Bollywood: Regressive, Idealistic, or Escapist?

Exactly what kind of a picture is our India Cinema portraying...???

In the day and age of one night stands and live in relationships Bollywood films like Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi, Vivaah, etc are being said to bring us back to our roots. However are these movies just idealistic and providing a means of escapism for Bollywood audiences or are they truly regressive? Waiting for someone for twelve years – is it realistic? Looking around us we will see many flings, break ups, several boyfriends/girlfriends, romances etc and one is forced to wonder are there guys like Prem who wait for 12 years to marry the girl they love. How many guys have you come across like Prem in real life? Are such images making girls dream idealistically? And is the definition of love being portrayed on screen anywhere close to, that which exists, in practical life today?




From Hum Aapke Hain Kaun to Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Devdas, Indian audiences loved the grandeur, the opulence, and the magnificence! But one is forced to ask where is the reality that more than half of India's population lives under the poverty line? While many in our country are finding it hard to feed their families and survive on a day to day basis, our cinema is showing grand feasts, an overly indulgent life style and riches which are not available to the common man of India. Movies like Fashion, Page 3, Salaam Bombay, etc have brought a few realities to the big screen but otherwise is our Indian Cinema providing a means of escapism from reality and portraying an overly idealistic scenario? Are we seeing on screen many times exactly opposite to what reality is putting us through?




And then come the examples and topics which you must ask and wonder what theme and message they are trying to spread! Take Phoonk – one of the most talked about films of the year. Is black magic a reality in India or is it superstitions further being engrained through the media? For the educated and uneducated what types of messages are being taken away from watching such films? Exactly what kind of a picture is our India Cinema portraying?




And yet good or bad, Indian Cinema has power and influence unlike any other film industry in the world! Over four billion Bollywood movie tickets are sold a year….The question is how well are we utilizing our power? Is it a mix bag of good and bad or is it an uneven balance – that's for you as the audience to decide! Share with us….

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