The recent box office success of the biopic Bhag Milkha Bhag, once again goes on to reinforce the growing phenomenon, that Hindi movies have started moving away from the time worn out romantic plots. The audiences are supporting non romantic movies like Lagan, 3 Idiots, Uran, Special 26, and even a movie like Fukrey. The last movie would perhaps have not found an audience, say, a decade back.
The increasing maturing of film goers has meant that a movie like Ranjhana, though a romantic movie does not get branded as one, but is being watched also for the culture of Varanasi. Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani is also not seen in the back ground of romance but the dilemma today's youngsters face. Similarly a movie like Jolly LLB with hardly any romance but highlighting a cause also hits the bull's eye at the box office.
This is a good sign for Indian cinema. As it moves into its second century it is opportune time to start making meaningful movies which will appeal to the brain also rather than only the heart. It is also a healthy sign that stories are able to find directors and the producers are coming forward to finance these movies where the story is the star rather than the actors. It is the risk taking abilities that lead to improvement in product development. With increasing financiers, ready to support non romantic traditional movies, audiences can look forward to better cinema in the near to distant future.
The importance to story rather than a few stars will also help increase the international audience of Hindi movies beyond only the NRI's. This will result in more earnings and recognition. It will also mean the branding of directors and production houses. It will put a big responsibility on them to deliver consistently good movies to attract the audiences. One of the main reasons for Hollywood movies capturing global markets, including a growing market in India, is the fact that a good percent of their moves have a very varying but powerful story plots which command the attention and interest of movie goers. On the contrary, Indian movies till recently were dishing out the same standard fare in movie after movie, of hero woos heroine and then enters the villain who is thrashed by the hero and hero gets heroine for ever. Locations would change but story line would be the same. A goot many were massive tear jerkers.
Like the pre-1992 scenario in India, when if you did not like the Ambassador car you could go for the Fiat car or vice versa. The customer had no choice. The same was true for Hindi movies also. They were all the same. See one and you had seen them all. There was simply no variety in the movie plots. The captive audience had no choice but to see old wine in new bottle again and again. However with the coming of TV serials the movies started getting competition. The technical parameters of the Hindi movies are very high now and comparable to best movies in the world. However there is still not that improvement in the story department as would make Hindi movies compete in the global markets in a big way and create a niche audience for itself.
However since last decade we are now seeing increasingly the making of Hindi movies which are giving something different to the audience. When I went to see Bhag Milkha Bhag I was pleasantly surprised, to see in the house full hall, a good number of elderly couples rubbing shoulder with today's youngsters. That is the true draw of a movie. It can motivate all age persons to go out and patronise the movie. Movies like Aamir and A Wednesday or Black Ffriday are worth seeing for their gripping storiess and screenplay. The recent success of the two part movie Gangs of Wesseypur, although full of swear words also gave a good alternative for the movie goers to watch.
Movies now no longer need a star to make them commercially viable. What they need is a good story and equally good direction. The audience will support them as happened in case of Paan Singh Tomar. Word of mouth publicity is the most reliable form of publicity. Another example of a goood story making a movie successful with no known actors was the recent film. It is time the Salman's and Shah Rukh's gave way to a good story and real actors.
Time Hindi movies should deliver world class movies to its loyal audiences who for a century now have been waiting for it.