Is cinema what it used to be?

As Indians there are two things we are most passionate about, cricket and movies. We have always thought of movies as an extension of Indian culture. Movies have always showed Indian values and tribulations that common men and women go through. I remember how early movies from makers like Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt reflected a common man's way of life. Caste struggle, strata in society and even movies on Indian film industry itself. Movies like Awara, Pyaasa and Shri 420 would echo the society sentiments and values of those days. Even songs like ' Yeh hai Mumbai meri jaan ...' could vocal what a complex city Mumbai is

I often hear the saying that old is gold. Well it is true in many ways. Movies today probably have lost touched with reality or maybe the audience is so dumb that movies with little and no sense in their story lines are becoming a hit. I always marveled at the way Hollywood writers came up with some of the most amazing story lines that went on to becoming a cult. Movies like Terminator, When Hally met Sally, Rock , Blood Diamond etc have achieved a cult status around the world and these movies have been foolishly aped by Bollywood. Are we short of good stories or we don't have directors and actors that lack the vision? the answer is a combination of both. Movies in Bollywood are increasingly becoming formula based. When a formula clicks every director wants to ride on that bandwagon till it becomes a ad nausea. Most actors are afraid to experiment as fortune and people change every Friday in the world of Bollywood plus I would also blame the audience in not understanding and appreciating a clever movie. I see movies with little or no strong storyline being promoted in such a way that they recover money within a week because of the initial hype. In short, cinema today is resting more on commercial laurels rather than focusing on cinema itself.

I saw Rocket Singh the other day and it's a fantastic movie especially in these times when there is a dearth of good stories. A movie like Rocket Singh should have been established as a cult. No formulas, no razzmatazz, no cheap publicity tricks just simple good movie with great performances. A movie like Rocket Singh is especially more relevant in trouble times like these where's peoples greed has gulped down millions of aspirations world wide. The movie reflects honesty of a talented entrepreneur who is neither bogged down by his grade nor by the resistance from his colleagues or his zero-theory boss. The movie is a message to the youth that it is your attitude and not your marks that makes you who you are.

However, i read a box office report yesterday that the movie has not worked well. Shame on Indian audience for not appreciating a movie like Rocket Singh. It's not daily that we get to see movies like Rocket Singh, Khosla ka Ghosla, Chak De, Dev D and Lagaan.

I still haven't lost all hope with the Indian audience and hopefully one day people will start appreciating writers and directors like Jaideep Sahni, Anurag Kashyap and Shimit Amin.