Cut it short!

Bollywood presently is trying to break free by coming out of its shell. The standard Bollywoodish masala stuff is now being overlooked, at least by a certain section of filmmakers. More precisely I would say that innovation is taking the front seat, which is a hale and hearty sign of cinematic development. No doubt, the multiplex culture has been crucial to this trend. Audience is becoming more receptive and mature. Uncanny subjects and experimental approach is being welcomed by movie-lovers.

Ram Gopal Varma's cult horror flick DARNA MANA HAI initiated a fresh spur in Bollywood. The film had six short stories and a definitive climax to the main theme story line. Short stories thus have begun to grab the attention of the movie enthusiasts. Ramu's upcoming film DARNA ZAROORI HAI is a sequel to its well-received predecessor DARNA MANA HAI. Only this time six different directors including Ramu himself have directed each story. Ramu has canned the episode featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh.

Mani Ratnam's YUVA too ran on similar lines where the lead characters' lives were presented as different segments till they collide in the climax. YUVA didn't muster box-office triumph but was instrumental in giving Abhishek Bachchan a new lease of life. Till YUVA happened, Abhishek was been tagged as an unsuccessful actor and his acting talent brushed aside. The film took a stab at the attitude of today's youth towards the socio-political circumstances.

Another luminary to join the list now is none other than one of India's finest actors Naseeruddin Shah. Naseer's directorial debut YUN HOTA TO KYA HOTA will be releasing soon. The film is produced by Shabbir Boxwallah. This film also contains four short stories that run parallel to each other. This film will mark the acting debut of ace choreographer Saroj Khan who will be playing a lady don. Naseer's son Imaduddin also makes his entry in to Bollywood with this film. The film has got a top-notch star cast comprising of such talents as Irrfan Khan, Paresh Rawal, Ayesha Takia, Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak-Shah.

The concept of weaving short films into a full-length feature film has been done time and again in Hollywood. Films like THE CREEPSHOW and STRANGE FREQUENCY are famous in America. Even the recent SIN CITY that was adapted from a comic book series indulged in spinning three short stories with the hero as the only fundamental character. The film was ruling the American box-office for since its inception into the theaters. Even this year's Oscar winning CRASH told interlocking stories about numerous characters that bump into each other at some points and progress film. CRASH took a long hard look at the racism existing in America and was undoubtedly one of the most hard-hitting films ever made.

Bollywood is now waking up to this style. The new-age filmmakers could take up the mantle in popularizing this fashion in India. Well, if one has to adapt a bound novel or a conventional short story into a film that might not be possible with every other literary piece. In such a case, some deserving stories remain untold. In this scenario the idea of merging these stories in to a single frame could be tangible and would work fine if executed deftly. The step has already been taken and let's see how this 'story' shapes up in the future!