Changing face of Indian Cinema

I am not a bug movie buff. My worldview in the field of Cinema is limited but I have been observing the changes in the cinema in last few years. The recent release of Dangal prompted me to write down some of those thoughts and observations.

Let me begin by paying my tribute to Amir Khan. He is a true idol. Since the days of Andaz Apna Apna and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, I have followed his movies and acting. The only bad movie which I can recall is Mela. Otherwise, be it Sarfarosh or Ghajni, or Mangal Pandey, I have liked his performances. But these are not the movies which have made him an idol of the so many young hearts. His life changing movies like Lagaan, Three idiot and now Dangal are the one which makes him and out and out superstar leaving far behind other khans and also the Kumars and the Kapoors and other who's who of Bollywood. He is like Tom Hanks of Bollywood.

His movies are not just loved for his acting and screenplay. Rather they are admired for carrying a strong social message. For example, through Dangal, he has sent a very special and strong message of women empowerment in the land of Jats which famous for foeticide and gender discrimination. It displayed the power of conviction and action. I salute Mahavir Phogat for showing the kind of courage for which Jats are known. As for Amir khan, he deserves a separate blog describing everyone's desire of "Mein bhi Amir Khan banana chahta hun".

Now coming to the larger topic of changing face of Indian Cinema, one can see it along four dimensions. One is the kind of songs. Second is the lasting impression of movies. Third is the use of technology and grandness scale and the fourth is the parallel evolution of substantive cinema.

When I hear the songs of the current era, they fit on my tongue very quickly. The sound lingers for almost day or two. Some like Aashiqui 2 songs may go on for the entire week. But eventually, as soon as a new movie comes, the previous one fade away. The songs percolate in thoughts for not because of their meaning but because of the soundtrack. The loud beat, the Drum, and heavy guitar combination fill the ears but it falls short of filling the heart. This is in contrast to the old songs which used to be very deep, meaningful and emotional. Nowadays the culture of Item girl dance and DJ has taken away the soul of songs and only the Hungama has left.

The other domain is the lasting impression of movies. Nowadays, barring few Amir Khan movies or theme based cinema, movies have become a fast moving consumer good. The first three days decides whether a movie will continue beyond 10 days or not. Earlier movies like DDLG and Hum Aapke Hai Kaun used to last in the cinema hall for almost an entire year or two. DDLG even made the record of ten years on the same screen. Even the previous era movies like Sholay and Deewar were considered classics of Indian cinema. Now it seems that barring one or two in a year, the film industry is stopped producing classics. Every Friday is scheduled for a new movie release. The previous one goes out and a new one comes in. Another related point is the grandness of the revenues. The hundred crore club has become the new benchmark for a hit or flop film.

The third area is the use of technology. It is very heartening to see that Indian cine industry is fast catching up with the global trend of technological advances. The vigorous use of technology in Babubali was a watershed moment in Indian cinema. Earlier animation and effects were limited in their use. But the new-age action films and the 21st century cinema shows the changing trend. Even the budgets of the movies have gone beyond twenty-thirty crore. Sometimes if a film is a Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic or Karan Johar's family drama then even a single set may cost this much.

The fourth area is the rise of substantive less known YouTube-driven parallel cinema. It is an umbrella category for all kind of meaningful short films, documentaries, and low-budget acting based cinema. For example, the recent Marathi movie Sairat was one that belongs to this category. Similarly, short films like chutney or movie based on women empowerment or communal outrage send a strong message to the society. These short movies are not well marketed and use the platform of Youtube for their promotion. They are the bread and butter for lesser known actors who do cinema for the love of cinema itself and not for the fame and money. Possibly this was the kind of cinema which has given rise to Irfan Khan and Nawazzuddin Siddiqui.

I may not be able to quote many examples in this. The reason being my limited knowledge of the Indian Cinema but from a layman's perspective, I can speak about the changes which my confused segmented fragmented and divided generation is witnessing. One thing is still remaining that is my thoughts of "how to become Aamir Khan"?