Bollywood Needs a Serious Makeover!
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COMMENTARY By DR. DHANPAUL NARINE Bollywood Needs a Serious Makeover! rime Minister Narendra Modi has of the sound era. In 1931 emerged. He was Satyajit he went. The sixties and ‘Alam Ara’ became the Ray. In 1955 Ray’s mov- seventies saw some of the Ppromised to clean up India. He will fi rst Indian movie with ie ‘Pather Panchali’ won memorable movies, ac- do well to start with Bollywood. sound. In the following eleven awards and Ray tors and songs. One can year J.J. Madan directed went on to make 36 mov- take their pick from Waqt, In recent times the What moral lessons is the movie ‘Indra Sabha’ ies of which ‘Charulata’ Anand, Dosti, Aradha- Indian fi lm industry has this teaching our children? which was a hit both for and the ‘Chessplayers’ na, or from singers Rafi , spread its infl uence to Can a family sit and watch its storytelling and a re- were perhaps the most Mukesh, Lata or Asha to Dr. Dhanpaul Narine nearly every part of India, a current Bollywood mov- cord 71 songs. The sing- famous. Ray was award- the music directors R.D and even abroad, where ie together comforted in ers were Master Nissar ed an honorary Oscar for Burman, Shanker Jaikash- the situation in which its mindless and garish the knowledge that there and Jehanara Kajjan. his contribution to the In- en ,Ravi or Kalyananji Bollywood is copying depictions have assaulted would be no skimpy cloth- Incidentally, the fi rst on- dian cinema and was the Anandji. There were end- from itself. It is making the intelligence in many ing or raunchy scenes? screen kiss took place fi rst Indian to receive this less debates as to which movies that it made be- living rooms. But this was The sad fact is that many in the movie ‘Karma’ in award. In 1946 Chetan was better and whether fore. A few of the really not always the case. Bollywood movies need 1933 with Devika Rani Anand directed Neecha Amitabh Bachchan pulled bad ones include Zanjeer, One of the fi rst super- an ‘R’ rating because of and Himanshu Roy. Kiss- Nagar. It showed the gulf more crowds than Rajesh Sholay, Shiva, Karz, Um- stars in the Indian cinema their vulgarity. When one ing these days is common between the various class- Khanna. rao Jaan, and Khushi. As was Mahipal. He starred considers that the Indian as actors are not hiding es in India and this mov- By 1987 Bollywood if not to be outdone ac- in over 100 movies and cinema once glorifi ed the behind roses anymore. ie won recognition at the sunk to a new low and tress Sushmita Sen says his last movie ‘Jai San- ideal womanhood, of Sita Dada Saheb Phalke Cannes Film Festival. some of the top stars be- that she enjoys being neg- toshi Ma’ (1975) came critical of ative. She likes to play set records in the the industry. Dil- roles in which women, ‘ industry. In those ip Kumar said cheats, lies, sleeps with days Bollywood that there was men, even kills them and idealized woman- a ‘tremendous gets away with it all.’ Ms. hood and the fam- deterioration Sen is still to make a hit ily and the epics The in Bollywood’ movie. left messages of while Asha The recent sexual at- the enduring val- Indian Parekh stated tacks against women in ues of love and de- that the mov- India have brought the votion. Bollywood ies were a ‘rush role of Bollywood into today spends cinema rush job and the question. One writer says millions copying songs lacked that because of the reach from Hollywood, has come melody.’ The of Bollywood it has to converts the sto- deterioration is assume some responsibil- ries for the Indian due to a number ity for the highly impres- audience and then to this: of reasons. The sionable messages that it remakes that after fi rst is that Bol- sends out to viewers. In a few years. The Aamir lywood had run Dhoom 2 Aishwarya Rai copy and the re- out of original was in a kissing scene make of the copy, Khan ideas. The song with Hrithik Roshan. This with eminently and dance rou- caused a furor in India forgettable songs, tine needed good with some viewers suing weak story lines goes stories. Directors her. Aishwarya explained and sexual images turned to Holly- that she was testing the have resulted in naked to wood and began waters to see if she could Bollywood sink- to copy material do the same in Holly- ing to a new low. there. These re- wood. The personal lives The movie ‘Ai- advertise makes also in- of the stars have become traaz’, a remake of corporated more fodder for gossip writers the Hollywood’s his latest ‘modern’ dress, as there is one scandal ‘Objection’ was poor dialogue, after another. Will Prime released in 2004. explicit scenes Minister Modi clean up Sonia (Priyanka movie. and over the top Bollywood? This does not Chopra) and Raj performances. appear likely. During the (Akshay Kumar) The dances election campaign he re- were once lovers. are seldom tra- ceived support from Bol- But they broke ditional and to- lywood and he does not up when Sonia day the skip and want to rock the boat. wanted an abortion and in the Ramayana, most of left us in 1944 but by that One of the endearing jump routine is all too fa- In the meantime the Raj was opposed to it. the current fare in Bolly- time the Indian fi lm indus- features of the Indian cin- miliar. Most of the music song and dance routine Now they meet again and wood is utter rubbish. try was making more than ema has been the music. is forgettable and to stay with skimpy outfi ts and Sonia becomes the boss Dada Saheb Phalke 200 fi lms a year, exclud- Many of the songs in the relevant the industry is inane story lines will con- of Raj. She wants to re- must be turning in his ing the hundreds that are movies have become clas- pushing new boundaries. tinue and will probably kindle the friendship but grave at this descent into made in regional languag- sics in their own right. According to one publi- get worse. Aamir Khan Raj is happily married. mediocrity. It was Phal- es. It has been argued that They range from devo- cation, ‘ consumerism, who gave us ‘Lagaan’ This does not bother So- ke that released the fi rst the period 1940 to 1960 tionals to romantic songs, globalization the prolifer- . Page 28 has found it necessary to nia at all. She begins to movie in India. It hap- represented the golden ghazals, and others. There ation of semi-clad bodies advertise his latest fi lm undress Raj whispering pened in May 1913 and age in Indian cinema. It were K.C Dey, the music in print and television, ‘PK’ by going naked. He in his ear, ‘show me you ‘Raja Harischandra’ was was during this time that teacher of S.D Burman and the emergence of a said that he did it because are an animal.’ Raj refus- a fi fty-minute black and some of the greatest and and K.L Saigal, Pankaj more worldly audience of the ‘strong script.’ In es and walks away. Sonia white offering that was more infl uential movies Mullick, Noor Jahan, and have redefi ned the bound- Bollywood there is an ex- Dec 20, 2014 screams at the top of her shown at the Coronation were made. They includ- others. Raj Kapoor’s fa- aries of what is permissi- cuse for everything where voice, ‘I am not asking Cinema in Bombay. In the ed Pyassa, Awaara, Anari, ther, Prithviraj, had set up ble.’ Mallika Sherawat in money talks and trash you to leave your wife. I movie Harischandra gave Baiju Bawra, Shaheed, a studio from which the 2003 stunned audiences rules. Who will restore just want a physical rela- up his kingdom and his Devdas, Mother India, Kapoor clan would infl u- in ‘Khwahish’ and ‘Mur- decency? tionship. If I don’t have family to keep his word to Chori Chori, and others. ence movie-making. der’ with sexually explic- an objection, why should his guru Vishwamitra. Mother India went on to Raj Kapoor’s fi lms it scenes and she is now you?’. The movie was a hit be nominated for an Os- were especially popu- dubbed as the ‘kissing The views expressed in this column This is what the Indian and Phalke went on to car. lar in communist Russia Queen of India.’ are solely those of the writer and do WestIndian . cinema has become, un- make over 95 silent fi lms During this period one and on a visit there he If lewdness and nudity not necessarily represent the views adulterated fi lth. before he became a victim of the THE WEST INDIAN. The of the greatest storytellers was mobbed wherever are not enough we have .