|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This
summer belongs to Hollywood", screams the headline of a national
news daily. It began with the stupendous success of Spider-man 3 at
the box-office. No doubt that everyone at Precept and SONY (the film’s
distributors) are ecstatic given that Spider-man 3 made more
money in its first two weeks than all Bollywood releases put together
in the first five months of 2007.
"The Hollywood pipeline is rather strong in terms of content these days and this is evident from the quality of films, be it The Da Vinci Code or Casino Royale," says Uday Singh, managing director, Sony Pictures Releasing India. According to Singh, it is the combination of malls, multiplexes and dubbing supported by localised consumer-centric campaigns that has made exhibition of Hollywood films beyond metros possible, thereby adding to ticket sales. The dubbed versions contribute to more than 70 per cent of revenues. No doubt the Bhojpuria Makad Manav (aka Spider-man) is a hit. The attraction of Hollywood films had always been the special effects and technical prowess which Indian films, until recently, had lacked. And while special effects have become snazzier in Bollywood films, it is eons behind the techno-wizardry of a Spider-man or Jurassic Park. So, what does all the hoopla forebode for the future of Hindi films especially since another round of Shreks and Pirates are headed to theatres in the next few weeks? Be assured: fear of the Hollywood invasion might be a bit premature. The last time American movies dominated Indian box offices was in the era of silent films (when Hollywood was a small village outside of Los Angeles rather than the mammoth industry we know it as today).`A0 Soon thereafter the likes of Dada Saheb Phalke, Hiralal Sen and J.F. Madan sowed the seeds of an indigenous film industry. In the past century, a well-proven formula has made our films successful and unique: the Barjatya-Chopra mix of tears and laughter, a blend of religion and tradition, parents and family, dance and comedy, jalebis and pakoras.`A0 Our films have a certain kind of rasa, and an "emotional language" which draw audiences, says Vamsee Juluri, author of Becoming a Global Audience. And the rasa is filled with excesses like the facial contours of a Kathakali dancer whose expressions change as adroitly as the music. Even our worst movies have a seat-of-the-pants chutzpah and a spontaneity that ignites passion. As one British film critic writes, Bollywood, they just don’t act, they feel. They do not sing, they yodel. They don’t dance, they whirl." In our films the
rainstorms are rainier than real life; the wind machines are cranked
up an extra notch; the close-ups linger longer than usual; the
weddings and dance numbers are extravagant and dazzling; the
coincidences that drive the plot are numerous; and the jewellery
heavier than anything you ever want to wear. If one is looking for
subtlety, one does not wander into Bollywood films in the first place
for there is an indefinable something that gives them their inherent
logic, character and core. None of that charm can ever be replaced by
a few Spiders, Pirates and Dinosaurs.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
