Performed by One , Cherished by All – A phrase I truly felt like quoting for the stars showcasing their talent on the 70mm big screens and enthralling the audience with their superlative performances of all times.
Coming up with a very simple question for all, what does the audience want?
Well the answer is actually quite famous and known to all, it’s simply
Entertainment, entertainment & entertainment.
Yes that’s right, a splendid dialogue uttered by a beloved diva of Bollywood and indeed a prominent answer to my simplest of simple question.
Yeah, the audience merely wants a spiced up silver screen show (what we call as “Masala”) composed of exemplary acting talent, an impressive story line and a marvelous direction.
Talking about the all new trend of memes and its foremost target , the evergreen and immensely talented , Alok Nath would not have entertained us so amazingly if he were not a part of the vast and sterling Bollywood.
Ironically the movies are losing their actual intent of motivating and entertaining the society at a glance, presently they just aim at earning big money, the audiences are be-fooled with a vague piece of talent dissolved in the glare of great pomp and show supporting the weakest plots and some luring music to aid the producers in selling what they call as “movies”.
First let us have a look at the 70’s & 90’s scenario of Bollywood.
Starting with the epics of the old era, the biggest blockbuster of the year 1975, “Sholay“, caught the first hand attention of the nation and exhibited the heart throbbing talent of the living legends of Bollywood all together at once. The star director Ramesh Sippy who gave his best ever effort along with the fabulous writers, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar who remarkably wrote their best ever fictions of the era, would might have never dreamt in their greatest dreams that such a put together effort will come out to be so fruitful that it will mark the beginning of a new era in Bollywood. Adding more of the ingredients to the monotonous masala of the Indian cinema, it created a seemingly ravishing scenario of Bollywood.
The most magnificent character Gabbar’s constant questioning to his fellow Sambha as to “kitne aadmi the?” unknowingly gave a sensational and unforgettable gender statement to the youth and even made him an iconic figure of the old times.
Moving to the next blockbusters, another Bollywood hit was Mughal-e-Azam, the evergreen talents, the mesmerizing Madhubala and the hard core Prithviraj Kapoor left no stones unturned to upraise the standard of Bollywood.
Next hit which clicks my mind is the ever green “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaenge “, casting the King Khan of Bollywood and our very own Punjabi Senorita “Kajol” which unbelievably occupied the cinemas for the longest time thronged with the overwhelming audience.
And now make a call to your mind and try to recall the business these movies did or the box office collection they earned on their opening show.
Got the answer to your retrospection?
Well, this is because in those times, no one was ever concerned about the profits the movies earned or which Crore Club they made it to. But not even in our dreams, we can think of forgetting the work the actors presented or the story line these movies displayed, the famous punches they contained.
Coming to the present scenario, which we all are aware of- is certainly a topsy turvy scene of the old times.
For starters, let’s take the example of the perfectionist actor starring Dhoom 3. The first Bollywood movie to be shot in the IMAX format was undoubtedly able to grab a mass attention of viewers and made it to the grand 500 Crore club but heeding to the reviews, was it really a success?
A completely predictable story, the unbelievable and vague stunts and the not-so-good acting talent of the cast made all efforts of making the movie go in vain.
Though the huge amount of flak received by the movie would eventually make the producers and director realize their hidden failure but ironically the movie was a blockbuster on the front end.
How can we forget the most horrifying hit of the year ,Grand Masti, which, thrived by its cheapest jokes made it to the 100 Crore club representing the shocking and disgraceful inclination of Indian minds towards the increasing vulgarity shown in the movies .
Unfortunately nowadays, the success of a movie is measured in terms of the box office collection it is able to earn and not by the audience perceptions it receives and the mortifying and perverting messages that it may convey to the society.
A meaningful movie like “Lunchbox” putting forth a worthwhile and eloquent thought was not only unable to grab viewer’s attention but also earned a meager box office collection amounting to only Rs 7 Crore.
Recent years encountered a plenty of such unexpected blockbusters hitting the box office but rendering the audiences profusely unsatisfied.
Hoping in this New Year, the film makers recognize the actual essence of movies and display their paramount sense of film making and story writing which carry forward a prudent message to the society for its good.
The audience is the one who proves the worth of a movie, so I believe that this jury should appreciate the effective essence and true talent and a beckon the movie makers to manifest a show worthy of plenty of rounds of applause.
By Sonali Wadhwa
