A GOOD YEAR FOR INDIAN CINEMA

When lockdown struck us during the pandemic in 2020, all communal activities were instantly interrupted. Many prophesied the end of the entertainment industry as we know it. Single-screen movie theatres began shutting down one after the other. It seemed certain, the incredible experience of watching a movie in the dark with strangers on a big screen was over.

India is a diverse country, which comes together for only two Cs—Cricket and Cinema. The fact that India is the largest movie-producing country in the world, proves how important movies are for entertainment to the lives of common Indians. They may not have enough to eat and drink, but they’ll stretch themselves beyond the limits to save up, to watch their matinee idols on the big screen. Film stars are worshipped and movies are celebrated. Big mass entertainers led by larger-than-life superstars like Rajnikanth, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Chiranjeevi and Kamal Hassan have been a source of elusive joy and hope for one and all.

It is hard to imagine that we’ll ever see this day within a couple of years, but here we are. As 2023 draws to a close, it can be triumphantly proclaimed—"WE ARE BACK.” We are back to enjoying movies in theatres sitting shoulder to shoulder with each other—whistling, brushing, hustling and jostling. Massy entertainers have not only worked, but they have also raked in serious moolah. Not only big ones, but even comparatively smaller movies have worked in theatres.

Movie-making is a unique business that incorporates craft and art. It calls for astute business acumen along with a perceptive creative bend—kinda like a monk and a hitman rolled in one. Starting a movie production is like embarking on a startup journey. Investment is organised; artists are hired; teams of technicians in various departments are painstakingly built; pre-production is an exercise in planning and research; production involves top-level delegation and management; post-production summons state-of-the-art technology to achieve a high-quality product; and then digitalisation has not only made marketing and distribution dynamic and efficient, it has also opened up new revenue models such as OTT rights and in-flight rights (since a lot of people watch movies on flight); apart from theatrical rights (Domestic and World), satellite rights and music rights. When a movie does well it clears the path for more investments, which leads to newer talents breaking into the industry and more opportunities for existing artists and technicians.

All the movies cannot be mass entertainers. Sometimes commercial aspect of a movie is strong and art emerges out of it; and sometimes a movie has such a strong unique voice that commerce emerges out of it. Then certain niche movies may not do well in theatres; which doesn’t mean they are not good movies or that audiences should be blamed for not appreciating good cinema. The movies that cater to mass audiences conform to an established structure. They have big stars, big action sequences, and catchy songs that instantly find a connection with audiences across different strata of society. Niche movies don’t conform to that structure. They are driven solely by the vision of the filmmaker. Yet they must recover their cost of production and some profit over and above that because movie-making is an expensive proposition. Often the industry is driven by herd mentality and a second chance after a failure is hard to come by. Thankfully OTTs have helped niche movies find their place in the Sun and not get lost under the weight of giants. If we enjoy “Pathan” and “Jawan”, we also need? “Sirf Ek Banda Kafi Hai” and “Joram” to stimulate us. The success of Pathan makes way for more Jorams, which means more variety for the audiences.

A special mention to “Animal” for kicking up a storm for its strong toxic content. It gave way to feverish arguments and discussions about overt machismo, misogyny, and gender-based violence in the movie—and rightly so. Interestingly, when I was watching the movie, during end credit roll a young girl sitting right behind me who was there with her college gang spontaneously muttered, “What a film?! How did they even manage to get away with something like this?”

Even I found many parts of the movie cringey, but does that mean it shouldn’t be made? Misogyny and gender-based violence are not new to Indian cinema. We have seen worse in B-grade movies of the 80s and 90s. Then why so much furore against “Animal”? Probably because it is a well-made movie that is drawing people in hordes. If it was a badly made movie, nobody would have cared. Sandeep Reddy Vanga has a raw voice. He doesn’t hold back and that makes his movies so engaging. And what makes it even more effective is that he is using the structure of commercial cinema so well to put his point across. If the audiences were so gullible, there would’ve been a Gabbar Singh in every Indian household. That hasn’t happened. We are smart enough to watch movies for entertainment and resign to our mundane lives. Nobody I have spoken to has supported Ranvijay’s and Abrar’s characters for the way they treat women in their lives, yet they have found the movie entertaining. This means we are a mature audience. Besides, sometimes the path to redemption is by making the monster glance its ugly face straight into the mirror rather than digging one’s head in the sand and pretending it doesn’t exist. After “Kabir Singh” if there is any movie that has provoked widespread discussions about misogyny and gender-based violence prevalent in our society, it is “Animal”.

This year, Indian cinema managed to rise above parochial regional classifications. Hopefully, we are done with the north-south divide once and for all and can talk about Indian cinema without prejudice. The movies are being shot in multiple languages simultaneously and they cater to a wider audience domestically and internationally. There is cross-investment and collaborations taking place across regional movie centres. Hindi producers are investing in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam movies; Rashmika Mandanna is working more in Mumbai; and Katrina Kaif is starring opposite Vijay Sethupathi. And this change is taking place only because there is convergence of interests. So we’re all for SRK doing lungi dance; Vijay Deverkonda and Dulquer Salmaan getting mobbed by girls in Delhi, and Prabhas getting a big Pan-India opening—because this means good business.