By Hitee Singh
A movie has so multiple factors which make it a cult or another run-of-the-mill. The director, the actor, the story, the characters, the cinematography, background score and for our Bollywood films, even the songs. Although the main focus for the movie’s success is based on the actor’s performance and the story.
Some may argue that the story is what keeps people glued to the screen. Agreed. But the story alone is not enough. If it were why would someone make a movie on it? Wouldn’t it be published and become a best seller? Why would someone go through the long and tedious process of making it into a movie? Someone saw something in that story that made him transform it into a celluloid and that thing was the need for an actor to make the characters real and believable.
When I say actors, I don’t mean heroes that is star power like Salman or Shahrukh, I mean people who can really act whatever the character might be and add depth to a previously shallow character. Story is gripping when you can stay with it and can relate to it which is possible by the efforts of the actor as he is the medium through which he is conveying you the story.
If in case the story is bad or something not gripping you can still tolerate it because of the acting of the actors who can make it sit through it. Let me explain here with some examples.
Pirates of the Caribbean, let us face it, plot-wise not so great, just a ride of fantasy yet it somehow is everyone’s favorite. Courtesy, our very own Johnny Depp. His whimsical Captain Jack Sparrow is a favorite for all the ages. Show this movie to anyone aged above 40, he may not like the plot but he will definitely watch it for Depp’s acting.
Closer home, we have a recent movie ‘Main Aur Charles’, anyone well-read knew about Charles Sobhraj, then what did people watch it for? For Randeep Hooda’s acting and the finesse with which he portrayed Charles not as a celebrity but as a criminal. Unfortunately, India has no dearth of plotless movies being made each year. And after watching them we do say this, a movie was okay but so and so’s acting was good. Don’t we?
I can’t recall a movie with a good plot that flopped because of its actors. A great movie will have all the right ingredients. A watchable movie will have good acting. A flop will have nothing.
These days, people going to theaters are much more than the previous decades. People have more disposable income to spend. They don’t mind the acting neither the story, all they want is to kill time. I guess I have made my stand perfectly clear- good acting never falters.
