Hindi Cinema and Society: Select Films and Their Filming
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Zeichen Journal ISSN No: 0932-4747 Hindi Cinema and Society: Select Films and their Filming A study on the factors of narrative techniques that influence the society Rochak Saxena1, Dhruv Dave2 1Assistant Professor, Faculty of Journalism & Communication, The M S University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat 2Student, Bachelors in Journalism & Mass Communication, Institute of Language Studies and Applied Social Sciences (ILSASS), Sardar Patel University, VallabhVidyanagar, Anand, Gujarat Abstract Examining the Hindi film industry, subjects selected and the elements of treatments seem prolific. Since its inception, Hindi cinema is debated and discussed on various aspects at extremes. However, films are appreciated for the diversity and versatility reflected in it, they have witnessed a major relation with how society functions at two main fronts. The perennial argument of whether the films are influenced by the society or it happens vice versa has always been doing the rounds. While the actual answer could be that it occurs both ways, it also depends on the subjects that a film is made on or an individual’s perception whether or not it will strike a conversation in the society. The initial ideation for a story rises from the ingrained issues in the society and eventually to give a potential solution to them by means of screenplay and characterization. However, the films also then have a direct or indirect, conscious or subconscious effect on the way how a particular subject is received by the mass. The present paper aims to study the aspects of filmmaking of the Hindi films made on societal issues prevalent in the times they were made inand their influence to the effective dimension of the moral for the masses within the society. To assess the progression of the films and their techniques in the exact direction, the study attempts to identify the elements of films on which they became influencing talking points in the society. 1950s saw the emergence of parallel cinema movement in Hindi films (first in Bengali cinema inspired by Italian Neo Realist movement) wherein the films emphasized on social realism. Since then, Hindi films have chosen social issues as key subjects or at times merely touched upon a notion while presenting an altogether different genre. The present paper studies the time period from 1990 to the most recent one till 2019to understand the influence the films have had on the audience. With qualitative in nature, the study is based on Bollywood movies as primary data purely. The purpose of the study is to identify evident techniques and how they have impacted the society on a larger level. Why a certain film could do the needful for the society, and why some couldn’t is also what the researchers are trying to find out. The striking results identified peculiar and distinct elements of narrative and filmmaking techniques including those in screenplay, characterization, and dialogues that enable certain films to find a foothold in the society. As a result of the analysis, the researchers gauged the box office collections of the films in question, the awards that the films received, the trends and lifestyle patterns, and the conversations that the films struck in the society. Keywords: Hindi cinema, Society, Filmmaking, Narrative, Characterization Volume 7, Issue 1, 2021 Page No:73 Zeichen Journal ISSN No: 0932-4747 Introduction: For over a century now, there has been a perceptible presence of cinema existing pan India, in diverse capacities of stories, narrative forms, and languages. Right from the silent age marking its inception in 1913 with Raja Harishchandra (by Dadasaheb Phalke) to the time when talkies emerged in 1931 with Alam Ara (by Ardeshir Irani), there has been a plethora of incredible changes in terms of subjects and treatment. With the advent of dialogues and songs forming an essential part of the cinema narrative after all this time, cinema had truly revolutionized with wider expanse of the medium. “What really distinguishes the New Indian Cinema is a definitive set of liberal-humanitarian values, embracing progressive solutions to urgent problems, sensitivity to the plight of the poor and oppressed, a faith in the ultimate movement of man toward change. Drawing its inspiration largely from the neo- realists, it is a cinema of social significance and artistic sincerity, presenting a modern, humanist perspective, more durable that the fantasy world of the popular film.” Geetanjali Bhatia and Sudha Chandra stated this in their paper‘Social impact of Indian Cinema- An odyssey from reel to real’, 2019, referring to what Raghunath Rai, a former IIS officer said. It has been clearly observed right from the time of the first film in India to even the most recent ones that films have found a close relation with society at large. On one hand while it is seen that society influences films and their subjects, it can also be observed that films have had the power to make a lasting impact on the society in varied capacities. The subjects for the earliest of the films produced in India concerned mythological figures, stories from the epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata (leaving behind a significant impression in popular Indian imagination), and even ranging from the country’s cultural diversity. After the Indian independence, films by Satyajit Ray (most notably Apu Trilogy) or Bimal Roy (Do Bigha Zamin, for instance) mirrored the society directly. Taking inspiration from Italian Neo Realism, the Golden Age films by Satyajit Ray, RitwikGhatak, Bimal Roy, V Shantaram, Mehboob Khan, produced right after the Indian independence, clearly depicted the Indian society struggling to come to terms with the glaring divide of rural and urban areas, and also the widespread existence of bandits and dacoits. As time passed, more and more variety in terms of stories was seen. While the subjects still majorly concerned the folklores and mythical figures, crime, love stories, and tales made on the backdrops of prostitution significantly made their way to the audience. But this hasn’t remained a uni-dimensional structure of how cinema functions broadly. “Cinema is greatly influenced by society and society is also greatly influenced by cinema. From the introduction of cinema in the world, it tried to portray the social reflection through its big screen” (Sharma, 2018) Looking at the Hindi films of 1950s and onwards, it can be seen in a generalized manner that cinema has been functioning at a dual dimension. The films have borrowed their subjects from what occurs in the society, but they have also struck a conversation after they have seen the light of the day. However, this solely depends on how a film is made and eventually how it is perceived by the audience. The central idea for the present study arises from the need to study the aspects of filmmaking of Hindi films made on issues prevalent in the society and how they have influenced the audience.“Cinema as a medium was informed by what one may term ‘intertextual excess’ whereby it could borrow both from high and low cultural universes at the same time and recombine them in unexpected ways”, says Umesh Kumar in his paper ‘Cinema and the Indian nation- A history of Bombay talkies 1934 -1954’. A film may or may not bring about a revolution in terms of the approach of the film; it can only affect a certain fractional section of the society in some or the other way. Films based on HIV or LGBTQ as a whole try to bring about an awareness or sensitivity in the entire society about the issues of a certain section. Similarly, films featuring Sunny Deol or Nana Patekar in late 80s or 90s like Krantiveer, Prahaar, Narsimha, Ghatak or Ghayal have portrayed the angst of common man that prevailed already in the society, but also have been extremely influential after their release, in terms of the appreciation they Volume 7, Issue 1, 2021 Page No:74 Zeichen Journal ISSN No: 0932-4747 garnered. Deepa Mehta’s Fire or Water have brought out the realities of society. Not only were they seen as brave attempts at filmmaking, they also had to face criticism from several authorities including a ban, signaling at how films influence the societal framework. “It can be argued that if Neorealism in Italy emerged out of opposition to Fascist and escapist cinema which was away from reality then Indian neorealist cinema was also rooted in the milieu of colonial oppression and post-colonial apathy of the elected Indian government towards the contemporary issues of caste and class discrimination, patriarchal set up, social oppression, economic inequality, bourgeois domination and increasing antipathy towards democratic traditions.”(Sharma, 2012). Ever since 1950s, when the parallel cinema movement began in our country, films have emphasized on social realism. But not all films including the ones having a targeted approach to make an impact in the society have been able to do the needful. The reason therefore is a matter of question as to why certain films strike a conversation and initiate a dialogue in the society while some fail to do so. The present study thus works at two levels. For one, it directs at studying and analyzing select films from the select time frame based on their narrative and filmmaking techniques wherein a peculiar observation is made in screenplay, characterization, and dialogues of the films. Secondly, to be able to gauge the effect the films have had on the society, the study has taken into consideration the box office collections of the films in question, the awards that the films received, the trends and lifestyle patterns, and the conversations that the films struck in the society. The study is an attempt to settle on factors of Hindi films from 1990 to the most recent one till 2019 that have had an influence on the audience.