Why Can’t Bollywood Make Films Like Inception? -Q&A

Why Can’t Bollywood Make Films Like Inception? Because We Can’t or Because We Won’t?

Bollywood Logic 101

Have you ever wondered why the Indian Film Industry cannot make a film worthy of universal acclaim? Have you ever asked another Indian why Bollywood is uninterested in making thought-provoking cinema? What was their answer?

Hollywood has always come up with ideas which floor the rest of the world. It constantly innovates and experiments with different subject matter, focusing on being a pioneer instead of being a follower. But, our beloved Bollywood? Not so much.

Most Indians, who are fed up with the same run-of-the-mill uninspiring movies that Bollywood force-feeds us every Friday, have long ago given up on the lacklustre Hindi movies and instead prefer to watch films from other industries. Anything will do as long as long as it’s not from Bollywood! The level of frustration has reached so high that many North Indians would rather tune in to a Tamil or a Telegu movie (languages they don’t understand) than sit through a Hindi one.

Of course, once in a while Bollywood surprises us with films like No Smoking, Rang De Basanti, A Wednesday, Gangs of Wasseypur, English Vinglish, Shahid, Lunchbox, Newton etc. These movies, however, are exceptions to the general rule of filmmaking in Bollywood. They come once in a blue moon, give us hopes of a revolutionary reckoning, but, due to the Monopoly of Stupidity that abounds in B-Town, they slowly fade away, taking our high hopes with them.

The Problem – Bollywood Logic

Bollywood believes in the age-old mantra of following the tried and tested method of making entertainers, mindless entertainers. And to that end, Bollywood will go to any extreme lengths to ensure they come up with the same tedious, uninteresting and senseless content without ever thinking of something fresh and original.

Let’s see what type of content Bollywood generally focuses on while making a movie:

This is a scene from a superhit Hindi film called Haseena Maan Jayegi (1999). At first, it looks like a regular image of girls playing in a field. But, if you examine what’s happening in the picture carefully, you will make four distinctly ludicrous observations:

1. The girls are playing Basketball… with a Football!
2. The girls are playing Basketball… on a Golf course!
3. The girls are playing Basketball… dressed in Tennis attire!
4. Except for the Captain (the heroine) who’s wearing track pants!

Note: This example is prevalent on the internet and can be found on various sites like Quora, 9Gag, Buzzfeed

Yes, you just witnessed firsthand the nonsensical absurdity that Bollywood likes to delve in while making a film. Even then, the movie was a superhit, and the audience didn’t care one bit if the female lead was playing basketball, with a football, in tennis gear.

Most Bollywood movies are filled with such idiocy.

Bollywood Logic – Exploring Why Such Idiocy Occurs In Bollywood

 

When asked by Rajeev Masand, the entertainment reporter, as to why Bollywood can’t make films like Christopher Nolan’s Inception, actor Aamir Khan observed that Hollywood had the ability to tell stories well, it had the freedom and courage to pick controversial or surreal topics and showcase larger than life storytelling. He agrees that Indian filmmakers aren’t able to imagine something as amazing as Inception since India makes films for its audiences. And we all know what the average Indian cinemagoer craves – mindless entertainers. He goes on to highlight the most critical reason why Bollywood fails to come up with something along the lines of Inception – we do not give value to our writers!

Aamir’s words ring true – we do not value writers, period. India celebrates its actors and actresses, the pseudo-gods and goddesses who are anything but role models. It’s not just the filmmakers; it’s the audience who also plays a major role in the content of a film. The people who actually deserve our praises (people behind a movie) are overlooked and frequently underplayed. We worship the faces we see, not the faces that made them so.

If you look at Aamir Khan’s filmography, it’s clear that even The Perfectionist isn’t free of the Bollywood Syndrome. Akele Hum Akele Tum, Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, Ghulam, Mann, Ghajini – they are all remakes of popular Hollywood movies – Kramer vs. Kramer, Houseboat, On The Waterfront, An Affair to Remember and Memento respectively.

Indians Aren’t Fans of Movies; We Are Fans of Celebrities – Bollywood Logic

Movies like Inception are meant for knowledgeable audience that understands the art and science put into it. India is populated by idiots who don’t like to use their brains to watch a movie, hence the mindless entertainers. Most people would rather watch a crappy movie with a famous cast than an interesting movie with a relatively obscure cast. This is why you and I witness B-Town celebrities comparing their god-awful movies (Dilwale) to the likes of something as beautiful as Inception. It goes to show how much our beloved Bollywood stars understand the Art of Cinema. Bollywood makes movies to make money, not to create something legendary.

Some argue that Indians like watching masala/entertainment movies, which is why these types of films are produced on such a large scale. Most of us enjoy watching item numbers, semi-naked women and over-the-top action while whistling to clichéd romantic scenes. Films like Inception are not made because the Indian audience cannot be bothered to understand the complexity of such a script.

I’m sometimes of the opinion that the filmmakers in Bollywood maybe believe that their audiences are brain-dead. Coincidentally, the people who watch such Bollywood movies believe that the directors and producers are brain-dead and can never make movies as good as Inception. It’s a vicious cycle of hypocritical paradox that we live in!

The Sad Conclusion – Bollywood Logic

Are we really that stupid? I used to think we Indians were an intelligent bunch, but, looking at the ridiculous nature of dim-witted controversies we so regularly love to embroil ourselves in, like the present hullabaloo over something as idiotic as Padmavati, I’d have to rethink my outlook.

It’s not just a question of the people involved in the making of such abhorring content, but also the mindset of the audience which marks the quality of the said movies.

Indeed, we Indians are Idiots – all of us, without exception. As such, expecting the Grandfather of All Idiocy (Bollywood) to make a film like Inception is all but wishful thinking – a hopeful dream inside a desperate dream, inside a futile dream.

Keep dreaming, India.