The present state of Indian cinema makes me wonder as to what the "newer generations to come" would appreciate. Would we be doing justice to this very medium of cinema? Who is to be blamed for the arrant trash that is being produced in the name of cinema? The public or the cinema makers?? In a never-ending tale of the cinema-maker trying to appease the public for money(?) there has been a spate of movies in the recent past that are more shocking to this author than anything else. The very land which produced remarkable cinema makers like Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Gulzar, etc. is a mute and a sad spectator to this.
The author feels helpless. What is wrong with the people, or rather, what is wrong with him? Why doesnt he like what the mass junta likes? Who is wrong?
Indian cinema is now at its nadir, be it any language, be it from Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood, or whatever. Once in a while, a few movies appear as a refreshing breeze in a highly polluted once virginal atmosphere. It is now nothing more than sex, lust, violence, crime, and a crass interpretation of an emotion that is divine - love.
An interesting anecdote. When this author went to MusicWorld to shop for VCDs recently... in the modern hindi section, he was shocked to find covers (neatly arranged next to each other) that would give the porn industry a run for its money. Each actress(?) in the cover was vying with the another on who bares it all! India that produced adorable icons of beauty - Madhubala, Nutan, Jaya Bhaduri, etc is now a silent crying witness to this. The actresses then were plainly dressed in simple starched cotton sarees and looked highly natural. Emotions were on full display, courtesy their very presence, eyes, gait, etc.
Examples of some memorable movies with a strong flavour of Indianness and underlying messages would be Seema, Pyaasa, Kaaghaz Ke Phool, Sujata, Bandini, Anand, Amar Prem, Piya Ka Ghar, Koshish, Mausam, Masoom, etc. Song sequences were integrated with the movie and were thus an indispensable part of the movie. Now, it is more a commercial necessity. Love is the emotion that has been brutally tortured in this process. A man and a woman, in the company of a dozen extras in skimpy outfits, are shown to profess their love for each other! Compare this with the brilliant picturization of these two songs, the author's eternal favourites.
The author feels helpless. What is wrong with the people, or rather, what is wrong with him? Why doesnt he like what the mass junta likes? Who is wrong?
Indian cinema is now at its nadir, be it any language, be it from Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood, or whatever. Once in a while, a few movies appear as a refreshing breeze in a highly polluted once virginal atmosphere. It is now nothing more than sex, lust, violence, crime, and a crass interpretation of an emotion that is divine - love.
An interesting anecdote. When this author went to MusicWorld to shop for VCDs recently... in the modern hindi section, he was shocked to find covers (neatly arranged next to each other) that would give the porn industry a run for its money. Each actress(?) in the cover was vying with the another on who bares it all! India that produced adorable icons of beauty - Madhubala, Nutan, Jaya Bhaduri, etc is now a silent crying witness to this. The actresses then were plainly dressed in simple starched cotton sarees and looked highly natural. Emotions were on full display, courtesy their very presence, eyes, gait, etc.
Examples of some memorable movies with a strong flavour of Indianness and underlying messages would be Seema, Pyaasa, Kaaghaz Ke Phool, Sujata, Bandini, Anand, Amar Prem, Piya Ka Ghar, Koshish, Mausam, Masoom, etc. Song sequences were integrated with the movie and were thus an indispensable part of the movie. Now, it is more a commercial necessity. Love is the emotion that has been brutally tortured in this process. A man and a woman, in the company of a dozen extras in skimpy outfits, are shown to profess their love for each other! Compare this with the brilliant picturization of these two songs, the author's eternal favourites.
- Jalte Hain Jiske Liye - Sujata - Sunil Dutt sings this song to his lover Nutan over the phone
- Jaane Woh Kaise Log The - Pyaasa - Guru Dutt puts his ex-lover to shame, makes her highly uncomfortable for her wrong in a subtle manner
Songs then were also with brilliant lyrics.
It really gives me the creeps to think as to what would happen if this present trash were to become evergreen oldies of the past for the future generations! With increased acceptance of such movies without any protest (the rapid increase of such movies is indicative of this), this might very well become true.
The so called modern people look down upon these pre 1980 and B/W movies. Sadly a case where ignorance is not bliss. I have nothing against these people. It is just this helpless gnawing feeling about the legacy we might be "gifting" to the generations to come, my children and yours, that makes me feel angry with myself.
Is this evil plaguing Indian cinema alone or is it universal?
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