Bollywood murdering cinema, killing it softly!

Recently I read a movie review written by Kaushik Kashyap for Gundey. To be very honest, these are movies with a warning hidden in their name. If you have a zero tolerance level for silly mistakes, unrealistic plots and chintzy melodrama, you better maintain a safe distance. One cannot sideline the role of their unimpressive and ridiculous (in a sad way) television trailers with the so called ‘peppy’ numbers which only worsen the situation.

Mince no words when you speak the truth...

"A no-brainer from beginning to end, the film is packed with clichés as old as commercial Bollywood cinema goes. Ali Abbas Zafar gives no reason why anything in the film happens"

This is how Kashyap begins when reviewing Gundey. You have to give it to him for clearly outlining the quality and feel of the movie. Had it been the first time that such a movie was to be reviewed, Kushik would have used more words. He surely would’ve tried to justify such strong words. But an aware and reasonable reader, hoping for a magical improvement in Indian cinema, is already aware of the state in which cinema in Bollywood is trying to survive. Commercial aspect of cinema has always been around. But that did not discourage dedicated filmmakers from making good quality films. Issues were taken up, problems were addressed, iconoclasts were aggressive and yet elegant when going after silly social norms. How did we forget the real motive of cinema? When did we get here?

Today, making such movies is not much different from preparing a burger at McDonald’s. If you find this comparison offensive, then it’s about time you actually sat down and checked the quality of content in Indian cinema today. There is a fixed formula which promises billions at the box office level. It’s the same ingredients with the faces changed. Now most would argue that there is reason that these movies are on a roll. It’s because this is what the public wants. I find that outrageous. Are we going to deny true cinema to the audiences just because they are ignorant? Isn’t it our duty to introduce them and make them watch and get used to real cinema? Yes, we might as well have to force it down their throats because this madness needs to end.

You can compare any unsuccessful movie from Hollywood with a major box office hit in Bollywood and you’ll find that Hollywood still manages to impress. And no my dear pseudo-nationalists, it’s not because we like everything that is Western. Before you throw that cap on my head, let me tell you that I still drive on the left and despite of promising to be a good citizen I do end up throwing garbage on the road most of the time. I’m still an Indian curry beneath all that Western garnishing.

Why do we Indians lose all our sensibility when a complete moron, converted into a brand name, comes out with a movie where he’s throwing SUVs at people and fighting 100 bad guys with a cycle or something? The degree of madness and stupidity is so high that you can imagine almost anything and even then Bollywood will manage to surprise you. They will always beat you when it comes to being unrealistic and displaying a unique form of anserine behavior.

We need more Kaushik Kashyaps who will mince no words when it comes to fast food cinema which is a rave in this country. A perfect review for the kind of cinema that we are being served. Such reviews will always save your time, energy and money. I thank Tehelka for all the genuine reviews that they come up with.

Can anyone bring back the Bollywood which was once fueled by brilliant minds like Dada Saheb Phalke, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and others? We have some genuineness and dedication still living through Nagesh Kukunoor, Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta and Anurag Kashyap who all toil hard to ensure that cinema keeps breathing in this circus called Bollywood. Also, there are a few short filmmakers who have contributed to the secret movement of uplifting the quality of cinema. But do they receive the kind of attention and awe that they deserve? Hardly so as Indian audiences have gotten used to an alien version of cinema which aims at killing and replacing cinema forever.

More than skin revealing outfits and controversial publicity stunts, cinema is a form of mass communication. It exists so that a huge number can be addressed on issues which actually matter and on experiences which actually count. How far we are from Fort Cinema is unknown because we haven’t located us yet. We have the compass (a consensus and an ability to change) but nobody is willing to locate us. One really hopes for some sort of a renaissance period for Indian cinema. Meanwhile, Phalke must be dying to be reborn as a film director so that he can get behind one of his archaic cameras and still manage to win a National Award or even an Oscar with an apolitical jury reviewing the legend's work.