The Decadence of Bollywood – Part II

The Decadence of Bollywood Pt. II – A Legacy of Irresponsibility in an Era of Privilege

 

While making a Bollywood film, what are the necessary things required for it to be a success? Acting? Direction? Content? All of the above?

NO! What is actually required is a bankable superstar or his son/daughter. Things like acting, original content or a good script are not pre-requisites for making a good Bollywood movie.

As India is evolving and modernizing itself to the standards of the West, it is continuously getting inspired by the Western cultures forgetting the fact that India is a land of the sentimental, not the rational. And, Bollywood chooses to ignore the warning signs and make movies that are high in sexual innuendos that glorify rape and sexual harassment while disregarding major social issues like LGBT rights, childbirth, honour killing or corruption.

In Part I of this article, I discussed the various maladies that Bollywood has been afflicted with – nepotism, race to the 100 crore club, rigged award ceremonies etc. Let us continue on our journey and discuss some more issues which are endemic in Bollywood.

Remakes, Remakes And Some More Remakes – The Decadence of Bollywood

Since time immemorial, Bollywood has been copying scripts from other film industries, mainly Hollywood. But, now it has reached a new level of shamelessness where the majority of film releases in Bollywood are remakes of some Tamil, Telugu or Malayalam movie [Note: most South Indian movies are also copies of Hollywood movies, which are then copied by Bollywood]. Songs are also not exempt from this rape of intellectuality either. Because stupid songs with half-witted lyrics are in demand now, that’s what the movies feed us. These songs ruin the originality of the few good things that existed in Bollywood. All this in the name of making a quick buck.

There is a dearth of good writers and original ideas in Bollywood. We do have a lot of talented writers & directors, but, due to the negligence of their craft, we are short of original stories. This has to be the only explanation! Why else would one of the largest film industries in the world suddenly stop making good original content? Also, because actors, directors and producers are all focused on joining the 100 Crore Club, they rarely want to make a meaningful film and instead rely on the star-power of the actor, the sex appeal of the actress and the sexual overtones of the item songs.

Contrary to popular belief, Bollywood has been copying from other film industries in India long before Ghajini or Wanted came along. Just look at the list of remakes done by Bollywood, the sheer number is staggering; it’s a long long long list:

Even posters aren’t spared!

• Singham (Tamil) – Singham
• Kaakha Kaakha (Tamil) – Force
• Memento (English) – Ghajini
• Sethu (Tamil) – Tere Naam
• Alaipayuthey (Tamil) – Saathiya
• Pokkiri (Telugu) – Wanted
• Ready (Telugu) – Ready
• Athadu (Telugu) – Ek, The Power of One
• Manichitrathazhu (Malayalam) – Bhool Bhulaiya
• Ramoji Rao Speaking – Hera Pheri
• Vikramarkudu (Telegu) – Rowdy Rathore
• Mattupetti Machan (Malayalam) – Housefull 2
• Bodyguard (Malayalam) – Bodyguard
• Katha Parayumbol (Malayalam) – Billu
• Ishtam (Malayalam) – Mere Baap Pehle Aap
• Boeing Boeing (Malayalam) – Garam Masala
• Charlie Chaplin (Malayalam) – No Entry
• Thalavattam (Malayalam) – Kyon Ki
• Rachana (Malayalam) – Shabd
• Godfather (Malayalam) – Hulchul
• Run (Tamil) – Run
• Kushi (Tamil) – Khushi
• Poove Unakkaga (Tamil) – Badhaai Ho Badhaai
• Minnale (Tamil) – Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
• Viralukketha Veekkam (Tamil) – Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya
• Mudhalvan (Tamil) – Nayak: The Real Hero
• Bavagaru Bagunnara (Telegu) – Kunwara
• Suryavamsam (Tamil) – Sooryavansham
• Kadhal Kottai (Tamil) – Sirf Tum
• Aa Okkati Adakku (Telegu) – Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi
• Shubhalagnam (Telegu) – Judaai
• Thevar Magan (Tamil) – Virasaat
• Yamaleela (Telegu) – Taqdeerwala
• Tholi Prema (Telegu) – Mujhe Kuch Keha Hai
• Maryada Rammana (Telegu) – Son of Sardar
• Nayagan (Tamil) – Dayavan
• Sathi Leelavathi (Tamil) – Biwi No. 1
• Aayutha Ezhuthu (Tamil) – Yuva
• Itlu Sravani Subramanyam (Telegu) – Anjaana Anjaani

I could go on to write about Bollywood films copied from Hollywood and other international film industries, but, you get my point. Why write original content when you can copy the entire script written by better filmmakers?

Blind Fan-Following – The Decadence of Bollywood

Bollywood needs audiences, not fans! Period. One of the most dangerous things we can do as the public is to have blind devotion towards other human beings, however mighty. Human beings are flawed by nature, it is the absolute truth. Yet, we Indians have an inane need to worship our role models as gods. In truth, the fans are the roadblocks standing between real creative cinema and the appreciation they deserve. Absolute mediocre movies are raking in millions because a blind fan would rather watch a mind-numbing, tedious movie like Tubelight than watching something worthwhile like Aligarh.

Our film stars have fans, fans who are blindly devoted to their favourite actors. What, then, is the difference between these fanatic followers and the devotees of the rapist godman, Baba Ram Rahim Singh, who rioted and caused the deaths of innocents when their beloved guru was sentenced for his crimes against women?

We, the audience, need to choose better movies over bigger stars. After all, the producers give us what we want, not what we need. They prey on the audience’s gullibility and deliver mediocre content because it’s what we like to see. Basically, they supply whatever is in demand.

There is nothing wrong being a fan of a Khan or a Kapoor or any other big celebrity. I myself am a big fan of Aamir Khan. I watch all his movies in theatres without fail. But, this doesn’t mean that I’ll waste my hard-earned money watching Dhoom 3. I didn’t.

The main problem with blind devotion to anything is that it’s blind; it tends to rule out all kinds of opportunities that are available to those with vision.
– Unknown

Objectification of Women – The Decadence of Bollywood

This one needs no introduction. Name one single big-banner movie in the recent past that doesn’t have an item song in it – a song with scantily clad half-naked actresses dancing seductively which has no significance whatsoever to the storyline. How would you feel if you’re sitting with your conservative family watching Dabangg or Agneepath when suddenly an item song starts? Uncomfortable? Uneasy? Awkward? Embarrassed? Or all of the above? Dabangg and Agneepath could have been made without the item songs and their exclusion would have made no real effect on the plot. Yet, movies are still made which include at least one item song with a busty babe wearing almost nothing, dancing sensually.

There is nothing new in hearing that women have been at the receiving end of inappropriate sexual behaviour from hedonistic cads in every industry, be it a corporate multinational or a government office. It has been happening since time immemorial. The new-age, technologically-advanced 21^st Century is no different. Recently, Harvey Weinstein’s ouster as a sexual deviant had taken the world by storm. The Harvey Weinstein Effect has sparked a global debate about sexual harassment by men, with further cases emerging almost daily.

Now comes the million-dollar question(s): How many such instances have you heard in India? And, in how many such cases has justice been served? How many celebrities went to jail for their sexual depravity? How many superstars have been boycotted by the Indian Film Fraternity?

The Indian Film Industry is filled with the likes of Harvey Weinstein. But, rarely do we witness anyone from B-Town accusing prominent celebrities. Vidya Balan (Kahaani), a well-known Bollywood actress, confessed in an interview that many top actresses choose to keep quiet for decades about sexual harassment fearing reprisal, which goes to show how safe women feel about reporting such issues.

Bollywood Couldn’t Care Less Because Sex Sells!!!

A Quora writer once quipped that there are four basic roles for females in Bollywood – a) the sentimental mother who worships all day long; b) the loving sister whose only job is to get sexually harassed by the villain; c) the beautiful heroine who hates the hero initially but falls in love with him once he starts harassing/stalking her; and d) the item girl with skimpy clothes who has no problem being groped by countless men.

In many cases, the lead actresses have no role in the movie except to look beautiful standing behind the hero or while dancing with him in the rain. Even in movies where they attempt to portray a strong female lead, they muck it up by beautifying the actress and upping her sexual quotient. What is the point of having a strong female character?

What we must realise is that this stereotypical objectification of women is construed as truth by the lower-class. They fall prey to the belief that if they act like their hero, they will get the girl. So, they start eve-teasing, harassing and stalking women thinking that a modern woman wearing short skirts is okay being groped, just like in the song. The problem starts (if it hasn’t already) when things don’t go according to the idiot’s plan – violence ensues, which ultimately begets rape. It is to be noted that even rape is okay for these idiots. And why not? She’s just a woman!

If women are disrespected and objectified in Bollywood it is because of us – you and I. At the end of the day, it is you and I, the common man, who goes to watch such revolting and repulsive movies. Demand breeds supply.

Why bother with porn when we can very easily watch this disgusting stuff instead? And Bollywood will keep supplying us with this shit as long as we ask for it. After all, it’s all about the money, isn’t it?

No Ownership, No Responsibility – The Decadence of Bollywood

There was a story that I mentioned in the previous article. I will repeat it again here for better understanding of the context:

A few years ago an Indian man living in Australia was charged with stalking and sexual harassment. In court, the man said in his defence that he was not to be blamed for his actions as he had learnt the art of stalking from watching Hindi movies. He added that in a Hindi movie (doesn’t matter which, take your pick), the heroine initially doesn’t like the hero and loathes him or disapproves of his actions. So the hero acts like a third-class rowdy, pestering and stalking the heroine (eve-teasing and sexually harassing her) until she finally falls in love with him. This is what the man had learnt since childhood and that was how he perceived falling in love must be like.

The Australian lawyer defending the Indian man added that obsessively pursuing uninterested women is ‘quite normal behaviour’ for those who take their cues from Bollywood movies. The judge acquitted the man of all charges since the judge believed that the man was acting on what he had learnt all his life from Bollywood, the cabal of stupidity.

Bollywood is a powerful tool in shaping the mindsets and behaviours of the people of India. And with great power comes great responsibility. Alas, Bollywood is least concerned with its morality or the effect it has on the naive public.

Hollywood to Bollywood

There are a lot of other issues plaguing Bollywood and its incompetence in making a quality movie with good content. Rest assured, they will be written about in the future.

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Idiot’s Corner:

I’m not saying, not even hinting, that all movies are the same. I’m not saying that remakes are bad; they are tolerable as long as they are entertaining and unique in their own way. I’m also not saying that the fan following that some Khans and Kapoors enjoy are bad, it’s just misplaced. Instead of following the film, we follow the hero instead. Yes, not all Bollywood movies are junk; not all Bollywood actors are trash. But, most are.