An Ode to 100 years of Indian Cinema
In
my mind, the memory of the first film I saw is still as clear as a glass of
sparkling water. I was enchanted to say the least. The darkness in the theater added to the aura. The vast expanse of silver screen gave enough credence to
the larger than life persona of cinema. The air conditioning those days were as
rare as sparrows these days. Along with all this paraphernalia, I fell in love
with the idea of motion pictures. I believe it is the best way of storytelling
enriched with all its song and dance sequences.
Today, we are
celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema – 100 years filled with Fun, Frolic
& Fascination. Today, Cinema is Omnipresent. Apart from the obvious
entertainment aspect of it, cinema has helped us as a society and as a nation
in many other avenues to the extent that cinema has taken center stage in our
lives.
Let us look at the canvas of world affairs. Indian
cinema has taken our country to those nooks and corners of the world which decades
of deliberate diplomacy could not. Egypt, Greece, Germany, Japan, Middle east,
and 90 more countries screen Indian Films thanks to the popularity of supreme stars like Salman Khan and Shahrukh khan. In fact, it is said the people of Afghanistan love and
trust Indians because of the simple reason that they love Indian movies and the derived familiarity of Indian culture.
Now, what has cinema
done to the world of business? In the song, “Munni Badnam Hui..” from ‘Dabangg’
to which the nation gyrated along with Malika
Arora Khan, there is a line which goes “Zandu balm hui darling tere liye”. Can
anyone of you imagine what it did to the brand? A whopping 35% rise in its
sales!!! People who understand the nuances of business would know how much of branding and
advertising is needed for that kind of growth. It is called product placement –
the trick of subtly including brands in films. This leads to as much visibility
as a mammoth in a very short time. Again, it is a testimony to Cinema’s
omnipresence in our lives.
Cinema of each period
is like a page from history. In order to understand the lifestyle, the economic
situation, the technological advancement, the perspectives of people of a
period in time, all you need to see is a film from that period. Even the way
people dress up is heavily influenced by the films of their time and age. It is
said that a large part of Amitabh Bachchan’s success is attributed to our
country’s situation of that time. There was a lot of angst in people’s minds
due to un employment, corruption, nepotism and so on and so forth. Mr. Bachchan
was branded as the angry young man which the youth of that time identified with
completely.
It will be a crime if
we do not acknowledge the impact cinema has on our society. It is intriguing to
see how much of a change agent cinema has become. It was the film ‘Rang De
Basanti’ which brought the candle marches in to vogue. From then on, people have adapted this peaceful
yet powerful form of protest whenever the nation’s conscience has been pricked.
Even beyond the
borders, cinema has left quite an impact. It is said Raj Kapoor’s film ‘Awara’
evoked among the Russians, a strange sense of endearment for Indians. They
began seeing Indians as friends which continues till date. Much recently, the
film ‘Lagey Raho MunnaBhai’ was screened at the United Nations to showcase how
Gandhigiri was propagated in this day and age in our country.
I should acknowledge
the existence and importance of regional cinema. They are beautiful and
bountiful. The reason why I did not delve in to it here is because on a world
stage, our country is mostly being represented by the kind of films which we
discussed earlier. It will be surprising to notice how much of a binding force,
cinema has become for a country which has as many varied yet influential
subcultures as ours. It is the sole
reason why we understand each other’s languages and cultures so well.
To this day, whenever I
enter a cinema hall, my curiosity is like that of a child. Those two hours
captivate my mind space so much so that there is a transmigration of sorts between
the characters and myself. In the darkness resembling a dream, we empathize and
sympathize with the characters. Cinema has become one of those few indulgences in
which we are still able to relish the experience and live in that moment. Long
live Indian Cinema!
Arun
Babu.
Keywords: Indian Cinema,Bollywood,Hindi Films, Indian films, Indian movies, Indian film industry, Indian actors, Indian actresses,100 years of Indian Cinema
Isn't that a still from Parineeta? Loved the film.
ReplyDeleteGreat post too.
Thank you for reading :)...and yes, its from parineeta..I think its a very underrated film..
DeleteNicely written Arun...loved it
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading Arnab :)
DeleteExcellent write-up. Enjoyed it thoroughly..!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Its 'Lagey Raho Munnabhai', not 'Munnabhai MBBS' :)
How are you so good at finding these little flaws??
Deletethank you Vinit :). and Kotla, good tht he found out...lemme change it ;)
DeleteNice way to sum up how Indian Cinema is impacting our lives !!As u highlighted, cinema has emerged to be a change agent of the society. If channelized well, it can do more than any other media.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Subramanian :)
Delete