It started as a beauty, still is but now it has become
like the moon – a beauty with a little more than required marks on her face.
2012 marks its 100 years – the Cinema of India, better known as Bollywood.
When I was asked to do an assignment on it (the joys
of journalism!), I realized that it was impossible to capture all the aspects
of this hundred-year-old huge, majestic empire ruled by the actors, the
singers, the versatile and these days, the skin-showers. The first movie I
watched in a theater was Hum Aapke Hain
Kaun at the age of 5. And since then, I’ve been in an on and off
relationship with it. I was never a huge, die-hard fan of Bollywood. I just
liked movies in theaters, something to pass time and an exclusive luxury
because my parents were never great fans.
I lost faith in Bollywood when I switched to Star Movies, HBO and the
likes. Each movie, however big a hit, disappointed me. It was only Lage Raho Munnabhai, Bheja Fry, Khosla Ka Ghosla (comedies all of them, I now realize) that kept a
bit of hope alive. Now, when I came to college, I started understanding a bit
more. And thanks to Shreya Katuri, a friend and an AC (quite a cliché, but
that’s what she is!) of Bollywood, I was back in tune with Bolly again.
The history made me realize that this nation has had
ample supply of great cinema. I’m not in any position to review any of Dada
Sahib Phalke’s or Save Dada’s works but they gave the shape to Indian cinema,
as it is now. The evergreens have given it an augmented definition. And the new
comers are, well, distorting and making and distorting again and re-making.
Sadly, no movie can recreate the history of Raj
Kapoor’s magnificence or Guru Dutt’s delineation of the tragic mood in his
films. There can’t be something as grand as Mughal-e-Azam
or something as simplistic as Shree 420.
These movies were carved with perfection. Even a comedy like Choti Si Baat or Golmaal displayed excellence. They were not movies which were built
around one-liners or funny dialogues like Ready,
Damadamm or Bheja Fry-II.
Today, Bollywood is more about who is the highest paid
or who has had more relationships etcetera, things which should be of least
importance. A bit of fault here is of the audience too who cannot appreciate Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster, Dev D or That Girl in Yellow Boots. They want movies like Bodyguard and Wanted, a supply of which is uninterrupted thanks to Salman Khan.
With Ra.One, Shahrukh seems to have
disappointed many, but that doesn’t dent the popularity of action movies with
really animated fight scenes.
Another audience accepted, at least most of them,
formula is sleaze. Saw the hype around The
Dirty Picture or Love, Sex aur Dhoka?
I watched just the former one and it gave me a headache. Sleaze makes the movie
sparkling, no doubt and I’m not a conservative bitch, but right amounts and
right portrayal is quite important. And also, the new trend of whorish names with
a slutty adjective/activity which you know is here to stay, for bad, when Karan
Johar has “Chikni Chameli’.
There is so much more I want to say about Bollywood.
But this post can cover only this much or you’ll stop reading. I wish Bollywood
has a better class. Nonetheless, I love it. For the music, the colors and entertainment, entertainment and
entertainment.
