Why do we hate masala so much?

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Posted: 14 years ago

hey all

I read an article recently on a bollywood blog reviewing the telugu flick magadheera, and it had some interesting thoughts abt bollywood and masala...herz an excerpt...just read the bold parts

full article at : https://filmigirl.blogspot.com/2010/04/of-masala-and-magadheera.html

So, where does Magadheera fit into all of this? The SUPER HIT film starring Ram Charan Teja and Kajal Aggarwal is a masterwork of masala from the opening motorcycle jump sequence to the star-crossed love to the creeptastic villain and unironic heroicness and even more unironic dance moves by Raj Charan Teja. Magadheera delivers on everything that the Bollywood is too embarrassed to show onscreen and it's incredible.
And while Ranbir Kapoor and maybe Shahid could pull off something similar in Bollywood, they won't get the chance because no matter how much I might wish it, the Pandora's Box of 'realism' has been opened and, like a virus, this desire to appear 'realistic' is spreading around Film City.
I may sound like a crank but I'm not against progress ' like I said, I loved post-modern Tashan to pieces - and there is certainly a place on film screens worldwide for films like Ishqiya and Dev.D which use a subtle and modern form of Bollywood narrative. What Iam against is this half-baked idea that films can only be taken seriously if they are 'realistic' and that 'realism' is something only found using a Hollywood style of filmmaking. This idea is something that filmmakers are going to have to shake if they want audiences to start returning to the theaters en masse. While I still go to my local Bollywood theater and still see all the new releases no matter how terrible the reviews, when I do get excited for Bollywood films now it's usually for things like Golmaal Returns or Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani or Singh is Kinng - comedy aimed at the masses (and me) ' because I know I'll be in for a rollicking good time.

ive noticed on this forum that there is an intense hatred for the "masala" genre...the kind which is a potpurri of all kinds of genres...action,romance, comedy, drama etc......looking back, some of the biggest blockbusters from last few years have been hardcore potboiler stuff -

Kaho na pyaar hai, Main hoon na, Om shanti om, kkrish, dabangg, Endhiran, gadar, ghajini, wanted etc etc...

surely, these movies are a success because they struck a chord with the audience, but these, have been some of the most criticized and "hated" films on the forums.

So why do we hate the genre so much?? why do we tend to look down upon cinema which is meant to be commercial? is it thought that we feel todays audience is a bit too "intelligent" for such stuff?? are we too uptight to have "fun" with all the inherent ridiculousness of the plots/scenes of these movies, which are obviously, meant to be that way??

in short...why can't masala cinema = good cinema for a lot of ppl?

would luv to hear ur thoughts.

Edited by smartie_pants - 14 years ago

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.khoobsurat.

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Posted: 14 years ago

For me I dont hat masala films...I just hate bad films period! And Dabangg was a bad film IMO...it had no story. But I loved Kaho na pyaar hai, Om shanti om, kkrish, ghajini, and wanted was good also to some extent...much better than Dabangg def

Edited by beboholic - 14 years ago

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31609

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Posted: 14 years ago

yeh lensa, i liked all those films, but i dunt get why they are not taken as seriously as other movies....?...i loved dabangg too...it is meant to be a satire abt 80's films and i think tht was pulled off quite brilliantly....i also think tashan, which was a satire on 70's potboiler masala, was gr8 too..but a lot of ppl hate the masala genre coz its too OTT....but why cant OTT be fun and good?

Edited by smartie_pants - 14 years ago

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.khoobsurat.

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Posted: 14 years ago

smartie pants...OSO and I loved Kaho na pyaar hai too! I loved Krissh! Yeah most members on here didn't like that movie...but I loved it! I also loved ajab prem, Golmaal Returns, Welcome, But here is what I hated lol...SIK and TMK! 😡

Edited by beboholic - 14 years ago

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Marauders

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Posted: 14 years ago

Originally posted by: beboholic
For me I dont hat masala films...I just hate bad films period! And Dabangg was a bad film IMO...it had no story. But I loved Kaho na pyaar hai, Om shanti om, kkrish, ghajini, and wanted was good also to some extent...much better than Dabangg def

i did not like dabangg either. omg. only the performances were good. but W*H was up wit the storyline? eek

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.khoobsurat.

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Posted: 14 years ago

I know Dabangg was watchable only for the cute performance of salman.

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31609

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Posted: 14 years ago

ive noticed, even bollywood has grown too self-concious...."ooh lets start making realistic films and ape hollywood coz u know, the masala is for dumb, crass minds"....WHY??? i dunt care abt BKB's or IHLS's or some of those mahesh bhatt's plagarised hollywood wannabe films....and neither do the general audience...they demand entertainment, and as long as a masala film delivers that....then why are these movies such a big problem??...single screen theatre audience are looked down upon because they are too dumb to understand a VB film?? purleez...

obviously, not all masala is good,...eg TMK, prince, veer etc (which is why they werent "hits" as such)...but most of them are bloddy entertaining....

Edited by smartie_pants - 14 years ago

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Posted: 14 years ago

Well, different people have different choices and tastes. I admit that I'm not very fond of OTT films - be it something like Dabangg or a pretentious over-dramatic SLB movie like Devdas. I prefer subtle movies.
Over-the-top melodrama, or comedy that would want to make you fall off your seat laughing just doesn't work for me. But to each their own.

As for Masala flicks - Masala does not automatically imply a badly made film, though due to the quality level of most Masala flick in Bollywood, they end up getting a bad name. I have no qualms with Masala films being OTT and often ridiculous, but I can't stand plot holes or obvious logic gaps. Masala film or not, plot hole is plot hole, and they should be avoided at all costs.

Edited by PhoeniXof_Hades - 14 years ago

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petticoat

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Posted: 14 years ago

because too much masala isnt good..it should balance out with something called a script which goes missing half the time

Edited by bandicoot - 14 years ago

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Preeti

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Posted: 14 years ago

#10

Nothing wrong in Masala Movies. But then One at a time would do. When we see flodding of Masala movies then thats the time people often get irritated.

Though SIK, OSO were Huge Success but personally I never liked those films much. I felt these were over-rated. As long as the Movie entertains me am OK with it. Then be it a Romatic Flick, Comedy or Action Film.