In 2012 we had the good fortune of seeing some Hindi movies which were away from the usual Masala fare that is served to the viewers. These 'hatke' type movies succeeded at the box office and were able to attract audiences, to a large extent, due to word of mouth publicity. They have thus created a space for more such movies in the future.
Movies like 'Paan Singh Tomar',"Kahani and 'Dirty Picture' were very well received by both the discerning and ordinary movie goer. They brought a whiff of fresh air in the theaters and not only left the them satisfied but also craving for more. The directors of these movies are to be complimented for taking the bold steps and delivering much above standard movies.
'Paan Singh Tomar' brought to light the true story of an army trained runner whom circumstances force to become a dreaded dacoit in the ravines of Chambal to seek justice for the injustices heaped upon his family. Irrfan Pathan has acted the main characters role superbly. The joy of winning medals in both domestic and international meets is brought out realistically and so is the pathos of leading a fugitive dacoit's life. The true story was soon to attract increasing audiences due to the word of mouth publicity and it made good profit, contrary to the fate of such movies at the box office.
'Kahani' was another class movie which had the added attraction of the popular star Vidya Balan. She enacted her role superbly and the story keeps the audience engrossed till the end. Directed very ably in matching locations in Kolkatta it comes out as a realistic story having a terrorist angle and involving compromise by a senior intelligence officer.The other actors have also acted their rloes very effectively.
'Dirty Picture' tells the tragic but true tale of a sexy siren of the South movies whose rise and fall is now recalled in a legendary manner. It also has Vidya Balan in the lead role and needless to say she deserved the many 'Best Actress' awards she got. Ably supported by Naseeruddin Shah a great actor himself, the movie besides entertaining also has a message for the audience.
Another realistic movie to hit the theaters was 'Gangs of Wasseypur' telling the true story of the gang warfares in the coal fields of India in Bihar. It was shot in realistic locales and the dialogues were full of four letter words. As happens in real life there is considerable violence depicted in scene after scene. It also was well received, though to many the use of foul language and extent of violence seemed to be unusually on the higher side.
In all the above movies there was a common thread running through. It was the movie plots which were based on strong stories. The high class of the story enabled the director to realistically direct and gave ample scope to the actors to perform. The strong stories also kept the audiences comming into the theaters. In fact the actors many times become incidental, any actor would do and still the movie would be gripping.
That these movies succeeded commercially shows the message that is being given by the average movie goer. A movie with a stong story and good direction will recieve their support. No longer it is necessary for every movie to be a romantic thriller or a tear jerker or to take us on world tours. A good story is what an average movie goer is gladly going to shell out his hard earned money.These days music is a very high casualty unlike till the mid seventies, when it would by itself draw the crowds. Today's audiences want powerful and realistic stories. May more such movies come out from Bollywood.