In India,
superstition creeps its way into everything. It somehow finds a foothold on almost every aspect of our lives. It is something we have inherited by default, from our forefathers and something that we will perhaps never be able to part with. Indian
cinema, also known as "Bollywood" , is one of the biggest industries in the world. Last year the industry generated about Rs 500 Crore. An industry swamped by latest in technology and gizmo , Bollywood is no more just an Indian, or even Asian entity. It is just as Global as your Mac donalds next door. The wonderful and unique thing about India , and about all her engagements , is that they exhibit extremes so peculiar, that it serves as both an argument and a counter argument. Superstition has, as though dictated by some immutable law, found a seat in the front row of this industry. Leading film makers of today trust the many almost-sciences floating around in advising them about their careers . Perhaps the most famous one is the "K" word. Leading commercial film makers like Karan Johar, and Rakesh roshan make their
films starting with the
letter "K", just because it was proved astrologically ,astronomically , that it would prove to be profitable. So where does this leave the films? What are Films now? Have they been reduced to a three hour long rigmarole based on something that you may or may not like, but because begins with the letter "k" ,must end up smashing all box office records? Are we that annoyingly stupid? It seems to be such a desecration towards the art of film making. But hey, i didn''t say that this "k" factor is not working for them. I guess rubbish like "Kabhi alvida na kehna" will only pass off if you inject the power of the "stars" in it. And "
krish" , which was a bold attempt at creating a super hero, and the charming Hrithik roshan perhaps the best in the industry to pull it off, but still lacked what a spiderman or a batman had-- class . I wasn''t a wee bit excited to see Krish in his body hugging costume go through his rescuing obligations. Film is art. And art is best when its honest. You can not make a film and then go through a process of arriving at a name starting with one letter. It doesn''t make sense. To me, it lacks respect and the honesty that goes into the work. No wonder they can never
match up, or even hope to match up, to the likes of Satyajit Ray, Shyam benegal, or to name a few contemporaries , nagesh Kukunoor.
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