What makes a great film?
Excellent cinematography? A punch of humour? Item songs? Hardcore action? Star cast? Cars flying around?
Bollywood has tried and tested all of these, yet they haven’t always cracked the code. So, the question remains: what’s the secret ingredient to creating a great film?
One might say that strong writing is the answer. But we have seen films like Andaaz Apna Apna and Kaagaaz Ke Phool, despite being cult classics now fail at the box office during their time. So what is it that makes them great?
In its golden era, Bollywood was churning out iconic films with Amitabh Bachchan embodying the “angry young man” persona and Salim-Javed crafting unforgettable scripts. Sadly, many films post-2000s lack the same grandeur.
Sure, budgets have increased, and technology has advanced, but the connection between films and their audiences seems to have weakened.
R Balki, director of films like Paa, Cheeni Kam and Pad Man, in a recent interview, talked about how even the blockbuster hits of recent years fail to win over the audience in comparison to the cinematic gems of the 90s Not just from an artistic point of view, the masala feel-good films no longer have masala or make you feel good.
One might blame this on the formulaic approach of Bollywood towards films to make sure they are commercially successful. While profit is an important part, we should also keep in mind that people are constantly changing and so are their tastes and their perceptions. A film made in the 90s will not work with an audience we have now.
We may think that all hope is lost for Bollywood but it simply needs time to unlearn its old formula that worked for decades and discover new ways of reaching to the hearts of the audience.
All hope isn’t lost, though. Bollywood simply needs time to unlearn its outdated formulas and embrace fresh ways of storytelling that connect with modern audiences. Audiences can only hope that after this journey of rediscovery, the magic of cinema will very well return.