I’m gonna be honest here.
Through the years, the three companions I had were my family, friends & Tollywood. Sure, you could argue why I watched only Telugu films, but I would just reply with a queer “Because my family’s mother tongue is that.” Although many tried to urge me to move on to international flicks (which successfully happened), I couldn’t (and still can’t) forget about India’s film industry.
Since I was longing to write something, I just gave in to my inner self and decided to rant about how much remorse I feel about the films both North & South in the Jewel of the Crown. Since it’s a lot to take in, I’ll complain about it in parts to be organized.
Actors/Actresses
This is the pinnacle of the industry.
Ever since the Golden Age of the film business, India has relied on actors/actresses to hit the ball out of the park for good flicks. Even though the first part received mastery, I think they actually need to try hitting the ball first. Mostly, India puts a lot of effort into masala films, and it’s very rare to see one that actually gives a purpose for it to be made.
By the way, for those of you who don’t know what I just said get a free vocab lesson. Masala is a genre that combines action, romance, comedy, musical elements, and the “Hero VS Villain” arc altogether. Which is exactly the process they do with spices to make masala, thus the name.
Anyways, the directors & producers need to spend less time on making the stars look good physically, and instead focus on character and plot development. In order to explain this, I’ll use the example of two films from two different languages. And both are hits, but for different reasons.
Attarintiki Daredi is a 2013 film by Trivikram Srinivas, which stars Pawan Kalyan. This became a hit not only because of the cast and director but due to the elements of masala in it. Although I can’t say it’s bad (since I personally enjoyed it), I can’t say it’s amazing either. Why, for it just didn’t really sink in fully as an authentic cinema, but instead lingered as a film just for the sake of watching (which can also be stated by the term “Time-Pass”). This can be a broad example of a film applauded for its imagery, not the development.
Another film that reverses the whole thing is Queen, a 2014 film by Vikas Bahl. This stars Kangana Ranaut as the protagonist, an introverted homely girl who goes on what should’ve been her honeymoon (due to her fiance cutting off their engagement). In the process, she finds out who she can become if she changes. This tale of female empowerment won myriad accolades, along with the applause of many critics for its strong acting, realistic screenplay, and detailed design. This cine shows how an arc about realizing who oneself is can inspire others to do the same and to be confident in their own decision.
These are just two films that are both popular and award-winning but are extremely different from each other in explicit terms. For the next few parts, I will instead evaluate and give tips on normal things in an Indian cinema, since there really haven’t been a lot of versatile ones lately.
To be continued in Part II…