What exactly is the crisis of Indian Cinema?
“Once upon a time … they lived happily ever after”. This can be any story in a nutshell. Imagine a scenario when all our mainstream films were on these lines. That would have been a crisis. Interestingly our cinema takes after our epics. They open right in the middle of the action, crisscrossing effortlessly through the many plots, subplots, and even sub-sub plots.
A few moments spent with Anjum Rajabali, sparked of these distinctive thoughts on our cinema today. A director, scriptwriter and a man with deep passion for cinema and its many vistas, he was here in Trivandrum for the screenplay workshop organized as part of the 13 th IFFK. This interaction, part of the Press Mentorship Programme organised by FIPRESCI saw many thoughts on our mainstream cinema.
Refusing to address any of the regional filmdom on the lines of Hollywood, he was of the opinion that regional cinema in India has ingenious roots. Hence it is incomprehensible to a foreign audience, as it is far removed from reality. For instance Barbara Lorey, Jury Member, FIPRESCI, was confused by the obsession of regional cinema with flashbacks. Rajabati cleared up this aspect by taking her on a journey through our epics, where nothing is closed. Many characters, plots, subplots are expertly dovetailed into the narrative. A person is identified in connection with many others. It is a cyclical and continuous process. Our films which draw much from our epics cannot exist without such a link. Flashbacks go very deep into the progress of the plot.
Our mainstream cinema is an unconscious manifestation of accumulated sediments of centuries old visual culture. Rajabati observes these tendencies in the songs, item numbers and the many comic scenes that we stumble upon in any movie today. He is of the opinion that these are not mere means of marketing, or techniques to lure the public. It has its roots in the traditional theaters where dialogues were rendered using songs and accompanied by live music. Many interludes and subplots were introduced to provide comic relief. These aspects which are considered as crisis in Indian Cinema do open up the scope of the narrative. In Fact all these aspects add much to the narrative.
A man who is very much concerned about the future of film is worried about the writing that goes on in the name of film reviews. He pointed out that the crisis is there not in our films but in the quality of writing that comes out in the name of film reviews. It is never a critique but a mere criticism, a summary of the plot, another means of marketing a film.
A critique is the link between an audience and a film. If we do not really look into the aspects that touched us we are breaking the link. Instead of condemning the clichéd aspects in Indian cinema it would be interesting to analyze the narrative possibilities that they open up. The songs, and the so-called item numbers, comic scenes in a thriller and masalas are condemned as the predicament of Indian cinema. All these aspect add something worthwhile to the narrative. They are never extras, they often add much to the progress of the plot.
It is high time that a shift in focus came to the area of film writing. The aim should be to focus on these elements that add to the narrative. What is usually seen is condemning a song or a fight instead of thinking the why and how behind it. As a link between the public and the cinema we should be true to our viewing experience. If we really enjoy a song we should be able to point out its merit instead of succumbing to the prejudiced view that these aspects are taking our cinema to extinction.
A few examples from the mainstream cinema. He finds that the use of music in Rock On is a fresh start. A hero, with an ordinary voice singing songs for his part, the way songs merge effortlessly with the narrative are aspects which are praiseworthy. Our audience ha s responded well to the film, a glimmer of hope towards a change in the industry.
While Wednesday another film which refused to be stereotyped was different in term of the techniques employed but portrayed the terrorist as a Muslim, a much used stereotype. Om Shanti Om which was a tribute to the 70’s did have many different and interesting aspects but was lost in the hype that it created.
The framework of our cinema is not reduced to a beginning and an end. It is often open ended and the dimensions it opens out are many. Hence the writing on film should also open out the horizons of visuals. As possible future film journalists his words will be etched in our minds.
The happily ever after of Indian Cinema lies in the words of these critiques. What are the dimensions it opens out … we will wait and see.
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