This Saturday, HT City carried a feature depicting eleven game-changing Hindi movies from the last decade. I am not sure if these movies — or at least all of them — were pathbreaking in the fashion described, but they nevertheless offer a fair representation of popular cinema between 2001 and 2010. It would also be in order to mention their marked commercial success, remarkable in the sense that box-office recognition is a clear shibboleth of mainstream moviemaking. But let us talk about the movies first.
Two on the list hailed from 2001. Ashutosh Gowarikar's Lagaan was a period drama that combined standard-issue patriotism, chart-busting music, and India's cricket-obsession to hold the audience hostage until a literal last-ball six symbolising victory of good over evil. It also spawned an early strain of MBA-speak (email forwards were in vogue then), touting it as a case study for teamwork and sundry management principles. Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai was a coming-of-age story, set against a youthful, affluent urban setting long before our "demographic dividend" became policy boilerplate — though the economic prosperity subtext was already flashing neon. I know enough folks that identified with DCH’s college-and-after situations, or with one of the protagonists: the brooding Sid, perpetually-lovelorn Sameer, and merry-go-lucky Akash (for those of you that remember, I also know a Subodh!) in a fashion unprecedented for Hindi cinema.
Moving on, 2003 claimed two entries as well. Koi... Mil Gaya was a ritual Hindi movie saga of underdog triumph most notable for starring Jaadu, a pint-sized desi ET that brought director-producer Rakesh Roshan king-size success. Its gentle treatment of a developmentally challenged character was a modest baby-step, and the overt sci-fi setting a pioneering attempt in a cinema mostly known for its formulaic approach. Likewise, under Raju Hirani's baton, Munnabhai MBBS trod a new path, concocting a winning dynamic of two dons: one a do-gooder bhai, other a stickler university professor. A commentary on med-school exam system, lady love's hard-to-get-with-a-difference act, Bombaiyya lingo and avuncular humour in the otherwise morbid hospital setting — it was a class act.
Cut to 2006 and Rang De Basanti redefined cinema's societal impact. High on patriotism, the Rakeysh Mehra-helmed film was a brilliant expression of youth angst, starkly contrasting contemporary political rot with inspiring idealism from our Freedom Struggle. Much beyond storytelling, RDB’s veritable clarion call against corruption, or mobilisation of the collective aggrieved, remains no less pertinent today. Youth and the Great Indian Middle voted with their wallets and feet, the latter a glimmer of hope for causes lost in the sticky mire of vested interests in our country.
2007 secured no less than three spots. Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met was an uncomplicated, lighthearted romantic affair — very accurately described by HT as 'a breath of fresh air' — with the spunky Geet driving the only heroine-dominant plot on the list. Shimit Amin made Chak De! India the same year, another nationalism-meets-athletic achievement drama that, at the very least, succeeded in getting our national sport back in public consciousness. Aamir Khan's fairytale directorial debut in Taare Zameen Par was a landmark too — challenging educational system stereotypes in our notoriously conformist society. Against the backdrop of our impending demographic dividend, its advocacy of innovative career choices and empathetic portrayal of special-needs children was outstanding.
From 2009, HT's choice of Hirani's 3 Idiots was a shoo-in. Well-deserved questioning of learning-by-rote and over-hyped, narrow definition of scholastic achievement was at the film’s core, tempered by a subtle Roarkian undercurrent championing excellence, blended with a humourous take on college hostel life. Unsurprisingly, the movie captured the imagination of far broader demographics than just the youth anchoring its frame.
The only movie from the list I have not seen (unintended; to be corrected shortly) is Shankar's Enthiran (Robot) from 2010. It is also the only feature — and it is telling that I can aver thus with complete confidence, without having actually seen the film! — incomplete without a panegyric to its hero, the inimitable Rajinikanth and his flair for shattering box-office records.
I shall pause here. Dabangg, is presumably too recent to need me to jog those grey cells. Save for a much-hyped item number, I found it passable fare at best — not in the league of the others listed (no elitist rant, just that Salman rarely steps out of the banal). Equally, lest I be accused of lead actors overly influencing my rating, I present Aamir Khan, a bigger presence in this pastiche than any other, yet one who taught me the lesson of not judging a book by its cover. But that’s a story for a later day...
Two on the list hailed from 2001. Ashutosh Gowarikar's Lagaan was a period drama that combined standard-issue patriotism, chart-busting music, and India's cricket-obsession to hold the audience hostage until a literal last-ball six symbolising victory of good over evil. It also spawned an early strain of MBA-speak (email forwards were in vogue then), touting it as a case study for teamwork and sundry management principles. Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai was a coming-of-age story, set against a youthful, affluent urban setting long before our "demographic dividend" became policy boilerplate — though the economic prosperity subtext was already flashing neon. I know enough folks that identified with DCH’s college-and-after situations, or with one of the protagonists: the brooding Sid, perpetually-lovelorn Sameer, and merry-go-lucky Akash (for those of you that remember, I also know a Subodh!) in a fashion unprecedented for Hindi cinema.
Moving on, 2003 claimed two entries as well. Koi... Mil Gaya was a ritual Hindi movie saga of underdog triumph most notable for starring Jaadu, a pint-sized desi ET that brought director-producer Rakesh Roshan king-size success. Its gentle treatment of a developmentally challenged character was a modest baby-step, and the overt sci-fi setting a pioneering attempt in a cinema mostly known for its formulaic approach. Likewise, under Raju Hirani's baton, Munnabhai MBBS trod a new path, concocting a winning dynamic of two dons: one a do-gooder bhai, other a stickler university professor. A commentary on med-school exam system, lady love's hard-to-get-with-a-difference act, Bombaiyya lingo and avuncular humour in the otherwise morbid hospital setting — it was a class act.
Cut to 2006 and Rang De Basanti redefined cinema's societal impact. High on patriotism, the Rakeysh Mehra-helmed film was a brilliant expression of youth angst, starkly contrasting contemporary political rot with inspiring idealism from our Freedom Struggle. Much beyond storytelling, RDB’s veritable clarion call against corruption, or mobilisation of the collective aggrieved, remains no less pertinent today. Youth and the Great Indian Middle voted with their wallets and feet, the latter a glimmer of hope for causes lost in the sticky mire of vested interests in our country.
2007 secured no less than three spots. Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met was an uncomplicated, lighthearted romantic affair — very accurately described by HT as 'a breath of fresh air' — with the spunky Geet driving the only heroine-dominant plot on the list. Shimit Amin made Chak De! India the same year, another nationalism-meets-athletic achievement drama that, at the very least, succeeded in getting our national sport back in public consciousness. Aamir Khan's fairytale directorial debut in Taare Zameen Par was a landmark too — challenging educational system stereotypes in our notoriously conformist society. Against the backdrop of our impending demographic dividend, its advocacy of innovative career choices and empathetic portrayal of special-needs children was outstanding.
From 2009, HT's choice of Hirani's 3 Idiots was a shoo-in. Well-deserved questioning of learning-by-rote and over-hyped, narrow definition of scholastic achievement was at the film’s core, tempered by a subtle Roarkian undercurrent championing excellence, blended with a humourous take on college hostel life. Unsurprisingly, the movie captured the imagination of far broader demographics than just the youth anchoring its frame.
The only movie from the list I have not seen (unintended; to be corrected shortly) is Shankar's Enthiran (Robot) from 2010. It is also the only feature — and it is telling that I can aver thus with complete confidence, without having actually seen the film! — incomplete without a panegyric to its hero, the inimitable Rajinikanth and his flair for shattering box-office records.
I shall pause here. Dabangg, is presumably too recent to need me to jog those grey cells. Save for a much-hyped item number, I found it passable fare at best — not in the league of the others listed (no elitist rant, just that Salman rarely steps out of the banal). Equally, lest I be accused of lead actors overly influencing my rating, I present Aamir Khan, a bigger presence in this pastiche than any other, yet one who taught me the lesson of not judging a book by its cover. But that’s a story for a later day...
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2 comments:
Mate! This spurred a stream of visuals from each of those flicks ... and now I’m sitting with a demand for a re run of that decade’s melody … some brilliant lyrics from the films you adduced… Radhaa Raas in Lagan to an appalled Mother’s call for her lost son in RDB and over to a paranoid Boy calling his Maa in Taarey … all brilliantly written, sung and filmed.
Alas! A so far not so indecent decade was lastly autographed by The Ms. S’s & The Ms. M’s (not referring to anyone dead or still breathing, in particular) blaring ballad!!!
Amidst all the hoopla about the 11 Men-In-Blue, it was great to read this one -- or 11 -- on our other national obsession! It runs deeper in our veins too -- look at 'us' diaspora and Bollywood will be alive and kicking -- or dancing! -- even if cricket's long gone. Hey win me a World Cup while we're at it :)
On the wishlist too please put the Aamir Khan piece you promise in closing -- you haven't forgotten Uttam Kumar, have you?!
-A
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