It’s discouraging and at the same time, discomforting to see the Indian films with the true Indian essence biting the dust at the box office week after week. In a tragic situation, a country like ours has forgotten to respect its traditional values and timeless cultural norms. Films like Water and Namesake have been at the loser’s end at the domestic ticket-window, whereas, they are among the top grosser in the overseas market.
But, then why is an Indian indifferent to his own roots? Such films which showcase the real India and the real people from every walk of life get a push-away from the make-belief and larger than life mainstream flicks of Bollywood. Why are such films not appreciated in a land of the origin of its ideas?
The answer lies in the changing psyche of an Indian, especially the youth. On one hand, we talk of nationalism and the increase in the number of experimental and independent film-makers but its still the full-on commercial films that take the major chunk of the box office cake. Take a look at the recent few weeks’ Box Office report and you will find a lot of indicators in them. Films like Namastey London, a masala flick which got 1-2 star rating from the film critics and reviewers went on to earn 55-60% at most places. Whereas, Deepa Mehta’s Oscar-nominated ‘Water’ and Mira Nair’s highly acclaimed ‘Namesake’ got a meager 15-20% collections all over.
There was a time when we believed in our culture and rich traditional heritage of this diverse country. But today, an Indian living abroad is deeper into his roots than an Indian living here. In the domestic market, the films with the traditional flavor are labeled as a ‘bore’ by the younger generation and ‘saada’ (bland) by the common man. With the advent and acceptance of semi-porn in Bollywood flicks, appreciation of real cinema close to home is absent even after they get 4-5 star rating from the best of film critics and film reviewers. In contrast, these so-called ‘bore’ intense films are appreciated, applauded and rewarded across the globe. One of the burning examples is the recent success of Mira Nair’s ‘Namesake’ at the US box office. The film is climbing up the charts and is currently at Position No. 12 in the US Box Office.
So, what inference can we draw from the comparison? Well… is an Indian no more an Indian at heart or is he the victim of the western influence? Or is the west more appreciative of the Indian culture or they recognize good cinema over entertaining cinema. With the good run of films like Namesake in US and a weak response in India, the future of serious cinema to stand up for an academy award seems to be bleak for the Indian chances.
Tanushree Chatterjee