Puerile humour and corny content ensure filmmakers get a good return from single theatre viewers and therefore we have sequels to franchises like Grand Masti and Hate Story. Karan Bhardwaj finds out why mediocrity has become such a phenomenon today
It has been torn apart even by the dyed-in-the-wool Bollywood fans but Sajid Khan’s Humshakals has won the box office battle. It started as one of the biggest openers of this year. The puerile humour and corny content has amused the single theatre viewer yet again which reminds us of the mother of all sleaze, Grand Masti. The saga of sex-deprived men enthralled the nation to an extent that it turned out to be an all time blockbuster of Hindi cinema. Of late, Sunny leone’s erotica is assumed to be a sure shot winner in the industry. From Jism 2 to Ragini MMS 2, her sensuous walk in bikinis is making Indians drool over the ‘adult star’. Not just films, the ‘idiot box’, too, has grown up. While reality programmes like Bigg Boss mostly rely on sleazy tricks to top TRP charts, dance shows like Nach Baliye display raunchy naach under the garb of romantic theme. Thanks to some ads, sleaze has casually invaded our drawing rooms.
So have we entered in an age where sex and sleaze make up the basic fabric of entertainmentIJ With time, the audience seems to have given in to the overdose of voyeurism and has allowed the entertainment providers an open window to keep producing sub-standard content. Contrary to times when talent and skill-based shows were the top rated shows, the television audience is gladly obliging to mediocrity.
Sex is a titillating tool
Traditionally, we have always been uncomfortable to talk about sex. In a society, which is supposedly governed by orthodox ideas and ‘values’, sex is equally thrilling and shocking. Popular cinema, the visual expression of our deepest desires and imagination, therefore becomes the easiest vehicle for titillation. Which is possibly why the flippant content draws huge cheer from the crowd. “A writer once asked Khushwant Singh what his books lack. The latter suggested him to include more sex in his writing. Sex, as a biological derivative, has attracted human race and driven the evolution process for a long time. But it’s a subject which is forbidden for centuries. We have had the history of polygamy and extra marital issues but we don’t like to discuss about them. Couple of decades ago, we were groping with it and we were trying to grow up, and I think we have reached a point where the voyeuristic expression or identification of this phenomenon is emanating a shock value. There’s still some discomfort and clumsiness in dealing with it,” says sociologist Deepak Raheja.
The age bracket which mostly identifies with the vulgar component falls under 35 to 50. The middle-aged people are the ones who want to reclaim spice in their lives. “It’s like an expression of reassuring masculinity and not missing out the spice of life,” says Raheja. Also, people in B and C towns are now more expressive of their sexual desires in public domain. Raj Bansal, a leading film distributor and director of Entertainment Paradise Cinema in Jaipur, points out that sleazy films are more likely to be received in B and C centres. “The taste of the audience is deteriorating. Sex comedies pack the theatre while we struggle to draw the audience for content-driven movies,” he says.
Has the audience changedIJ
In 50s and 60s, cinema was perceived as a catalyst of change. Even the massy blockbusters had something concrete to whet your intellectual appetite. From politics to social realities, everything was mirrored in films to engage or draw the audience. However, today the entertainment quotient seems to have taken precedence over other realities that we battle in our daily lives. With that, the subjects tend to be frivolous and shallow. But is it all because of change in the audience’s sensibilitiesIJ National award-winning director Janaki Vishwanathan says people today don’t want to tax their brains in theatre. She says, “Entertainment has been reduced to only laughter. At the end of the tiring day, we just want to laugh. Cinema has got least to do with introspection. Having said that, I believe that entertainment is an extremely subjective issue. It depends on individual, what he or she likes to engage in, the excellence or mediocrity. The movie audience comes from different walks of life and has diverse background, be it socially or economically. The taste is bound to be varied.”
Cheat is cheap
The Hindi-belt is greatly inspired by the English entertainment. But blind imitation could be catastrophic. While the adult stories in the West are backed by strong narratives and solid reasoning, obscenity in Indian cinema is used to arouse audience’s curiosity. “What is the point of having an item number in a serious political or psychological thrillerIJ Did Agneepath require the tadka of Chikni ChameliIJ The song looked so uncool,” says BA Pass director Ajay Bahl. There’s a thin line between aesthetics and vulgarity. “If you are just going to hit on erotica and make women look in bad light, then you are only filming a porn. You cannot call it cinema,” says Bahl.
Not so humorous
While sex and sleaze never went out of fashion, dialogues with double-triple connotations and cross dressing acts by the male leads have become the quintessential elements of entertainment today. Puerile humour is an advantage for a film in present days. “The repeated success of dumb brain-dead films proves we have a huge audience for such films. Sleazy sex comedies with double-meaning dialogues were and would continue to be a rage,” observes trade analyst Amod Mehra. The box office success of sleazy films encourage other filmmakers to come up with more such content. The makers of Grand Masti were unfazed by the critics’ comments. “We were very clear about our intentions. When we went for censor certification we asked for an ‘A’ certificate. The youngsters have taken to the film. If nothing else, the audience carried home the sex urge,” says producer Ashok Thakeria.
Since mediocrity of content works for masses, even the brilliant minds of film industry often resort to it. Sanjay leela Bhansali, who faced commercial failure with a series of flops — Black, Saawariya, Guzaarish, My Friend Pinto — recovered losses with his production Rowdy Rathore. This even disappointed his mentor Vidhu Vinod Chopra. “He has worked with me for eight years… But again, I can’t be judgmental; I don’t know what kind of rejection he had to go through when he made Guzaarish. He told some interviewer that you never came here after Guzaarish, you’re here now (for Rowdy Rathore) — and he’s right. May be that was some kind of revenge he was taking on the mediocrity that exists,” says Chopra.
Market logic
Surprisingly, the ‘no-brainers’ are coming from big production houses and are backed by the top stars. “Once you taste the blood and recognise you can survive it, you cannot resist having it again. Producers repeat the formulae until it is trashed at the box office,” says Vishwanathan. Since marketing plays an instrumental role in the success or failure of a film, the audience today is forced to watch a certain type of cinema.
Mediocre flicks are released with the record number of prints and the marketing gurus ensure they are talked about even at the least popular forum. Grand Masti, made on a budget of Rs 20 crore, raked in over Rs 100 crore, more than five times of its investment. Murder 3 recorded a profit of 186 per cent at the box office (in India).
But is this trend here to stay or will it pass away with timeIJ Raheja believes that it’s just the beginning and the puerile format will evolve with time. “Once we become comfortable with the subject, we will reach a point where sex will be appreciated for its purity,” he says.