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It's the demands of the industry. Money ----> Lavish lifestyles -----> Image -----> Need more money to retain it -----> Fortune changes every Friday -----> Have to go along with "what's hot" to remain relevant.
You see European and American actors snapped in shabby appearances, yet it doesn't matter in films for most part. Back in the studio era of Hollywood and until the 70s, it mattered, but it doesn't matter much these days for talented actors. Once you're over 40, you still get good roles (the women). It's not like great actors of their times and divas vanish away as in Bollywood, even today.
But, why couldn't Madhuri/Preity/Rani/Aish do roles that helps them reinvent and accept that with age comes different types of roles? Just dressing in a certain way isn't reinvention.
Any publicity is good publicity. They say. And that applies universally whether Hollywood or Bollywood. In India, actresses are all about glamour. It's changing, but even a superb actress like Kareena doesn't want to do roles different from what she's been doing.
Nobody wants to do dark movies and genuine thrillers. Horrors are still considered B-grade products in India. You can't help but be insecure with such mentality.
I feel Bollywood is only waiting for the right opportunity to make a Nymphomaniac. It's dying to, yet it can't because of various factors.
If the audiences were as accepting as European audiences are, we'd have already seen the actresses today in explicit nude scenes. But they have to settle for raunchy items like Hate Story - that too, only to kickstart their career or to survive when anything else is out of question.
When you look at actors today, Aamir and Salman from those BIG stars have maintained what they did until now. Aamir alternates commercial films with good cinema, whilst Salman does movies he's always been doing - sometimes good, sometimes bad. Yet, even in that, you'd see reinvention. From romantic Prem to comic Prem/Sameer to erratic Radhe to Chulbul to Pawan...
For them, it's much easier. You have SRK playing catch-up by doing movies like CE and HNY that he wouldn't have done during his peak years. Or, HR who tried to follow Aamir's path, but couldn't.
When Bollywood made a 90s movie with Salman Khan of all people, you all saw the reaction in India and amongst Indian critics. They don't want that any more. Top, reputed papers like NYT and Guardian gave it glowing reviews because of the Indian roots in the movie and how it's still unique for the international audiences.
In India though, the aim now is to do what's contemporary, what's "more Western," which is why we have more 500 Days of Summer type of rom-coms more than typical Bollywood love stories of the 90s and before.
Would the audience today watch DCH or a DTPH? It's an easy choice.
You see European and American actors snapped in shabby appearances, yet it doesn't matter in films for most part. Back in the studio era of Hollywood and until the 70s, it mattered, but it doesn't matter much these days for talented actors. Once you're over 40, you still get good roles (the women). It's not like great actors of their times and divas vanish away as in Bollywood, even today.
But, why couldn't Madhuri/Preity/Rani/Aish do roles that helps them reinvent and accept that with age comes different types of roles? Just dressing in a certain way isn't reinvention.
Any publicity is good publicity. They say. And that applies universally whether Hollywood or Bollywood. In India, actresses are all about glamour. It's changing, but even a superb actress like Kareena doesn't want to do roles different from what she's been doing.
Nobody wants to do dark movies and genuine thrillers. Horrors are still considered B-grade products in India. You can't help but be insecure with such mentality.
I feel Bollywood is only waiting for the right opportunity to make a Nymphomaniac. It's dying to, yet it can't because of various factors.
If the audiences were as accepting as European audiences are, we'd have already seen the actresses today in explicit nude scenes. But they have to settle for raunchy items like Hate Story - that too, only to kickstart their career or to survive when anything else is out of question.
When you look at actors today, Aamir and Salman from those BIG stars have maintained what they did until now. Aamir alternates commercial films with good cinema, whilst Salman does movies he's always been doing - sometimes good, sometimes bad. Yet, even in that, you'd see reinvention. From romantic Prem to comic Prem/Sameer to erratic Radhe to Chulbul to Pawan...
For them, it's much easier. You have SRK playing catch-up by doing movies like CE and HNY that he wouldn't have done during his peak years. Or, HR who tried to follow Aamir's path, but couldn't.
When Bollywood made a 90s movie with Salman Khan of all people, you all saw the reaction in India and amongst Indian critics. They don't want that any more. Top, reputed papers like NYT and Guardian gave it glowing reviews because of the Indian roots in the movie and how it's still unique for the international audiences.
In India though, the aim now is to do what's contemporary, what's "more Western," which is why we have more 500 Days of Summer type of rom-coms more than typical Bollywood love stories of the 90s and before.
Would the audience today watch DCH or a DTPH? It's an easy choice.
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