things looks very promising.
Still have to see Krrish... ever since Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, I have always craved for an Indian version where I get to flaunt instead of the Chinese!
I also think if we market our desi tharra and toddy and create a brand around Indian alcohol, it will sell as much as Japanese beer! It's all about packaging and marketing it well...
Okay, outta here!
Nice one! Well said - looks like it came straight from the heart. :)
hey vijayeta,
I believe you were talking about Indian movies and not purely hindi movies.. ?? Right ??
In this regard, I would like to remind you the frustration expressed by Malayalam superstar Mamooty at the recent IIFA awards where none of the "lesser India's" movie heritage and history was showcased. It was asif India is hindi and hindi is india.
Indian movies are not just hindi movies. Therefore when you say the largest number of movies made in the world, its not just bollywood that is counted. It includeds, telugu, tamil, malayalam, kannada, bengali..
That apart, whats wrong in criticising a movie. If I pay and watch "hamara dil aapke papa ke paas hai" I have every right to pan the actor, director, the stupid plotline, the stupid dances and the idiotic songs. To say that "you should understand our history and forgive our guffaws on the screen" is literally begging. I would applaud everyone in the world if I am making the money through them.
But If I am paying to view those laughable creations, I have the right to pan them. And panning such brain dead creations would make for better production values. Bad films need to be lynched in full public view.
Not even rajnikanth's block buster a few years back was spared. It failed to deliver the goods, everyone lost money (including thalaivar) and his rates plummetted.
Many times, I am terribly insulted even telling people that Shahrukh khan comes from my country. I somehow wish he had never happened.
There is nothing personal here, just based on what each one of us like.
So what should I do, shut up swallow and applaud the ton of crap he dumps on unsuspecting people ? I may be have different tastes but to say that I should not discuss it. Thats you getting so touchy.
The last straw. Dipak tijori's "Tom, Dick and Harry..". you know what I am talking about.
vasu
Forgot to add - I am a big movie buff. From oriya, to bengali, to bhojpuri...
If the movie is good, I will watch it. If the movie is trash. I will trash it.
I feel that 90% of songs in Indian movies are useless pieces of shit. I know so many people are working for it. But I think most of them arent even made well. We cant have an industry that lives on charity.
The fundemental diff between cinema and othre industries is this.
1) If hamam sucks, or lifeboy sucks, people will say it sucks, the company will withdraw the product and re-introduce it. Other industries understand perfectly the dynamics of markets.
2) Cinema industry is the only one which has a persona tragedy accompanying bad products. If a movie fails, the producer goes bankrupt, the star falls from grace. But thats got nothing to do with critics. Critics just assess the movie, the ultimate judge is the audience.
3) Cinema industry has an unorganised quality for itself. Even now 70% of the movies are made in an unprofessional fashion. Personal whims and fancies, exorbidant amounts of money spend on star's remuneration, horrific and many times stolen and mutliated scripts.
4) Original and well made movies like lagaan, hazaron kwaishen aisi, company etc have done well.
5) No onw is against songs, but if the hero, heroine and 100 other acquaintances of both break into a synchronous, stale dance routine with a nasal dud singing "Sajan, ishq, pyaar".. you cant fault the audience who puke on it. Can you.
6) Whenever a professional company introduces a product, they do their homework and conduct what is called as a "test marketing". Finding out weather the product fits people's liking. No movie maker ever does it. Thats why you have so many flops.
Instead of lashing out angrily at all and sundry, maybe the film industry should look inwards and see what ails it. Maybe if we dont pay that spoilt brat of a star 5 crores for a movie, the set desinger, the ward boy and 100 other lower paid worker would have a decent life.
But to do all that, you have to introspect away from the glare. the movie industry in India is incapable of doing that.
vasu
Fantastic post, very lucid and makes the case for Indian mainstream cinema beautifully.
Would just like to add, whether American or European audiences like Bollywood films or not is really not that big of a deal. We've always had an international appeal, though in different parts of the world. Bollywood films are very popular in the Middle East, North Africa, South-east Asia (especially Indonesia and Malaysia), Central Asia.
Also, I once read an interesting article from the film critic Anil Saari who said that compared to the 60s and 70s, there's far more interest in Bollywood movies and music from the English-educated middle and upper classes now.
There are of course the annoying whiners who happily watch every cheesy-ass Hollywood groanfest and then rip apart Bollywood. I think it's the same set that complains incessantly about Hindi film songs played in clubs, while thinking that crappy garage bands are the epitome of cool. What was the word again, "wannabe" you say?
Ah look, the background's back! I can't see the stars falling though...
@vasu the terrible: I think gk is definitely more fun. Having a battle of wits with you would feel like having a shooting war with an unarmed man.
Out of pure curiousity, do you "read" the post you are commenting on before commenting? Or are you naturally this dumb?
Either way, your name is definitely apt..
@unforgiven - you are right. I suck at battle of wits. Well, I am not interested in a battle of wits. If I hurt someone, I will honestly admit it and appologise. I think life is much bigger than verbal fights trying to outdo each other. I am old enough to realise thats a pointless exercise.
Vasu,
As a marketing communications professional, I would be really interested in knowing your thoughts on how movies can be "test marketed" (we call it pre-testing, but whatever..)? Want to give me some tips on how to sample size, select TAs and then actually do the whole exercise of "test marketing" the movie?! For instace, would you show the sample the entire movie? Or clips of it? Or a theatrical trailer? How would you propose to analyse the results? What would make you tell the client- yes go, release. Or no-dont release? Would you rather do a concept check? How do you propose movies be "test marketed"? It is a MOVIE not a new variant of a beauty soap, you ninny!
FYI- there is really no "sound" way of pre-testing movies.
FYI II- Couple of production houses have tried this. It does not work. Not in a country like ours with such diverse tastes, predispositions and cultural affiliations.
Had a remarkable conversation recently, with two drunk men and a woman. The Ukranian's childhood was filled with memories of Raj Kapoor in a white suit, the Nigerian's of beautiful Indian women being chased around trees. The Nigerian says marrying an Indian woman is every Yoruba, Hausa and Ebo's dream. A famous Nigerian health minister achieved this golden fantasy, and was lionized in Lagos street culture forever after that. There are songs in Lagos Afrobeat about this man and how he wooed his Indian wife.
The Japanese woman spoke about the extraordinary fascination Rajnikant exercises over the contemporary Jap psyche, to the extent that Tokyo teens imitate him just as they used to imitate Michael Jackson a decade ago.
I did not invite this conversation, though it was probably triggered by my presence.
Indian cinema needs to go forth and engage with the world with unselfconscious confidence. It is waiting to be won.
And btw, fearless nadia, lovely post:-)
Actually, most (educated) Indians criticise (most) Bollywood movies for "what they are". And I think we(as Indians) are in a better position to critise them as we are slightly more knowledgable about the background of the movie/characters , unlike most Westerners who MAY NOT relate to the plot/characters, but MAY be overwhelmed by all the colour, music, drama, jazz etc.
And yes, lot of us are also aware of the fact that we do contribute significantly in many technical areas of film making. (Why else would South India have so many post production and animation houses?).
And not to mention, movies (like books and music) are a personal taste.One man's medicine and all that...
@vasu: I was about to ask if you are old enough to not enter into a battle of wits but are you too young to still make posts that make sense?
Then it hit me. No, no, I got it all wrong!
You're old enough to do either! In fact you are that old that senility has started to hit :|
I am sorry bro, I didn't know of your condition. Now that I know, I will treat you with more care :(
@anon (1:05 PM - The one who called me a ninny)..
What is a ninny anyway (just curious)..
Doing a test marketing a product does not mean the traditional way in which soap guys do it. Yes the concept and intent is similar, to know before you take a bigger risk, what people want.
Currently, producers, directors have this voice in their head which says "their love saga" would blow the minds off people. Most often these movies end up big time failiures.
In the absense of test marketing or a market awareness, the movie guys ride on star popularity to ensure a good draw. As a result a star gets stereotyped and cant get out of the rut. Star appeal is the buffer for an absense of test marketing. Sometimes this falls so flat on the face, its not even funny. Remember Ashoaka and M'Batein... Too long, Too syruppy for diabetic desis like me. Another tool movie makers use is trends. They watch how other movies perform and try to copy that movie in genre, style etc. One risky movie maker makes a "dil" type movie with a long title and it becomes a hit, the whole movie making crowd follows it blindly.
One of the reasons why films make a lot of loss is because of high cost structure, both cost of production and cost of capital. There are two guys who understood this extremely well and were able to tackle it effectively.
Mithunda and Ram gopal verma. As different as chalk and cheese as far as creativity is concerned. But there is one similarity. Both make movies factory style. Low cost, good content as defined by their target audience, quick releases and fast bucks.
Mithunda's movies cater to the mass eastern UP, Bihar market where there is an insatiable appetite for entertainment filmy style. Mithun produces, directs, composes, acts and does everything himself. The shooting almost always happens in his hotel in Ooty (He owns a hotel in ooty) and he makes 12 movies a year. Each of his movies are released all across the target market in low income theaters catering to a mass volume. He makes a neat profit on all his movies and frankly he need not pay big bucks to big stars and hence be saddled with a hundred day verdict to be declared a hit. Every movie is profitable and he rotates it promptly for another movie. I am not his target audience and I dont watch it. But one has to admit, he is a smart movie maker. 12 movies a year and within 20 days of releasing his movie, he makes his profit and off to the next. Lead actors are almost always him with another C grade actress playing the damsel in distress. Crusty dialouge, fights, raunchy songs all made to fit his audience. Titles are absolutely clued to the social class he targets and the market he desires "Dayyan ki ma" types.
Ram gopal verma is a known case.
for both these guys, the previous movie experience gives them an opportunity to glimpse the market and that result gives them the results of their markets.
Test marketing is just one of the tools. A market research effort is seriously lacking with the movie industry. There are movie makers in the west, who constantly interract with statistically collected sample of viewers even while the film making is on, to figure out weather what response their product would have.
It has been done and it can be done. Need not happen in the same way it happens to lifebuoy, but the concept is the same.
vasu
i am actually delighted to see and read someone who thinks like me.
I am writing for this entertainment industry since 1 and half year now but mostly when i refer people that my beat is entertainment and i cover bollywood their reactions always have pissed me off.
But like you i have always been firm that this industry too has lot of potential and is not topic that is to be snubbed.
Hey vijjy vij! I do love Indian movies (hate calling the industry bollywood) and recognise it for the unique art form that it is. our style of movies is our own and while i think 'crossover films' are great (the more kinds of films being made, the better for the viewer) i hope we never stop making our typical indian masala films.
having said that, i do feel that the masses have a right to praise/criticise a film. isn't that why film makers make films and air them to millions of people who have no clue about the history/techniques of films? that's what differentiates pop culture from the classical. i cannot comment on carnatic music cuz i know nothing about it but i can comment on himesh reshamiyya.
and the fact that this critical streak extends to international cinema is proof that we're not just being snobbish or stuck with a "firang is better" complex.
in conclusion to my mini post, (i do tend to ramble!) i'd just like to say that films are fun! i love the medium and can't wait for KANK. and part of what makes watching movies fun is being able to bitch about how bizarre it is for the heroine to dance in a chiffon saree in snowy switzerland.
Yay!!
This new template looks coool!
:)
I take back my last comment. This Post Is A Collector's Item. Period. It's got everything-cold war history, history of cinema, economics, social evolution, pop culture, architecture, cultural psychology.....passion..whew! Did someone say pure Bollywood:-)?
There's nothing like watching a movie in an old standalone theatre, is there? Creaky wooden floors, trellised railings, names like Imperial and Plaza and Royal, stuttering red curtains, asbestos-sheeted cycle parks, whistling people, peanut sellers. Bring it all back!
Superb piece Vijayeta. Today's world cannot be conquered by capturing land, but by capturing hearts. And Bollywood is doing that with aplomb.
Unforgiven:
Great comment! At least you tried and realising that there are things in our cinema which are actually mindblowing. Trust me, in the coming years, you will NOT be disappointed :)
And thanks a tonne really for all those "other" comments too :P
You saved me a lot of trouble, time and energy! :)
Sanity Starved:
Ranting always helps. ALWAYS. Doesn't it? It pisses me off big time when everyone thinks they can give gyaan on anything to do with films, least they can do is read up on the subject and brush up their facts. A quick crash course never hurts :P
Desi tharra and toddy? Hmmm... And maybe even feni! And they can go the way Basmati Rice did! :)
Swapna:
Thanks! It really did :)
thalassa_mikra:
Bollywood's never been bigger and better and the only way for it to go is up, up and up! And "wannabes"...why do they even exist, i fail to understand? I knew a guy who actually was all suprlative praise for a film like Gigli! While totally bitching about Kal Ho Na Ho which i think was a far better film. I didnt know what to say after that.
velvetgunther:
I can see them. Bright and happy and trippy and cool as hell! And wait till you see a new, improved version soon! :D
Anonymous:
Brilliant input! Thanks for making that point here. I really wonder how does Vasu and people like him expect to pre-test a FILM when he dislikes SRK so much and I love him to bits! India's huge and we should never forget that! Where would you pre-test those south indian films? Definitely not up North!
And thanks for the most apt and timely use of the word Ninny. Totally warmed the cockles of my heart! :D
Nevermind:
Unselfconscious confidence! You said it! And that's what our films have been doing all through the years. The naysayers have always been present in huge numbers and with the silliest arguements ever.
And hey, you called this post a "Collector's Item"! Kinder words have never been spoken.
*insert bashful grin*
The standalone theaters are a dream. I try watch as many films in Chanakya as I can when I'm in Delhi. It's a charmed world out there... :D
impedimenta:
Agreed about movies and books etc being personal taste etc. And intelliegent criticism is always welcome. I wish more of us would be like that. My problem is with the dumb ones who say dumb things like, "They could add a little humor too it" after watching films like Chandni Bar! Or those who go on and on disliking SRK to the point of being obsessive. Point is, he's been doing certain kind of films over the last few years which have been quite similar. In the space and structure of those films, I think he does a great job. It's not him who's repetitive, it's also the stories. But yes, 2006 onwards it'll be a steady change. Thank god! :)
Puja Raina:
So you know what i mean? :)
I still dont know what to do with such people and their stupid, un-informed reactions. The industry has potential and you would know the amount of hard work that goes into it as well. Its almost physical labour at times!
That girl in pink:
Yes! Yes! Yes! Masses have a right to criticize. I completely agree. And I dont mean them to get into the technical nitty-gritties at all. My problem is when people watch a Hindi action film then say Hollywood does it much better. Krrish for example. But when I point out films like Spiderman 2 with a wishy-washy script and those sappy dialogues that could very well be written by Javed Akhtar, they get so personal as if they made the film. Similarly, when people bitch about our films from the 80's, they should know the reason why those films were happening, before deciding that the entire industry has talentless, lazy losers working there. I don't like Himesh Reshamiya at all, but then, he is the highest paid music director currently, charging Rs. 30 Lacs per song.
Obviously, someone's buying! And buying lots! And loving it too! And obviously, people like us are a small minority. Frustrating it might be, but it's true. Actual pop-culture/Bollywood film appreciation is to know that it's bizarre for the actress to dance in a chiffon sari in the Swiss Alps, and yet to accept it as a part of our movie tradition and what sets it apart from Hollywood. And to be a sport about it!
And i'm soooo waiting for Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Don, Salaam-E-Ishq, Dhoom-2...
Velu Nair:
Err...which new template? I've had this pink, orange template with falling stars for the longest time now... :)
And i love it too :D
Wild reeds:
Thankssss :D
And I do truly believe in winning the world by capturing hearts. Bollywood's right up there doing exactly that, in its own inimitable, glamorous way!
Welcome back :)
..and yes, I know, we're both awake pretty late! :)
Vasu the Terrible:
Well, you might want to read the post again. It's quite self-explanatory. And no, I was specifically talking about the Hindi Film Industry (Bollywood) because that's the one that's getting all the attention currently. Regional cinema is great and all that, but it is limited to a much smaller audience in India and abroad. Its sad but true!
I am deeply moved by how strongly you feel for Mamooty's frustration at the IIFA awards that you mention it here. In the same vein, I was deeply hurt by your strong sentiments about Shah Rukh Khan and would like to inform you that SRK does not know/ care for/ or get bothered by your existence and nationality. Why? Between Mamooty, SRK and you, there's more world recognition for SRK as an Indian. He couldn't have possibly reached where he is today if he was as bad as you say he is. One suggestion, it's a free country. You CAN ignore SRK and believe me, he won't even notice. Or mind!
As for the IIFA awards, it's an international awards ceremony, with Amitabh Bachchan as it's brand ambassador and spokesperson. You really believe anyone else would be a bigger icon than that? And Mamooty has either great guts or a terrible attention problem if he felt frustrated out there. I thought, just the fact that regional cinema was represented was something commendable. But then again, naysayers are everywhere! (Damn! When will it be legal to shoot them at sight?)
But, there is one big popular awards ceremony where SRK doesn't figure at all and doesnt even get awards. It's the South Indian Filmfare Awards which happen every year, for the last 53 years. You could watch that and feel vindicated.
To say that "you should understand our history and forgive our guffaws on the screen" is literally begging.
STOP LYING! Please point out the exact place where I wrote that exact sentence, since you have placed it in quotes. And don't tell me things like i thought... you implied etc. Point out that sentence. Which paragraph, line number etc. I take offence at that. More so, since I still think I am utterly incapable of even thinking up a sentence which says "Forgive our GUFFAWS on the screen!!!!!" I'm sure if an actor is guffawing on screen, that's because it's in the script or the director told him so.
I feel that 90% of songs in Indian movies are useless pieces of shit.
Really? I thought they also comprised 90% of our music industry. I did imagine, for a minute, Indian films minus the songs and i shuddered. Imagine our elaborate wedding ceremonies, the sangeets, other celebrations and festivals where we dance to film songs... God! They would all be so dull and boring!!!
I know so many people are working for it. But I think most of them arent even made well. We cant have an industry that lives on charity.
Who told you the film industry lives on charity? And who are you to decide they aren't made well? And since you "cant have an industry that lives on charity", why dont you come here, write your own original story, screenplay and script (with dialogues), draw up a potential cast and an approximate budget and I promise you I will help you take it to the Big Corporate funding agencies and production houses. Do it, Vasu! Prove to the world what you keep spewing on the blogosphere. Such angst is deeply moving and that one sentence should be most inspirational for you.
Another thing, I know what the difference between cinema and the other industries is. If you must go on and on about it, do it on your own blog. My comment space is meant for commenting. Not writing your mini-dissertations on The Things That Cause Me Angst And Acidity!
Though Anonymous has very lucidly answered that, I would like to comment on the following points:
2) Cinema industry is the only one which has a persona tragedy accompanying bad products. If a movie fails, the producer goes bankrupt, the star falls from grace...
This is exactly where corporatization of the film industry comes in. Once again, READ my post. Once they ensure that a film will tide over and more than break even, it will give producers the confidence of experimenting with newer scripts etc without the fear of going bankrupt. It was in this context i mentioned films like 36 China Town and Tom, Dick and Harry!
3) Cinema industry has an unorganised quality for itself. Even now 70% of the movies are made in an unprofessional fashion. Personal whims and fancies, exorbidant amounts of money spend on star's remuneration, horrific and many times stolen and mutliated scripts.
Please show me the great statistical research which quotes that figure, 70%. After that, once again, READ my post. All that is changing...personal whims and fancies etc. But it takes time, It's just been 6 years, for god's sake!
5) No onw is against songs, but if the hero, heroine and 100 other acquaintances of both break into a synchronous, stale dance routine with a nasal dud singing "Sajan, ishq, pyaar".. you cant fault the audience who puke on it. Can you.
The "nasal dud singing" is now the highest paid composer in the industry and also in great demand by the south indian filmmakers and composers. He charges Rs. 30 lacs per song. An obscenely large amount which would NOT be paid to him if he weren't successful and people weren't lapping up his music and buying his CDs. It's the basic laws of economics at work here. Demand and Supply. If he was as excruciatingly bad as you say he is, he'd be sent packing like a milion other hopefuls and wannabes who come here everyday. So rest assured, you and a handful of others are the only ones puking and it's not making any difference to anyone. So spare yourself the trouble!
Instead of lashing out angrily at all and sundry, maybe the film industry should look inwards and see what ails it. Maybe if we dont pay that spoilt brat of a star 5 crores for a movie, the set desinger, the ward boy and 100 other lower paid worker would have a decent life.
The film industry lashed out angrily at all and sundry??? When did this happen? I've not been in Bombay for last 10 days, actually. The E-N-T-I-R-E film industry was lashing out? Whoa! I feel bad for not being there really :(
And is your problem ONLY with the actors who get paid 5 crores etc.? Let me inform you, in my capacity as a non-acting film professional, that we all get paid pretty decently these days. In clean A/C payee cheques, and on time! All technicians have their respective unions and associations which are very professionally run and no one can ever dare mess with them. You really should come to Bombay and see it up close. And that's when you will also realise we don't have "ward boys" here at all. You're mixing up professions, but i guess that happens when you do too much mindless and compulsive nitpicking!
Ram Gopal Varma's Factory is an example and child of corporatization in the bonafide film sense of the term. He had partnerships with companies like Twentieth Century Fox, K Sera Sera and now Reliance Adlabs. They do "different" films which are NEVER test-marketed or whatever and they don't necessarily earn major profits at the box office. But since they break even, they can experiment more and even make a Darna Zaroori Hai. It wasn't a great film, but the point is, it was different from the usual love story genre!
And THAT exactly was the point of my post, if only you'd bother to READ it before commenting!!!
But to do all that, you have to introspect away from the glare. the movie industry in India is incapable of doing that.
Really? And thus spoke Vasu, the resident super-authority on the economics and functioning of the indian film industry in all its complexity and craziness and creativity.
(In other words, super-nitpicker who's a super-authority on the economics and functioning of ANYTHING in all it's complexity etc.)
Just read through your reply vij. I *still* can't believe you actually went point by point! :)
Let me know if you dont want me to post here again. I will desist and no hard feelings. Honestly.
"nasal dud" that I mentioned is a metaphor for the typical "isq pyar" singer. It is no one specific. IF it were, I would have mentioned a name like I mentioned SRK.
To talk about SRK in the context of the kind of movies he makes is to critique his work and not make value judgements on him. And to do that, I dont need to be a fellow actor. Its just what one likes and being in a free country means, to criticise something you dont like.
Where did I quote you ? where am I lieing ?
I dont have any problem about anyone making money. Why would I have a problem ? Someone is willing to pay and someone commands those prices. I am just saying its too high a cost structure. Surely, payment to top actos accounts for a high percentage of production cost.. isnt it ?
Finally, I am saying that most hindi movies arent made well. Its my opinion. Thats all. Has the same value as any lay person's opinion.
Corporatisation and Professionalism ? A shining example is the magnu opus called "Khabi alvida na kehana". Directed by a professional, acted by professionals and funded in a professional way. But between all those hallowed professionals somehow by a freak of nature the title of the movie is pinched from somewhere.
Copyright violation for heavens sake. Professionals are not known to indulge in such things. You make the judgement weather these people are professionals.
I am a photographer and I know the value of an artist's creation weather he is famous our not. To steal another person's script, music, name, dress or for that matter any of his creations is plain wrong. I grew up like that, believing stealing something thats not yours is wrong.
And if it happened as a honest mistake, professionalism entails you appologise, compensate and settle the matter with the original creator. That would make them professionals. Not weather they make money or not. Even underworld funded movies make money. That alone doesent make it professional.
ok.. thats it.. keeping it short.
vasu
*Applause*
Awesome post :)
I still can't get over,
"ok.. thats it.. keeping it short."
Wow.
clap clap!
F.a.n.t.a.s.t.i.c post!
but you knew that already ;)
* applause * awesome post.
* applause * awesome handling of a troll as well.
love!
Hehehe, I see that I have been missing out on ALL the fun!
All cynic types must be banned from watching escapist cinema, or they must be charged more! :D
Great post!
hey
did u get to watch KANK?? by any chance?? hehehe...
Your blog space surely is very popular. Your analysis of Bollywood, is quite thorough -- history, current, future trends. By enlsiting all the points I liked, I would just be repeating what a lot of the other people have said.
Taking the whole thing to another tangent.....why do we Indians need ratifiction from bodies/ individuals overseas to give us confidence in our work? A foreign thappa, really goes a long way. Think about it....
Karmic Yogi
Vasu the terrible:
And yet again, you did not read what i'd written as a reply earlier. As for your new issue, the other guy actually got it registered much after KANK was already in production. And, just like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai had a song called Koi Mil Gaya which later became the title of a film, it doesn't come under copyright violation. Similarly, neither does this!
And for the record, i want to ask you if YOU took copyright for "The Terrible" after your name from Ivan The Terrible, or even Eisenstein, who made a film with this title, or the authors of the several hundred books with this title... Or you just read somethign somewhere, thought it sounded cool, and made it your own sobriquet?
Kumari:
Thanks :)
Megha The Punkster:
Hee hee... And thanks again!
:)
Rosa not so Rose:
All in a day's work, babe!!
Thanks! :)
Primalsoup:
Oh yes! Charged more is most like it, since they'll take up precious seats in the opening week, only to nitpick their way to death with every little syllable and every little button on every outfit worn by every character in the film. Make them pay, like, a thousand bucks for a ticket. If nothign else, it will keep them away. And knowing the Bollywood solidarity, the other so called non-escapist filmmakers will do the same too.
Velu Nair:
Yes i did :D
Posted a "voice of dissent" type comment too on your post :P
karmic yogi:
Thanks a lot! :)
The foreign thappa, as you say, has become imporatnt in all other industries as well, hasn't it. It was important for Bollywood as we needed to streamline and corporatize our industry like Hollywood. Now with all big studios already here, its doing wonders for our film industry in terms of revenue and propagating a brighter, more positive image of India to the West. :)
Unforgiven:
Ye olde debating instincts dont go away that easily. And point-by-point is actually a smarter way of tackling :P
That's it now, keeping it short ;)
There are two issues here.
Copyright belongs to someone who first applied for it and got it. Like if you and I are simultaneously are on a creative path, and if I register the copyright before you, then I hold the copyright. Whenever someone else makes use of the copyrighted work, its that person's onus to check for copyright violations. As again, it might have been a honest mistake and ignorance of law is no excuse (as said by famous judges). Never mind, atleast he should appologise and correct the wrong done or fight it in court. This is a clear case of copyright violation.
Number two, my usage of the term terrible as amply explained is a humorous take on "conan the barbarian". If suppose someone possess the copyright then there is a violation, only if I use the "The Terrible" for a deceptively similar commercial purpose. "the terrible" alone cannot be copyrighted as in the words alone. IT has to represent a legitimate work of art.
In my case, there is no commercial purpose for "vasu the terrible" not even google adsense. And the case is not as open and shut as KANK which was used in exactly similar fashion. As a title of another movie.
hope that clarifies it. And I am no troll. Please.
vasu
cinema jindabaad!!!
(a struggling bollywood director's comment makes the score a- half a century.cheers!!!)
this blog gives spirit.
jhaji.
http://jhaji-jhaji.blogspot.com/
checkout hindi indian movies at chakpak.com . It has wallpapers too :)
@vijayeta: first visit to your blog, I absolutely love the design and I think your posts are very interesting. This one in particular is brilliant.
@nevermind: Hmmm... good that you say it was a drunken conversation because (based on my own experience) I kinda think the people who told you that were talking about themselves and their personal preferences - not necessarily all Nigerian men. Having watched the movies, Nig. men do think Indian women are extremely gorgeous, of course, (and they certainly are) but... hmmm... it's not true. The thing about the minister is halfway true, though.
Having said that, you're so right about the world being Bollywood's oyster. I am a Nigerian woman who absolutely LOVES Bollywood - I'm a total addict now. I say, if the home audience doesn't like 'em, please keep making them and sending them our way. And, although I don't particularly dream of marrying anyone at all, I do think some Indian men are very hot. I have SRK, Hrithik, Abhishek and the younger Big B (among others) to thank for that perception. Oh, and it's spelt Ibo/Igbo.
Where've you gone? Apr'07 was last!
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Good post
regards,
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