Summer'18, North Campus, Delhi
For better or worse, commercial cinema in India holds a special place in all our hearts. Our memes rely on famous dialogues and scenes, our parties rely on Bollywood hits, and our ice-breaking sessions often involve asking about our favourite actors/ movies. With this much weight to carry, it’s only fair that our stars receive the following they receive.
Back in 2016, I was with AIESEC (a global organisation engaging in student volunteering across countries) talking to a person from Egypt. She was interested in coming to India for a volunteering program and we were figuring out her accommodation, travelling costs, and projects where she could volunteer. While we were on the call, she asked me a strange question – "How can I see Shah Rukh Khan?" My first thought was, "Ma'am, I have not even met him. How can I suggest you?" Years later, the question continues to surprise me, but for a different reason. How much influence our film industry holds in India as well as around the world?
Cut to 2023, I joined a startup in Bangalore wherein a lot of people were from southern states in India. We were at an offsite and people were starting to loosen up as time passed. Someone asked our Engineering Lead, who happened to be a Malayali, to sing some local songs. He started singing a few Malayali songs, and before we knew it, we were all dancing and singing to Bollywood hits. Minutes later, everybody had joined – babbling, singing, and grooving to famous Bollywood numbers. Guess what, Chennai Express has got one part right.
Have you ever watched a movie because you liked a song from it? I’m guilty of watching many. The most recent being ‘Pukaar’. Que Sera Sera is one of the songs I keep going back to – both for its high tempo and beautiful choreography. So one day, I sat down and started the Madhuri Dixit–Anil Kapoor starrer movie. Sad to announce that the movie had nothing similar to the song. Lesson learnt: As a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover, a movie shouldn’t be judged by its songs.
So, am I still going to watch movies based on their songs? A big yes.
Would I feel sad if they don’t turn out to be not so good? A little less.
Maybe, just maybe, the Hindi cinema industry stands tall not on the shoulders of actors/ actresses and directors but of musicians. Ironically, our singers and songwriters are the unsung heroes.
If you watched movies on television some 10 years ago, you might remember the trivia that used to come right before the ads started. In one such trivia, I read that Amrish Puri has acted in more than 400 movies. Somehow, the stats found a place in my long-term memory and when I started watching movies during college, I kept on thinking “I haven’t even watched the number of movies that Amrish Puri has acted in.”
Recently, Rekha took the magazine world by storm when her Vogue photoshoot came out. People – young and old, fans or not, industry insiders or outsiders – were in praise of the iconic beauty. One of those moments when you get to see a visual representation of the words नज़ाकत and poise. The respect for the legend only increases when we realise she is 69 – an age very close to life expectancy in India. Though, on another thought, life expectancy is for us mortals. Legends like Amrish Puri and Rekha keep on living in our songs, memories, photographs, and reminiscences. We need people whom we can look up to – our sportspersons, movie stars, musicians, and painters. They fill our lives with magic we didn’t know existed.
As beings who are inherently curious, we’re always on the lookout for the whereabouts of celebrities. And while we like to believe that it might be happening because of social media, the reality is often startling. While the modes were different, media people still haunted celebs to get every piece of information they could get about them.
The book – ‘Stars from Another Sky’ by ‘Saadat Hasan Manto’ – is an example of many such efforts. The controversial writer known for his bold personality wrote candidly on artists associated with the industry in the 50s. Not only actors and actresses, but musicians, directors, and comedians got involved too including the names of Ashok Kumar and Nargis. All through his essays, he wrote what he saw, even when it came out to be crude, unpleasant, or too private. Be it alcohol or writing, Manto likes it strong and neat. Which brings us to another question – would we get another such book soon? Not likely. Not because we don’t have capable writers but because we are closer to our stars than ever before. We don’t have to wait for a magazine to see pictures of a celebrity wedding, we can see it in real time on our handheld devices. We can see how they live their fabulous lives on social media and sometimes on shows. As close as it gets.
For the sake of being poetic, another reason why these books might not work is because our generation likes it light and bright – be it our readings or drinks. As Kay Kay Menon in Shaurya said, for our generation, every thing is "nice".
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