MIRROR OF SOCIETY AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Week before, I had shrewd interactions with politicians, celebrities, artists, activists and hackers; this gave me new dimensions to understand society. In fact, my urge to understand social relationships got more intensified after these interactions. Amongst all, dimensions highlighted by people from film industry gives me astounding understanding social relations presented on screen through medium which we call cinema.

Indian cinema has become great tool to understand Indian society. Bollywood has its own identity in world. As per my knowledge, it is world’s most, innovative, creative, experimenting and inclusive industry. By inclusion I mean social inclusion providing employment and projection to every element of society. Rather, it has turned itself into culture.

Cinema in India was started by colonial rulers with films like the Poona race and Train Arriving at Mumbai around 1889. But real Indian cinema was started in 1913 by a Marathi painter called Dadasaheb Phalke who was inspired by film on Jesus’s life and made film on Raja Harishchandra. From this juncture, history of Bollywood is all recorded and narrated in several ways.

Interesting thing I found in this history is social behavioral patterns and changes it faced. Movies during 40’s was driven by devotional and some nationalist ideology along with which we can see strong urge of getting freedom from social oppressions. Acchut Kannya, film by subaltern story teller is considered as landmark during this decade showcasing, love of Brahmin male for untouchable girl.

Till 50’s such issues remained center for film making, but after freedom romance, thriller, horror etc. became central idea of film. Attachment to films of masses created social concern to social activists. Wife of K.M.Munshi , Leelavati Sheth filed a petition signed by about 13,000 housewives against addiction to films of their husband, they believed that wage earners are spoiling money for movies instead of spending on family. The case was countered by the great actor Prithviraj Kapoor saying that cinema is art form and it can have shine and shadows both. Answering to this issue, censor board was formed to standardized social content in films. Success of this board is still debatable.

60’s and 70’s brought out real creativity of Bollywood. Till now, Number of theaters increased to more than 4,500 showcasing more than 600 films annually. This films included devotion of son towards mother, skirmish relationship of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, etc. this phase of Bollywood brought out melodrama. It represented restrictions of family over marriage, struggle to get preferred love one. There emerge two categories of audience during this period, single young male and married family oriented male. For single young male audiences, films where instruments of escape from family restrictions, they can now go out far in urban setup, drink, smoke make marry without informing family. Other kind of family oriented male used to come at cinema hall with family as outing or picnic. During this period film industry in south also got intensified with formation of fan clubs. These fan clubs were dedicated to specific male actor and included variety of audiences. Such fan clubs in terms of competing with each other carried out philanthropic activities like blood donation camps, raising fund for some disaster in name of male actor they are following etc.  

Representation of people feelings where more included during late 70’s and early 80’s. People started themselves relating to the condition faced by hero. Rise of Amitabh is still considered as milestone. Amitabh was tall, fairly dark and was odd from the actors preceded him. His roles resembled and convinced the audiences about, corruption, labour oppression, alcoholism etc. this had great impact over youth of that time adding to success of Naxalities movement or JP movement. 90’s was decade where there was rise of television and liberation, more romantic films came into theaters. These films addressed variety psychological confusions within the mind of people faced during economic transition. Urbanized ideas where promoted. This was time where inter religion love affairs where accepted like in movie Bombay (1995) but still exists no evidence where Muslim hero getting in love with Hindu Heroin. While the movies of 2000 till date are still experimenting with newer ideas and issues in society, most of them are addressing issues of identity, social view about particular diseases etc.

Talking about social inclusiveness, Bollywood since beging has remained open to variety kind of people. Jewish, Parsis, Muslims, Hindu, Sikh and Christians are working together to deliver best film. Some of best singers, lyricists, writers are Muslim and still follow Urdu tradition in Hindi writing. Till date dominance of Muslims on industry are noteworthy. Some of the best Muslim actors like Yusuf Khan (Dilip Kumar) Nargis, Waheeda Rehman and most recent ‘Khans’ has contributed a lot to this industry.  Bollywood has got some of best directors from south India and Bengal.  Directors like Manmohan Desai tried to include transgendered people in film making process even he gave opportunities to such people to appear on screen (remember the song of Amar Akbar Anthony- tayab ali…..). People of all age are included and accepted in this industry but I doubt that it’s true for disabled people also. Bollywood has remained patriarchal; very few pro feminist movies are made and accepted.

Finally, I found some ingredients which makes movie as typical Bollywood movie. They are color, tears, melodrama, fights, chases, romance (in defined manner), good guy-bad girl, bad girl-good guy, songs (preferably 6-7) sung in known and trusted voices. Take any three movies from Bollywood you’ll find these ingredients in two of them. The variation in the usage of these ingredients actually makes Bollywood as mirror of Indian society having potential to bring change in society.