Indian Popular Cinema: An Experience Larger Than Life

Transcription

1 Indian Popular Cinema: An Experience Larger Than Life Mihir Bholey, PhD, Assoc. Senior Faculty, Interdisciplinary Design Studies National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, INDIA

2 Indian Popular Cinema 2

3 Naya Daur Reshami Salwar 3

4 Popular Cinema: What is it About? 4

5 A Cultural Experience Dil Cheez Kya Hai: Umarao Jaan 5

6 And A Cross-Cultural Experience Too: Ra.One 6

7 Has Heroic Actions Dhoom 2 7

8 Violence Justifying Heroic Mission Singham 8

9 And Emotions for Catharsis Bagban (Deutsch) 9

10 Essentially an entertainment product, produced by an organized industry having net worth of Rs. 68 billion, expected to grow to Rs. 153 billion by 2010 FICCI estimates its compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) to be 18 per cent by 2010 (Estimate Pre-Recession 2008) 10

11 Cine-audience in India is estimated to be a billion strong Out of that everyday 12 million are estimated to go to cinema Number of Hindi films released by Bollywood in Number of English films released by Hollywood in All these make India world s largest film producing country Box-Office returns, not the aesthetic or artistic worth of the cinema define the success 11

12 Popular cinema is a protégée of market economy, invests into the business of entertainment through films Jean-Luc-Godard once said: We must put everything into cinema Popular cinema seems to follow it literally; has everything love, romance, dance, music, action and emotions Thus, its universe becomes large not only in terms of viewership but also in terms of narrative, plot, characterization 12

13 Aspects of Indian Popular Cinema Popular cinema is like a celebration of life often going across birth to death or a large part of life in between It s rarely episodic or sporadic; it s a continuum of events Its discourse generally moves around love, revenge, heroic acts, separation, reunion and occasionally patriotism too Content comprises action, emotion, comedy, sensuality, music and even special effects to create fantasy and entertainment 13

14 Sells dreams and aspirations to justify the money spent by the audience Depicts and invents popular culture; makes entertainment accessible to all Market influences the content of cinema and the formula of success Formula or masala is standardized and embedded in the cinema of expectation Repeats popular themes of love, revenge, heroic acts and so on but restates them with some variation 14

15 Semiotics of Indian popular cinema has its own basic rules of entertainment even while adopting crosscultural influences or adapting themes to fit in crosscultural context Experiments in films like Omkara an adaptation of Shakespeare s Othello, Indianises Shakespearean imageries and symbols to familiar Indian cultural idiom 15

16 For popular cinema market is king which sets the rule and also innovates mass culture From the neo-marxist perspective popular cinema is a capitalist enterprise of manufacturing mass culture Manuel (1988) resounds the idea as he says: film culture by replicating and idealizing a capitalist, unequal, and consumerist status quo, serves to prevent viewers from grasping the structures of domination, promoting a false consciousness which can be manipulated to elite advantage. 16

17 Indian popular cinema is product of an organized industry concerned with commercial viability whereas cinema per se is a cultural activity Srinivas (2003) highlights this dichotomy: The lack of fit between the film industry as an economic entity and cinema as a cultural, social and political phenomenon is of crucial importance in our context. This excess of signification, of meaning, is something that the film industry has to grapple with on a day-to-day basis. 17

18 Popular Cinema: the Real Unreal 18

19 Indian popular cinema is surely not the best reflective mirror of Indian society. It s rather a cultural construct which selectively reflects aspects of Indian culture and society to entertain the mass and leave them awestricken. More often than not, it s a figment of reality presented in a format larger than life. 19

20 It initiates the audience into fantasizing a kind of life with all its poignancy which otherwise they themselves would have liked to live but due to the fissure between fantasy and reality they don t mind somebody else living it for them. It helps them relish the real unreal. 20

21 What Indian popular cinema chooses to reflect are the complexities and aspects of human emotions rather than the complexities of the Indian society which condition those emotions. Nandy (1998) observes : popular cinema creates a space for the global, the unitary and the homogenizing, but does so in terms of a principle of plurality grounded in traditions. 21

22 The symbolism in the narrative of popular cinema is represented through visual metaphors which make esoteric emotions of love, romance, pity, anger, mirth, comedy reach the audience and grip his imagination. 22

23 It depicts life swaying between hope and despair and often ends into optimism. The three hour spectacle weaves its own complexities and resolves them too. End is not open or inconclusive. In other words, the villain must be punished, virtues or sacrifice of the protagonist must help him woo the heroine eventually. 23

24 Popular Cinema and the Tradition of Natyasastra 24

25 Cinema is a modern western genre of performing arts which captures moving images. Natyasastra the classical Indian treaties on performing arts which ensures psycho-aesthetic pleasure in histrionics. Indian popular cinema fuses this western genre with the various elements of Natya (drama) enumerated in the treaties. 25

26 Out of nine, the four basic Rasas (sentiments) enumerated in Natyasastra Sringar (erotic), Vira (heroic), Raudra (furious) and Bibhatsa (odious) and their corresponding Bhavas (emotions) namely Rati (love), Hasya (mirth) Soka (sorrow) and Krodha (anger) can be found in different proportion in popular cinema. 26

27 The narrative structure of popular cinema may have some semblance to the elements of Valdimir Prop s Morphology of the Folktale. Regardless, its dramatic rendering is loaded with Rasa (sentiments) and Bhava (emotions); the key aspects of Natya (drama) as enumerated in the Indian classical psycho-aesthetic treatise Natyasastra (Circa 200 BC 200 AD) 27

28 Rasa and Bhava on the Celluloid 28

29 Some Rasas and Bhavas in Action 29

30 Kabhi-Kabhi Shringar Ras (Love) 30

31 Sholay Bhayanak Rasa (Terrible) 31

32 Guide Karun & Shringar (Pathos & Love) 32

33 The Aspiration of Age Indian film industry is a century old entertainment industry The first film produced in India was a mythological Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke, 1913 inspired by The Life of Christ 33

34 Decadal evolution of popular cinema since independence reflects how popularity itself is construed, constructed and presented over the years Social utopia of 50 s, romance of 60 s, angry young man of 70 s to the diasporic cinema of the millennium; popular content and format kept changing 34

35 The cinema of 1950 s in its spirit reflected a kind of socialist utopia of equality and fair play. The strife was sought to be replaced with utopian classless egalitarianism Ganti (2004) enumerates the impact of IPTA (a theatre movement affiliated to Communist Party of India) inspired by the task of nation building and social justice as the spirit behind cinema for social change The 60 s however chose a romantic overtone in narrative replete with youthful lingering melodies which Shammi kapoor immortalized 35

36 The landmark cinematic expressions of the 1950 s and early 60 s Naya Daur, Mother India, Shree 420, Awara, Pyasa, Kagaz Ke Phool, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Bahti Hai reflected the social aspiration for change There was an optimism for a better, just and homogenous social order for which personal suffering of the characters was like a sacrificial ritual 36

37 Shree 420: the Pioneering Transnational Song 37

38 Shree 420: With Love from Russia 38

39 Indian cinema, like other Asian cinema has evolved as a glocal product: global in approach local in aspiration Gokulsing & Disanayake (2004) underscored that cinema in India semioticised the space for the articulation of global imaginary and its formation within the phenomenology of local Globalization impacted Indian popular cinema in a more perceptible manner since 1990 diasporic cinema received huge audience with Indian theme and western treatment 39

40 Diasporic Cinema Diasporic cinema is the trend of the popular cinema of the millennium Indian ethnic diaspora is a hybrid generation of global citizenry Its anxiety is to place traditional cultural values within the global value systems Dasporic cinema presents family, marriage, love, relationship in a new cross-cultural and interspatiaal context 40

41 Monsoon Wedding of Mira Nair, Nagesh Kuknoor s Hyderabad Blues, Gununder Chadha s Bend it Like Beckham are diasporic films made by NRI directors Later the most popular were made by Indian directors: Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995) followed by Pardes (1997), Kuch-Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi khushi Kabhi Gam (2001), Kal Ho Na Ho (2004): now diasporic content is often embedded in the narrative Their thematic treatment may be different but their cinematic catharsis is similar to the rest 41

42 Bollywood looks at Indian diaspora rich and free but corrupted and self centered (Vestrappen & Rutten, 2007) as a new captive audience which can receive the dose of cultural purity replete with romance and fantasy 42

43 Love Aaj Kal We Twist The Diasporic Influence 43

44 Dance and Music: the Audio-Visual Treat Dola-Re: Devdas 44

45 If acting is the body, music is the soul of Indian popular cinema now influencing the mainstream popular culture of Britain and the US besides Asia, Eurasia and Africa too Hollywood cinema has musical as distinct category, in Bollywood films it s an extension of the narrative itself an effect multiplier Nritya and Sangeet (dance and music) make the Natya (drama) a complete soulful experience Indian melodrama can t be conceived in any better way 45

46 Considered essential for economic viability and emotional appeal both are not mutually exclusive in the context of popular cinema Marcom (2007) points out that even in the exclusive categories of art and commercial cinema music plays a role and even films on serious topics have also been made with musical format In the Indian cultural context of cinema music is essentially an insider an emic category to the audience In the cross-cultural context its universal entertainment appeal is analyzed as an etic category an outsider s Mihir Bholey view 46

47 The Morphology of Music A combination of lyrics replete with instrumental background notes to fill the interludes, composition Sur (pitch) and Tal (rhythm or rhythmic cycle close to 100 in number) are central to the composition Rendering mostly based on classical Indian Ragas and folk musical traditions. It s an extension of speech In the context of the oral culture (of India) music is an expressive equivalence of speech (Vasudevan Mihir (2000) Bholey 47

48 The Typology of Music Love: Love songs range from semi-classical, ghazals, orchestrated melodies to dance numbers depending on situation. Add to the expression of love, persuasion for love, reaffirmation of love, longing for love and so on. A poetic rendering of Shringar Rasa. Imagery refined and rich in poetic value Sorrow: Range from melancholic to soulful. Has elements of philosophical, spiritual reflections and reassurance to the broken hearts. The matching sequences are loss of love or loved ones (even pets at times Hathi Mere Sathi, Teri Meharbaniyan), dejection, exploitation, sufferings among others 48

49 Item Songs: Songs, generally picturized on sensuous dance like cabaret and the contemporary hybrid of folk and western fusions, performed on female characters referred to as item girls. Lyrics range from sensuous to vulgar, suggestive to explicit. Often uses Hinglish and modern and folk imagery with sexual connotation Devotional Songs: Sung in the praise of God, to describe personal suffering, to seek blessings, strength, direction. Form is semi-classical to folk. Shiva, Durga, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Ganapati, Sai Baba are the prime deities in these songs. In a more secular context Sufi music is dominating the contemporary popular cinema 49

50 Item Songs: The Sensuous Concoction Sheila Ki Jawani: Teesmar Khan 50

51 Patriotic Songs: There s a huge category of such songs. Many became symbols of national pride often sung in the praise of Bharat Mata (mother India). Do not make war cry as much as emotional appeal reiterating India s nationhood, sociocultural diversity, unmatched flora-fauna (hyperbolic many a times) bravery and chivalry. Revived at times of national crisis and external threats. Historical icons like Maharana Pratap, Shivaji, Jhansi ki Rani, Gandhi, Nehru, Subhash, Lal Bahadur. They re poetic jingoism which re often played alongside national anthem too. 51

52 Bibliography Dawyer, Rachel & Patel, Divia. Cinema India: The Visual Culture of Hindi Film. London: Reaktion, 2002 Ganti, Tejaswini. Bollywood: a guidebook to popular Hindi cinema. New York, Routledge ON 10 September 2011< Gokulsing, K.M. & Dissanayake, W. Indian Popular Cinema: a narrative of cultural change. Staffordshire, Trentham Books ON 9 September 2011< tinyurl.com/4xxxn79> Gopal, Sangita & Moorti, Sujata. Global Bollywood: travels of Hindi songs and dance. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press ON 11 September 2011 < Nandy, Ashis, "Introduction: Indian Popular Cinema a Slum's Eye View of Indian Politics" The secret politics of our desires : innocence, culpability and Indian popular cinema. London: Zed Books.1998 Manuel, Peter. "Popular Music in India: " Popular Music, Vol. 7, No. 2. Jstor.org. (1988 ) ON 9 September2011 < 52

53 Marcom, Anna. Hindi Film Songs and the Cinema. Bodmin, MPG Books Ltd ON 13 September 2011 < Kumar, Pushpendra. Natyasastra of Bharatmuni, Vol. I III. New Delhi: New Bhartiya Book Corpn., Nayar, Pramod K. Reading Culture, Theory, Praxis, Politics, New Delhi: Sage Publications, Panjwani, Narendra. Emotion Pictures Cinematic Journey into Indian Self. Ahmedabad: Rainbow Publishers, Sayre, Shay & Cynthia King. Entertainment and Society: Audiences, Trends, and Impact. London, New Delhi: Sage Publications, Singh, C. P. Bhartiya Natya Parampara. No. 1-2, Banaras: Nagari Pracharini Sabha, Srinivas, S.V. Film culture, politics and industry (2003) ON 9 September 2011 < Vasudevan, Ravi. Making Meaning in Indian Cinema. Delhi, Oxford University Press, Vestrappen, S & Rutten. Reception of Indian Cinema among Hindustani youth in the Netherlands Global Indian Diasporas: exploring trajectories of migration and theory. Ed. Oonk, G. Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press,