Sunday, December 16, 2007

Does Hindi cinema try to connect to the rest of India?

I have been hearing and reading about how Bollywood is the face of Indian cinema. This sometimes goes as far as to mean that there are no movies made in other Indian languages at all. I agree that Bollywood is probably the largest movie industry in India. Hindi being the national language, I agree that Hindi cinemas do have more national reach than a regional language cinema.

But, on their part, have Hindi movie directors/script writers/music directors etc tried to connect to the rest of India, especially the south and the north east?
There has rarely been a movie that has its story/subject based on people from the south/north east, that reflects the culture from the south/north east, that showcases the music of south/north east. The stories/subjects have always been focused on the Hindi heartland (including Punjab) with sole exceptions of Gujarat and Bengal.
I do understand that major returns for Hindi movies, in terms of popularity and revenues, come from the Hindi heartland. So its obvious for a producer/director to put their mouth where the money is. But, if Bollywood is to be known as the face of Indian cinema, then isn't it moral responsibility of the industry to connect to the whole of India ? The Non-Hindi heartland may not be the main market for Hindi movies right now, but it definitely could be a market to expand. Considering that movies are the most popular source of entertainment in India, this could help in popularising the national language and bringing in some commonality in the midst of existing diversity.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Are these celebs unknowingly promoting paparazzi?

Thanks to my wife, I have started religiously following the popular celebrities' dance realty TV show "Nach Baliye". Of two episodes in a week, the first one is really focused on showcasing the celebrities dance talent. One couple gets eliminated every week and the viewers get to know about the unfortunate ones in the second episode. Seems like the sole purpose of doing a full-length second episode just to announce the couple getting eliminated is to cash in on the huge popularity of the show. Thats debatable, but equally justifiable.

In this week's second episode telecasted on 3rd Nov, an entire section of the program was devoted to show to the viewers around the world, a video coverage of Diwali shopping spree of one of the star-couples. The couple, being videographed in their own car, went through their shopping list of what, why ,and for whom.
If this gimmick becomes successful with the audience, would not every other channel or printed media start doing the same thing? Though this particular one is very much consensual, doesnt this eventually lead to paparazzi and an attack on celebrities' personal life ? Now, if the celebrities willingly let the common man know what they do with their personal time, then obviously he would want to know everything they do in their personal time, no matter how private it is. Are they ready for this eventuality?

By showing what a certain Mr and Mrs X shop for their parents and in-laws, is the TV channel doing justice for the time and money of lakhs of people watching the show ? The TV channel/media can always say that such things are a hit with the public and they show what people like. But dont they have the responsibility to lead people's thoughts rather than following it ?