What is wrong?

‘Malarvadi Arts Club’ was released in Malayalam with much hype. It was a directorial debut starring new comers. So it was supposed to bring with it a whiff of fresh air.

Contrary to what I expected there was no fresh air. Just the old, stale story in a new package.

So have you ever wondered, even after being such a big country filled with movie goers, we end up making pathetic films.

Across the nation only a handful of films become a commercial success- be it K-wood, T-wood, M-wood or B-wood. Strangely the reasons are almost the same

1. Weak Scripting: I always believe script is the life of a movie. But we end up seeing almost huge gaps in a script. The sickening part is the issue is seen even in an experienced director’s film.

What could be the reason? One reason could be compromise on the script for commercial success.

Moreover the reason is inexperienced writers in the industry.

Strangely we have brought in young blood to the industry. But script writing needs someone who has seen life. Inexperienced writers rely on the popular, foreign language films for ‘inspiration’ when they run short of ideas. We thus miss any kind of originality or clarity.

2. Poor Casting: Casting is an irony in India. The protagonists will be the son/daughter/friend of some big gun. They may be good in self marketing but sadly rotten in the talent department. In short the cinema has to run on the shoulders of supporting cast.

But there are guys like Abishek who developed with experience. There may be guys like Ranbir who may grow up.

Take a copy of Filmfare, you will find article after article convincing us that the New-Gen are sexy and talented. I couldn’t help but laugh when I see people like Ranbir, Sonam who aren’t half as good as Filmfare believe them to be. Now I hear that Anil Kapoor has produced a 21 year old producer too. Who are these trying to fool?

Bollywood, unlike the other Indian film industries, has a strong talent in the supporting cast department.

3. The Tamil film industry is notorious for the way they choose their female leads. A few years back it was purely based on the flatness of tummy and bust size. Things have changes a bit now. They prefer lean actress. But the chubby ones like Namitha (ooooh…) is still in demand.

Along the southern side of country there are very few films that have a female protagonist. But I believe things are changing in B-wood.

By female oriented movie, I don’t necessarily mean the ones in which the women are exploited. Amelia would be a great example.

4. It seems we Indians have forgotten clean humor. Our films are stuffed with toilet jokes(so is our mobile). Our leads are too serious to joke. B-wood does strange things like putting a fat Punjabi to crack Sardar jokes in typical Punjabi style.

I dare not speak of Tamil, Telugu or Malayalam. Overall, we have just the slap comedies in our films. We do not have place for any other brand of humor.

5. Our audience are too impatient. They prefer a fast and furious movie. So the biggest challenge a script writer has today is to cram in a whole film in two hours. Even then people say ‘Shorter the better’.

6. The marketing strategies of films baffle me. A film is declared a hot or flop from the first response. So we try to get in the maximum number of people by giving them the wrong idea. So a melodramatic movie will be depicted as Action movie of the century. Even sexuality is not spared. Thus the wrong audience comes in. They go out and say the movie is bad.

It ends up with the tag of ‘hyped’.