These few lines narrating the current condition of Bollywood tell so much that this is not the time to read ballads in the glory of Hindi films. Being a Hindi cinema lover, you can shift to OTT for a dose of entertainment, where there is much more than Hindi-English films and series. Otherwise there is only South Cinema, which has created a buzz all around these days. Whatever the Bollywood cine fraternity may want to argue on its poor condition, the reality is that neither good films are being made (mostly) nor are efforts being made that Bollywood can make any concrete statement on such an issue.
But is this really the first time that Bollywood is being cursed for the content? Has the media never attacked the filmmakers before because of the poor quality of the films. Have we forgotten those superstars who made records for flop films and then also made a comeback with blockbuster films. And it is only about films not playing, so is Bollywood facing such a crisis for the first time?
Who’s fault, who’s weak link
No. No. The answer cannot be so simple that names of any two or four people should be taken and say that all the blame lies with the film stars, directors and writers who are not writing good stories these days. Because if you only blame the actors, then almost no one’s films are running. If all the fault was with the director, then people would not have talked about bad content. And if the whole responsibility of good writing rests only with the writer, then what is the responsibility of the producer, who has to take care of his return in any case. Then why not criticize the composer-lyricist, while Hindi films are known for their melodious music. It is not even that the movies are thrashing and the music is going on. And when the Bollywood business is reviewed from an economic point of view, the changes in the situation before and after Kovid should also be taken into account.
Meanwhile, actor Akshay Kumar, a few days ago, bluntly summed up this whole debate by saying that it is all of us’s fault, my fault. The occasion was the trailer launch of one of his upcoming films, where he was asked why Bollywood films are not performing well in theaters these days. Also, what is his opinion on the trend of boycott of films that has been going on these days. There were many such questions on the current situation of the industry, on which Akshay Kumar, while admitting to the change in himself, admitted that he wants to understand what the audience wants.
So how to see this statement of Akshay Kumar? Especially after he says that no one else is to blame for this, what should we expect from him.
However, what changes he is thinking of making in himself or how much he will be able to understand the wants of the audience, it will take a long time. But a popular star like him, who has the most number of films coming and going in a year, has seen many good and bad phases of superhits and flops in the last thirty years under the shadow of the industry. Therefore, his answer can be considered at least a welcome step. However, there may be a section of the audience who believes that watching Akshay’s recent films (Bachchan Pandey, Samrat Prithviraj, Raksha Bandhan) has lost his money, so he has done this by not shying away from the issue and blaming others. Well done. So what about the rest? Should they do the same? Especially those whose films have disappointed the most in terms of content or those whose films have hit the box office despite all the claims.
as many words as
A lot has been written in the media for a long time on the economic analysis of Bollywood films and the economic analysis of the box office, in which the concerns about the content of the films and the absence of audience in theatres are clearly visible. Now as much talk about why this is happening. Everyone has their own reasoning. However, one main thing that is understandable is that these days the content of South Indian films is attracting a lot of viewers from North Indian or Hindi belt. Some of the films there have done very good business here, due to which Hindi films have to bear the brunt. Apart from this, the plight of big films is being caused by their bad content as well as huge budget, due to which problems have started in recovery. Demanding fees of artists, only big films getting more screens even if they do not run, Nepotism, ignoring Indian culture and history, Boycott of films in talk, promotion of negativity about Bollywood, increasing craze of OTT things like But discussions are also seen.
That is, no one concrete reason is found, due to which it is believed that now Bollywood is going to be a thing of the past. However, here, a different picture emerges from the media statements of some well-known people of the cine fraternity.
On this issue, director Anurag Kashyap says that films of those people are running, regardless of the industry, who are playing only on their style (familiar style films). Perhaps he refers to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi and Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. From the stupendous success of these films, it can be estimated that it has also been successful in winning the hearts of the audience.
Anurag Kashyap further says that filmmakers who usually do not do this, they are trying to influence others by changing their style. Can it be speculated here that he is talking about Akshay Kumar in Samrat Prithviraj? So while blaming OTT, a week before the release of Laal Singh Chaddha, Aamir Khan was saying that nowadays the curiosity of the audience in theaters has also reduced because films come on OTT immediately after release. He says that whatever happens in the industry, but on OTT, I like a gap of 6 months for my films.
Although the reasons given by Aamir do not match with the massive failure of Laal Singh Chaddha, because whatever the reasons, his film collapsed before the minimum life of any film to run in theatres. Now there is news that Netflix’s deal regarding OTT release also seems to be in trouble. On the other hand, Anees Bazmee, who has given the biggest hits of this year so far, emphasizes the need for good quality of films, but rejects the talk of South versus Bollywood. He says that this is not a new trend, yes it is definitely that what used to run 5-10 years ago is no longer there. Manoj Bajpayee feels that this is just a bad phase. Don’t take too much load. According to him Hindi cinema will not die, will definitely return. They also believe that some improvement is needed. Now finally listen to Salman Khan too. He believes that there is no fixed formula for a hit film. We all want to make better films. Sometimes a film plays, then no one plays either.
the audience listening to the heart rather than the mind
Whether one may or may not embrace the different arguments of filmmakers regarding poor content and box office failure, it is certainly the poor spectator who pays for his heart rather than his mind while raising his hand at the ticket window. has come to hear. Then even if he does not have anything to eat or drink or money to return home in the interval, but the truth is that his small struggle to see his favorite hero may no longer be in the notice of the film fraternity. Come. Therefore, now in this new era, it is the responsibility of that viewer to demand completely entertaining films for himself, that too with a guarantee. Who can take away his right to demand novelty in content?
But with the belief that whenever a good content film is put in the cinema hall, he will definitely go to see it. Of course, no matter how far away the film has been in theaters or even if it has got fewer screens. Because due to the absence of audience in the theater, even good content succumbs to commercial films and is forced to surrender. It has been seen on many occasions that a low budget film may have got a limited release, but if the film is liked by the people, then it starts being discussed and the distributor has to increase the number of screens. The success of such films gives encouragement to the entire team of that film and they work hard again, so that they can make another good film. In the last decade and a half, there is a long list of films that have got headlines like Chhota Packet Bada Dhamaal, in Bollywood. However, it might be a bit difficult for cine russian types to be a part of such an exercise and properly prepare themselves as an open-minded audience.
Let’s go in flashback
For example, only the film which is good should be seen and do the lesser side. With this goal in mind, there is no tradition of watching movies in our country. The rest are hardly to be seen anywhere else. If we do not go back too much, then even in the eighties, people started making distance from theaters in a similar way. Although there is a vast difference between then and now, some things seem to be the same. In that era of formula one, very bad films were coming and secondly, the atmosphere of the theaters was not the same as before. Due to sitting on the seat of the people smoking beedi-cigarettes with their feet spread, a scuffle would have started.
That period of films laden with action, bloodshed, and spices lasted till the mid-nineties. If an action film was a hit, a dozen of them would start being made. Romantic, social, home-world, horror any topic. It was too late to hit, the catchers kept sitting. A saying that now it does not work, now it will work.
Even then, a common audience did not skimp on spending money behind Citimar Hero. Four great songs, Hero Ki Fight and strong dialogues, were enough to fuel his passion. As it was, this was the entertaining world of the spectators of that era. And perhaps on the basis of this audience, Mithun Chakraborty and Govinda gave dozens of flop films in that era and then played long innings by making a great comeback.
Despite all the flaws, even in that era, there was a balance of meaningful and resolved content on the basis of art films and some new and old directors. On one hand, films like Aakhri Mujra, Aag Ka Gola, Aadamkhor, Hisab Khoon Ka were coming unaccounted for, while on the other hand films like Asha, Avatar, Kranti, Chashme Baddoor, Aakrosh were also coming.
Then in the first decade of the millennium, bloody and frivolous action was replaced by romantic and family-social stories, and as the budget of films began to spread along with the canvas, a new audience was born, ready for multiplex culture. had to happen. Films were made keeping the overseas Indians in mind. Words such as International Appeal, Big Market, Corporate, Oscar and World Audience started climbing in the mouth of the filmmakers. The cost of cinema tickets began to fluctuate in two to three digits, which almost wiped out the first row of spectators.
After a while he also disappeared from the eyes of the filmmakers. Perhaps during this time the habit of cinema would have started turning into compulsion. Such a compulsion that the audience now started making bad content a hit happily by eating 200 rupees popcorn by paying more money than ever before.
Gradually this compulsion increased. Had it not been for this, Sajid Khan’s Humshakals (2014) would not have been able to recover more (about Rs 86 crore) than its cost (about Rs 64 crore), even after getting the title of the worst film. There are many movies in this episode including Himmatwala (2013), Tees Maar Khan (2012), Jai Ho (2014), Dabangg 3 (2019), Housefull 4 (2019), Student of the Year 2 (2019), which show that Watching movies by spending 500-1000 rupees is a fashion, not a desire for entertainment.
A fashion in which there was less desire for good content, more timepass. Then whatever the film is. Just have to see in any case. Here the newly emerging middle class seemed the most restless and perhaps it is still the one who is most sad about losing their money.
Perhaps bad content got a boost from such things. But now this trend is expected to change. Because watching completely new content on OTT during Kovid has awakened a new consciousness in the viewer. His understanding and demand for right, bad, accurate has not been the same as before and the effect of this is also visible in the form of his absence in theatres. But very few filmmakers are able to understand this. Maybe we are ignoring some small important reasons in the affair of some concrete reason. Because in the meantime some good cinema has also come. New stories and new talent have been able to make an impact. But all the emphasis has been focused only on the failure of the box office or on the negative image of the movie stars. Or on the boycott campaigns of social media. That’s why no one wants to see whatever is very good in this bad period.
Although here Manoj Bajpayee can give relief for some time that this is just a bad phase, do not take too much load.