Been a while since I visited my blog and wrote something. Much as I have this desire to write regularly and share my thoughts with people known and unknown, I dither and let it pass. Also, the last few times I wrote it was all about somber matters. I didn’t want one more of the same kind again. And desisted penning notes about many such happenings. I itched even to write about events occurring in my ow life too - but they aren’t great shakes either.
So, to lighten the mood I want to look at movies (what else?)! We keep movies relevant even when we aren’t watching - by creating a boycott trend!
Growing up, most people from my generation and older, wouldn’t have any bigger entertainment than going to movies. And sure enough we watched movies in troves - and droves. We loved our movies where the hero triumphed over the villain mostly. Realistic fare wasn’t for us - it was for the pseudo-intellectuals - we would turn up our noses! Sure enough the greats like Satyajit Ray or Girish Kasaravalli weren’t our favourite directors. We rooted for the likes of Manmohan Desai and Vijay and V. Somashekhar (in Kannada; fill in with names from your language).
But then, as we grew older (and possibly had seen enough of the same being recirculated as new movies) we started appreciating the auteurs - generously also helped by the dawn of television and access to quality English movies that would be telecast usually late in the night.
This growing up also made us realise how clichéd were some scenes in Indian movies (possibly in all mass-entertainment movies across the world). And yet they would find being repeated movie after movie. You’d know the scene from a mile (or two) away. Like a climax set in an airport. Hero/heroine running and beating all odds to reach, the flight taking off, s/he collapsing on a chair dejectedly and bursting into tears, only to realise the hand of the ‘true love’ on the shoulder - and yet this never went out of fashion. The same scene can be reimagined at the railway station too (or even on a bus a la 'Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin'). Or, the scene where the police comes after everything is over; promptly, the hero (or someone else) asks the police to arrest the culprits. Like the police always wait for the orders to arrest! And, we haven't even got to the point where the hero bashes up a multitude of villains, and they all fly in the air - and yet, keep coming back for more of the same treatment!
If one wants to make a list of such scenes and sequences that have been done to death, and yet film-makers can’t but repeat them, we would come up with a long list for sure. Here are some of mine for such a list.
1. Let's dream a dance!
Raj Kapoor introduced the dream sequence in his movies back in 40's and Indian Cinema was transformed forever.
Remember the sequence from any movie where a lead character dreams of singing a song with their love? In countless such scenes, you’ll have a group of girls readily willing to blend in the background and dance - most times, wearing hideous clothing. I can understand the hero or the heroine dreaming away. I can understand even a romantic interlude. But what are these chorus dancers doing in the scene? Is this a dream sequence or your inner demons manifesting? I haven't known any living person who imagines to romance while others are gawking and serenading alongside. It's another matter altogether when we question the very presence of songs in movies!
2. Matching Step for Step!
Yet Another related to the song-and-dance tropes in every movie. Have you ever wondered how everyone who gets to groove knows the steps already and are in full sync? The hero and the heroine don’t seem to miss a beat as they join a hoard of dancers and jive away. Even the most intricate choreography is a breeze! Every Indian movie is an example of ABCD - anybody can dance, and how! To this day, it trends - the latest example is that of RRR! It's another matter that many of these songs become chart-toppers, exposing the logical limits of the audience!
Thankfully the 70s are over - and the trend where every family seemed to have its own song, and sang it often enough to ensure even kids remembered the tune, and lyrics. So, when they would grow up - after the fateful events of murders and separation - they would sing it to reunite with their remaining family members, and take revenge against the baddies!
3. 'I stalk; but you don't!'
Rich hero and poor heroine (or vice versa) is the norm in every (other) Indian movie. In most cases, the hero stalks the heroine, teases her, borderline abuses her, teachers her how to behave as a woman, and makes her believe that it’s love. Yet, when his sister falls for a guy in the same movie, she of course is wrong and is bringing down the honour of the house! Or, when the bad guy does the same routine as the hero with the heroine, he gets bashed up! There are enough movies that also give messages that women love being teased - immortalised through dialogues and songs. It's like women crave for attention. And, even negative attention is better than no attention. Duh!
4. "Uncle! It's time to learn!"
The comedy tracks - especially in South Indian movies - involve a bunch of friends of the hero. The hero thankfully has become younger over time - but the hero’s friends will be in 40s and still his classmates in college. Also, they get manhandled, abused, spat at, by the hero and they still adore him like an angel. Audiences laugh all the way back home, at jokes that are misogynistic, homophobic, and generally problematic. Producers laugh all the way to the bank, happy that they can possibly repeat all of the gags in their next, safely. Logic and sensibility being the casualties in the process.
5. 'Maa....'
The strongest sentiment in any given movie is the mother and her relationship with her son - invariably, the hero. He does anything to keep the promise he made to her when he was a 5 year old kid - even build empires of vice! Even after she has passed away and moved on to another world, mother holds sway over the hero and every action of his. This trope can hardly be questioned or criticised - because mom is the biggest thing in the world, in India. The two latest blockbusters - Bahubali and KGF - hold candle to this sentiment in the best way! And, let's not forget that this was equally strong back in the days too - Deewar anyone?
I just listed five of the most oft-repeated threads in movies, that I believe need a long break. What are your pet peeves that you think need to be given a burial soonest?
