Grammar of popular cinema
ASHOKAMITRAN
SEDUCED BY THE FAMILIAR — Narration and Meaning in Indian Popular Cinema: M.K. Raghavendra; Oxford University Press, YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 695.
This is probably the most serious and schematic study of Indian cinema by an Indian author who is also an award-winning film critic. Until about 20 years ago, studies or publications of a serious nature confined themselves to a handful of directors and the lion’s share of attention went to Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and the like, whereas the films which engaged the involvement of literally millions of Indians of all ages and classes went without spoken about, much less written about. Eric Barnow and S. Krishnaswamy brought out a study of Indian films in 1963 but the authors had aspired to cover too vast an area and also films in a number of Indian languages. As a pioneering effort, the book is valuable. Raghavendra has had the benefit of numerous scholarly studies of films of India and other filmmaking countries.Also the Indian intellectual community is now evolved to a state where one could talk about the popular films and still not feel embarrassed.
Popular films
The author had taken for his research a selection of post-Independence Hindi films and true to the title, the films are indeed some of the most successful, hence familiar films. But these films had been the succeeding ones in a stream of earlier popular Hindi films from the days of “Khanoon” (Nur Jahan’s debut film), “Aurat” (Sardar Akhdar starrer), and the whole lot of Ashok Kumar-Leela Chitnis films which had taken Indian popular films to a definitive character. Not all of them might be available for viewing today due to the inadequate preservation facilities. But even those that are available in CD or VCD format can never replicate the experience of the filmgoers of that period. The very fact that a film then could only be seen in a cinema hall with all the attendant encounters is a factor difficult for a researcher to recapture. In a sense, that unique community experience of watching a film in a dark cinema hall is lost.
The book is thoughtfully divided into eight chapters, but the detailed introduction is a chapter by itself. Notes at the end of the book are exhaustive and add up to another chapter. All fiction rests overtly or covertly on coincidences. A writer can make it all so natural. The same in a film cannot escape looking contrived. Similarly, myths created out of historical heroes. The myths had already been there in the textbooks. A film producer generally doesn’t take up for elaboration lesser-known or obscure characters. This holds good for all the filmmaking countries. N.T. Rama Rao must have participated in just a handful of mythological films and it is likely his having been looked upon as god was part of filmic publicity and public relations. For one film of a historical character proving successful at the box office, two fail. “Taj Mahal” made in 1963 was a hit but the same myth failed in two later extravagant attempts. The popular films also have their unpredictable aspects.
Hate figures
Another interesting observation the author makes is about the hate figures. He feels the hate figures of earlier films, say pre-1970, seemed to have a social role; they had a family, they occupied a position. The latter films give little information about them.
All generalisations have their exceptions. So it is with petty criminals as important characters and even as the protagonist. The author observes this as a latter-day development. He validates his observation citing a number of examples. The older readers of this book would ask how about “Kismet” of 1943? Dev Anand’s first big hit “Baazi” had him as a petty criminal. Incidentally, who plays the main role determines the calibre of a film. “Ramudu Bheemudu” (Telugu with N.T. Rama Rao) and “Enga Veettu Pillai” (Tamil with M.G.Ramachandran) were two versions of the same story and though successful, didn’t rise above the burlesque level. The same story in Hindi with Dilip Kumar was equally successful but without the burlesque element. All three versions were directed by the same director. True many films with patriotism as the theme are announced during a war and some even get completed when the “dushman” is at the peace talks table. But the better nationalistic films are those planned and made during quieter years. The author raises many issues and the book is sure to be a subject of many discussions in the years to come.
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