Bollywood has finally moved on from its obsession with formulas. The directors are thinking out-of-the-box, packaging stories in simple ways, stressing on good screenplays and exploring India and its issues with a new approach. Filmmakers share how the cinematic expression will change in the coming year
let’s move over masala
Nila Madhab Panda, director
I think 2013 has been a magic year for the film industry. One thing that strongly came across was the change in the audience taste. The success of movies like Jolly llB, The lunchbox and Kai Po Che are proof to the fact that the focus on the story is important. But sadly I think we will always continue to have films that are South Indian remakes and have nothing new to offer but just because people in India love cinema, they are able to garner good business at the box office, courtesy huge promotional campaigns and other marketing gimmicks. In 2014, filmmakers will have to understand that we should respect the changing taste of the audience and offer them entertaining stories that reflect their choices, emotions and what’s actually happening in our society. India has money and now a good part of it is coming to films, which is a good thing but we have to use that money to make films that deserve those funds. The other good trend that we have seen is the highlight on films like Gyan Correa’s The Good Road. They are fresh films offering new cinematic expressions. Their success also encourages the young filmmakers to try something new. With my two films set to release in January and May respectively, I am just hoping that there will be more films defining the new-age India in a new cinematic language.
Real heroes and hard work
Hansal Mehta, director
Interest in human life and real stories has always been there and the way these stories were treated in the last two years is highly commendable. A lot of hard work and research went into making films like Paan Singh Tomar, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Shahid and the audience appreciated that. I do not see the biopics as a genre in isolation but I think that the fact that they offer new stories and are away from the ghisa pita formula in Bollywood worked for them. The problem with Bollywood is that we tend to work as per a fixed formula. For example, if Dabangg is a hit there will be 20 other Dabanggs, so keeping this in mind biopics broke the norms and presented real human stories that touched people’s hearts. There are many other biopics lined in the next year but it is important that they do justice to the real story of the man or woman. Certain standards have been set by the success of the films like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Shahid and they should be maintained. Films should be made in a way that the audience can connect to the stories, the emotions of the person on whose life the film is being made. Earlier I believed that technology is important but now I have realised that as a filmmaker it is important to tell a story in a simple and honest way and it can happen with minimalistic use of techniques.
Fresh and frank
Habib Faisal, director
When there are less stars and more scripts, young actors step in to fill the gap. The film industry is going through an interesting phase and young faces are required to fit the bill. They come with infectious energy and are more flexible and dedicated than bigger stars. They oblige to all the requirements which makes the process of filmmaking easier for the director. In terms of content, stories are based on youth according to times. They have always been appreciated by the audience. From Bobby to Maine Pyar Kiya to Ishaqzaade, films which bring freshness draw critical and commercial successes. In our times, there is aggression, love-hate relationships, coolness and frankness. Shuddh Desi Romance, Aashiqui 2, Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-leela and Mickey Virus are a few entertainers of the year with young actors doing variety of roles. This trend will always continue to rock Bollywood landscape due to requirements and filmmakers’ intentions to launch new faces. I have worked with new comers like Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and Parineeti Chopra because subjects demanded fresh faces. However, there are filmmakers who make films just to launch young actors.
Where’s the poetryIJ
Piyush Mishra, lyricist, actor and composer
I think we have an interesting mix in music today. We have many youngsters doing great work and coming up with good compositions. Many blame that there are songs with lewd lyrics and film music has lost melody today. That is not purely true. I agree we have some bad examples but we do have good songs to boast of, songs that continue to be people’s favourite. I think the quality of music got affected by what is happening in our society and changing lifestyle and language of people. No one takes interest in reading poetry and there are not many who believe in writing. We have commonly started using SMS language and that has come down to our film music as well. We have lyricists in our industry who have come up with the most beautiful numbers but at the same time have done some cool songs also, they are not lewd and were loved. Those people who say that lewd lyrics are the demand of time, producers or stories are only coming up with excuses. A good composer can always come up with metaphors to define the most intense feeling. I am hopeful that a big change in music will come in the coming year with highly talented youngsters making an entry.
land of zombies
Raj Nidimoru, director
It took us a while to work on Go Goa Gone. We were trying to break new grounds since there was no film based on zombie. When we began working, we banked on fresh content and a cult idea. The genre of zombies is new to the Indian audience. We introduced foreign creatures on Indian land. The film was made on a limited budget of Rs9 crore and went on to become a success. Horror was combined with humour for the first time. Earlier, horror movies were only sold on sex and songs. We didn’t resort to either of those. We chose edgy and cool music. I don’t think there was scope of romantic numbers. In fact, it was called the wackiest album of the year.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of genres which haven’t been introduced here. Traditionally, we make what we believe in and what works for our audience. We tend to repeat films like we have been repeating the horror films. There’s a need to look outside the box. As India is emerging, we are seeing all sorts of films. Now the audience wants more experiments. The fact that Go Goa Gone was a success proved that the audience were already mature and were ready for genres like zombies, only filmmakers are not accepting that. In coming days, we can expect horror to combine with other genres like adventure and humour more often. Also, the success of films like Ek Thi Daayan, Rise of Zombies and Aatma will keep the horror ringing in the coming year.
Dispel old thoughts
Ajay Behl, director
Erotica is an underutilised genre. With rare successes in last few decades, what has been served so far is a confused platter of sex and scandals. Filmmakers don’t realise that porn and sex are just a click away in Internet’s age. What the genre needs is a serious approach, a strong plot backed by riveting performances. This year, there were two eroticas, Nasha and BAPass. While Nasha failed, BA Pass worked due to its story and content. I didn’t try to sell sex, without compromising with the genre. It was a story of male prostitution set in a real location. Film was made on a shoestring budget of Rs2 crore but ended up doing much more than expectations. We created awareness about the film by numerous screenings. What surprised me was the fact that the Censor Board cleared it without any single cut. A lot of A-list filmmakers and actors try to steer clear of eroticas because they think it may harm their image. Even I had many problems in selling BA Pass. However, eroticas are beyond sex. It’s about emotions and needs. When I wrote BA Pass, I had two options in mind, Richa Chadha or Shilpa Shukla. I first approached Richa but it couldn’t materialise. Shilpa agreed to do the movie because of its story and her character. Actors must open up and try to experiment. They should realise that audience appreciates variety.
In coming year, a few eroticas are expected. Kamastura 3D is one much-hyped movie. I heard the protagonist has given a complete nude scene for the international version while the Indian version is tweaked. I just hope filmmakers would back their eroticas with strong subjects.