The travails of Hindi cinema: The media

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That Hindi Cinema is facing bad times for long enough now is a given. Good films are often cold-shouldered, and bad films sometimes do well, but mostly don’t. It’s virtually an ‘existential’ crisis for the greatest addiction of Indians apart from cricket: Hindi Cinema.

After the greed of the multiplexes that has distanced Hindi cinema from its core audiences and also the resultant way in which audiences now look at cinema, let us now look at another key contributing cause: the media.

The media, in these times, when it can play a buffer or at least a pillar of support, has been very irresponsible, immature, apathetic at best and certainly sometimes vicious. The social media, as it were (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) have all played a negative role and the print and online are little better.

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Quality of opinion

Today’s journalists largely comprise young boys and girls and slightly older people who have little knowledge or self-made analyses of why and how Hindi (or even Indian) cinema came to be what it is. They are largely impressionable people who “learn” about it from each other or from so-called “experts” or are unabashed fans of certain filmmakers, stars and genres. Very few have genuine love or passion for cinema, study and look at cinema objectively. And since a significant number intend to be film writers or directors themselves, they have a rebellious view of our movies, scoffing at time (over eight decades!)-tested elements of Hindi cinema if they are not congruent with world cinema, especially the acclaimed kind.

Then we have a few blind followers of South Indian cinema, which is fine by itself, except for the needless and exaggerated eulogies of that regional fare at the expense of Hindi films.

Non-issues

There are critics hitting out at “nepotism” and “nepo-kids” (terms that have actually come to mean zilch in Hindi cinema while reigning and flourishing down South!) and those who paradoxically call South cinema “grounded” but pan similar Hindi movies as out of synch with people. They adore the templates of Telugu and other movies while criticizing the same patterns in Hindi cinema.

Worse, they hit out at both our superstars and young actors, criticizing their “lack of talent” and mixing personal with the professional.

Ignorance and misuse of power

I am not even talking here about their fixed mindsets and thoughtless preferences for certain filmmakers and stars who do not connect with the audiences. Names like Anurag Kashyap, Hansal Mehta and Vishal Bhardwaj, to name just three, are deified while genuine talents are completely ignored. And the same goes for other hyped stars, writers and composers. Global applause clearly scores over actual achievements, especially on home turf.

A growing tendency is to pan, rip and destroy everything about Hindi cinema. I am sorry to state that while for decades, reviews barely mattered for the audience, today, the review to an extent is taken as an index of whether we should watch a film—or skip it. Because ticket rates are prohibitive!!

Then we have writers extolling exaggerated collection figures while having the “Wolf! Wolf!” mentality of rubbishing some genuine ones. Films are stamped as flops before release and any excuse is given to promote this pre-decided fate after the film releases. And so, literally, the average cinegoer never knows if a film has tanked or not. Not that collections alone should matter to him or her, for a good film does not lose its sheen because it has flopped for a variety of reasons.

And let us also realize that exaggerated collections are also published or talked about freely by the media itself. This has given rise to the “Paid Media” where everyone, including a genuine or honest journalist, is tarred with that brush, while the opposite kind is lauded as someone ‘calling-a-spade-a-spade honest’!

I remember one “venerated” senior critic in the industry who would rip a movie, then extol something in part while ripping the same filmmaker’s next, and do the same with movie 2 (XYZ) while running down the third film with the words, “XYZ movie at least had good …, which this film lacks.” He certainly did not expect sharp readers to remember that his review of the earlier film’s … was unfavorable! But they did! So much for his credibility!

But that was years ago. Today, the mantra seems to be “Attack! Tear apart! (Try to) Destroy!” A keyboard, microphone or camera are all vicious weapons in this mission of malice, superiority or ignorance.

Journalists now start channels of their own wherein they create / abet / enhance controversies and falsehoods and get some “source” or “authority” to support their views on all the negativity they are perpetuating in the (often sadly successful) craving for digital views and Likes and therefore money. Their influences are growing.

There was this recent film buff, related to a legendary film personality, who I shall name Vikram, who was overtly always influenced by a biased film columnist. In one case, when he directly messaged me as I had contradictory views to Mr. Columnist in my post, I suggested that he should not endorse either his or my view and watch the concerned film and then have his own view, whichever way it went. Filmmaking, after all, is hard work though the result can be anything from awful to awesome. Contritely, he agreed!

But neither will every Vikram seek the truth or even agree to it. And that is why the media has to be responsible, honest and supportive.

The mediaperson who loves Hindi cinema will not lay conditions on his love, like a parent or guru. And he or she will always be there whenever his child or protégé needs help while going wayward or falling into bad times.

And that vital support isn’t there anymore.

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A movie or two a month: The Great Film Famine The Pre-Bahubali phase: When South stars were jinxed in Hindi cinema Missing Theatrical Quotient: Hindi cinema is losing treasures 11 Famous Clans in Hindi Cinema