Why is Bollywood so bad at period dramas?

Why do Hindi film makers take 'period film' to mean 'excuse to bring out ornate jewelry and over the top acting"? I mean Kalank as someone said was an SLB knockoff set in mythical Venice type land with CGI bulls, but even SLB films get tiring with their loudness sometimes. Padmavat became a Game of Thrones copy mid way with all the kushti etc.

A film set in a different time period does not have to be glitzy and OTT, it can be simple and authentic to the period and the setting can actually be used to bring out a particular facet of the story- eg. the heroine's struggles as a woman with lesser freedom, a love story that has to repressed or different norms. We never use it like this here. All characters are always caricatures and the look of the film is always over stylised.

What a different movie Kalank would have been if they actually tried to recreate 1940s Lahore and toned down the scary aesthetics? The story was not so horrible. They could have done something with it.

The only decent ones I can think of are Lootera, Bulbbul, Parineeta and Jodha Akbar to an extent- because they did not forget the story over the "look" of the film.

Why do you guys think it is so bad here?

I think because they add extra flavour to the settings and try to make it as exorbitant as possible. This makes it difficult to relate.

I like period dramas without pomp and glitz, something which captures the essence without diluting the storyline.

Because Indian producers all want to have Muhhal E Azam part two.

They are still enamoured with its success, so they always cling on to its glamor and extravagant sets.

I liked Ashoka and still do. It feel like the cinematography was really amazing in that film. And I loved the ending scene where he found out that kareena was still alive and that he killed that kid whom he had once loved. I don't get why it flopped.

Originally posted by: Targaryen-gal

I liked Ashoka and still do. It feel like the cinematography was really amazing in that film. And I loved the ending scene where he found out that kareena was still alive and that he killed that kid whom he had once loved. I don't get why it flopped.

Oh yes! I liked it too. Dont think the costumes/settings etc were authentic but it still clicked. The characters felt like real people with emotions and it had a lot of restraint as a film. I thought SRK also used his charisma to the fullest to play King Ashok. He should do more period films and epics.

The better question would be - What genre Bollywood is so good at?

I think you answered your own question haha. Bollywood cannot seem to think beyond the extravagance and over-the-top sets and glamor of period films. It doesn't help at all that SLB found a lot of success with his methods so filmmakers are hellbent on emulating him.

Parineeta, Lootera, Lagaan come to mind where the approach was realistic and subdued. As soon as filmmakers go further into history with stories of kings and queens they go so overboard. And in the case of Kalank, go completely unbelievably wrong that it's puzzling how they effed that up so bad, like it's only the 1940s ffs.

Here's my answer to your question though: lack of vision. Bollywood lacks vision, creativity, and the drive to go into new directions. I think about the abundance of period films made in Hollywood and other countries where they're able to tell such varied stories in the most subtle setups and it always amazes me that Bollywood is unable to. But there is very little that Bollywood is even good at so..

Bollywood is bad even at copying

SLB tries copying mughal ea azam time and again and falls flat on face always

Ranveer singh tries copying dilip kumars method acting and goes OTT

They all are still trying to copy past films only so fail badly

What SLB does not understand is he is just copying the grandeur sets of mughal e azam

But mughal ea zam had powerful script, story and dialogues that was soul of movie not the granduer necessarily

Mughal e azam had good characterization of even side characters like bahar, santarash and salmis friend and cousin durjan singh

Whats use of copying its grandeur and forgetting script and characterization?

I recently saw mughal e azam again and its story may be oft repeated tragic love, rich guy poor girl love but it was more than that actually it was a fathers principles, a sons rebellion against fathers value system, generation gap issues, mother being the bridge between father and son with different thinking, a slave thinking she can be a empress(bahar) another slave only wanting a prince love and not position that comes with marrying him (anarkali), a friend whose loyal to his childhood friend even in death(durjan singh), a santarash that rejects marriage and money understanding the girl loves someone else etc it had many layers of emotions and values still relevant in 2020 or shall be in 3020.

But SLB movies lack this kind of depth and charcaterisation. Even hero/heroine are very one dimensional

Bahubali came close to mughal e azam kind of characterization

A step mother who loves her foster son (nephew) but is still forced to order his killing to please her good for nothng son and husband, a foster son who loves his adopted mother but can go against her for his love, a wife who remains prisoner for two decades waiting for her son and justice etc it had layers

although i can say dialogues were not written as good as mughal e azam nor were songs but rest all matched mughal e azam level

I feel south can still produce a period drama that can equal mughal e azam if they try again like bahubhali

They must recruit a good hindi dialogue writer and urdu song writer for that

Rest granduer and acting is fine

Originally posted by: myviewprem

Bollywood is bad even at copying

SLB tries copying mughal ea azam time and again and falls flat on face always

Ranveer singh tries copying dilip kumars method acting and goes OTT

They all are still trying to copy past films only so fail badly

What SLB does not understand is he is just copying the grandeur sets of mughal e azam

But mughal ea zam had powerful script, story and dialogues that was soul of movie not the granduer necessarily

Mughal e azam had good characterization of even side characters like bahar, santarash and salmis friend and cousin durjan singh

Whats use of copying its grandeur and forgetting script and characterization?

I recently saw mughal e azam again and its story may be oft repeated tragic love, rich guy poor girl love but it was more than that actually it was a fathers principles, a sons rebellion against fathers value system, generation gap issues, mother being the bridge between father and son with different thinking, a slave thinking she can be a empress(bahar) another slave only wanting a prince love and not position that comes with marrying him (anarkali), a friend whose loyal to his childhood friend even in death(durjan singh), a santarash that rejects marriage and money understanding the girl loves someone else etc it had many layers of emotions and values still relevant in 2020 or shall be in 3020.

But SLB movies lack this kind of depth and charcaterisation. Even hero/heroine are very one dimensional

Bahubali came close to mughal e azam kind of characterization

A step mother who loves her foster son (nephew) but is still forced to order his killing to please her good for nothng son and husband, a foster son who loves his adopted mother but can go against her for his love, a wife who remains prisoner for two decades waiting for her son and justice etc it had layers

although i can say dialogues were not written as good as mughal e azam nor were songs but rest all matched mughal e azam level

I feel south can still produce a period drama that can equal mughal e azam if they try again like bahubhali

They must recruit a good hindi dialogue writer and urdu song writer for that

Rest granduer and acting is fine

Brilliant post. Fully agree about Mughal E Azam it is an enduring classic not because of its grandeur but because of its amazing writing and characterizations. How amazing was Baahar as the scheming slave girl? How awe inspiring was Sanatarash with the point he was trying to make about his art? It was brilliantly done and the sets and costumes were purely secondary.

I recently tried rewatching Padmavat on tv and I got a head ache even though I like the cast. None of these films have repeat value.When you compare this to a movie like Titanic which was a grand movie with so much detailing and yet at the same time, you connect with Rose and Jack's journey, cliched as it might be.

I am dreading Takht to be honest. Game of Thrones meets K3G in Karan's own words.And to think that Lootera with all its brilliance flopped!

And agree about Bahubali too. Just wish it wouldn't spawn so many copy cats. Get your own vision!

Parineeta was probably the best period film I've seen. Costumes and sets were amazing but the film actually had a storyline with well developed characters