INDIAN POPULAR CINEMA

Indian Popular Cinema by Gohilsingh and Wimal Dissanayaki

A distinction needs to be drawn between the ‘popular’ and the ‘artistic’ traditions of filmmaking in India. Popular films are the films seen and appreciated by the mass of Indian movie goers. They are largely melodramatic, often musicals, conveying simple clear and moral messages. The artistic films which constitute only about 10% of the total output are realistic, often inspired by neo-realism and seek to capture a picture of Indian reality.

Thus, there are very clear differences in terms of theme, style and technique between the two streams of filmmaking in India.

Indian popular cinema constitutes a distinctively Indian form of mass entertainment. It has an incredible psychological hold on its audience, providing reinforcement for deep seated beliefs in the Indian psyche.

The Hindi film has been variously described as a glamor factory, mass, status quo, commercial formula and traditional films. The popular film is very much a consumer-oriented product.

There are a number of genres associated with Indian popular cinema. Most significant are

-       Mythological films – with fantastic narrations of ancient stories

-       Devotional films

-       Romantic films – dealing with erotic passion versus social conventions

-       Stunt films – focusing on actions and physicality

-       Historical films – With fanciful stage setting and costumes

-       Social films – that explore important social problems

-       Family melodramas – that seek to explore tensions within the family matrix

There is nothing specifically Indian about these genres. What is distinctive is the way in which these have been handled by Indian filmmakers.

Whatever the genre may be, all Indian popular films display a culturally grounded engagement with modernity.

Mythological Cinema – They are not merely historical; they portray the interface between the past and present. The idea of femineity as represented by Sita, and the aspects of villainy as represented in the image of Ravana are not confined to stories depicting episodes from the Ramayana but can also be found in films dealing with modern experiences like kartavya.

Devotional Films – One of the best films in this genre is Sant Tukaram (1936), directed by V. Damle and S. Fatehlal, which became the first Indian film to win an award at the Venice Film Festival.

What is distinctive about Social Dramas is that social issues are treated with a characteristically Indian flavor. Achut Kanya (1936) is an early exploration of an important social issue that had been highlighted by leaders such as Gandhi and Nehru.

More recently, Bombay (1995), Mani Ratnam’s Film, generated interest for exploring a highly social issue relations between Hindus and Muslims.

Erotic / Romantic Genre – Unlike the Western films, overt sexuality is prohibited in Indian films, so much is conveyed through suggestion. Songs and dances play a crucial role, eroticism being closely linked with them. They regard reconnecting such films with ‘laila-majnu’, ‘Radha-Krishna’ traditions is important. The devotion fo the woman to the man, marital forms, loving secretly but without guilt are important aspects of this tradition. E.g. Barsaat (1949)

Characterization – Apart from the hero, heroine, villain, commonly found in most other popular cinema, Indian cinema there are a few characters who distinctly Indian in outlook.

The figure of the mother is the most important. Drawing on mythological resources, modern Indian filmmakers have constructed an image of the mother that is highly visible in Indian cinema. She is caring, steadfast in her devotion to the family, nurturing and upholding moral values, e.g. Mother India (1957) etc.

The concept of evil as a vital ingredient is central to Indian popular cinema, has been working over the years in response to diverse social, cultural and political forces. This is readily illustrated in Kismet (1943), Awaara (1951) and Sholay (1975).

Style and Technique – Indian popular films are generally melodramatic musicals which are non naturalistic in the Western sense. The story does not progress in a linear fashion but meanders, with detours and stories within stories. Song, music, and dance are significant in conveying the meaning of the story and in generating the desired emotions. The more talented and successful popular film makers have deployed the elements of song, dance, melodrama, stunts, fights, cabaret sequences, exaggerated humor with remarkable ingenuity to create a distinctively Indian form of cinema.

Until recently when we talked about Indian popular cinema we meant Hindi films produced in Bollywood, and called them ‘Bombay films’ or even ‘Bollywood’. But this is no longer accurate. A substantial number of popular films are now being produced in the South and in languages such as Tamil and Telugu.

Artistic Films – Artistic films differ sharply from popular films. They are realistic, often ethnographic, and they seek to capture important aspects of Indian reality. By and large, they avoid glamor and glitz and use cinema as an artistic medium capable of exploring important areas of Indian experience. They are low budget films and are shown at International Film Festivals. The artistic films do not attract the huge audiences that the popular films do. Often they are made in regional languages like Bengali, Malayalam, etc. Artistic film makers differ significantly from their counterparts in popular cinema.