Mystery of the vanishing audience. Review on Changing Face of Cinegoer

2000

2000 was considered to be a bad year for the Hindi film industry. Apart from Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (and to a lesser extent Mohabbatein), no other film went on to create box office ripples.

2001

2001 was slightly worse. Lagaan, Gadadr, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (I guess the most detestable movie on MouthShut) got in some moolah. They were genuine blockbusters. There were some other successes like Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai (ugh!), and Jodi No. 1 (not in the same league of Haseena Maan Jaayegi). But one question that has still not managed to get answers that first raised its ugly hood then – why are our films not running?

2002

Until 2003 happened, 2002 was considered to be the worst possible year for the Hindi film industry. Barring Raaz (just a hit, mind you, not a super hit) and Devdas (how much it actually earned, still remains a mystery), no film came close to even making a mark. Clouds of doom, which were a little distant a couple of years back, were now looming well and large over Bollywood. No star, not even the redoubtable Amitabh Bachchan, could hold the interest of the audience.

2003

I repeat - until 2003 happened, 2002 was considered to be the worst possible year for the Hindi film industry. The year began disastrously with the super trash, Talash, starring Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. Uptil now, there are no solid blockbusters as yet, save for the average (box office collections) Ishq Vishq and Andaaz, and the above-average Bhoot. Yet, the industry is rejoicing, saying that it has delivered a hat trick of hits. Sigh! Something is seriously wrong somewhere. Where are the Sholays, the Hum Aapke Hain Kauns, the Dilwaale Dulhainya Le Jayenges, dnd even the Karan Arjuns?

Earlier, films were declared a hit/ super hit when they ran uninterruptedly to packed houses for a minimum of 25 weeks. Most Amitabh Bachchan flicks celebrated golden jubilees (50 weeks). In fact, Agneepath that ran (rather, it was made to run) for 25 weeks was considered to be a flop. Also, films were declared a hit on the basis of their all-India collections Now, films that open well (98% or so collections on the first day), manage to earn reasonably well (75% or so in the first week), and sustain their earnings reasonably well (50% or so from the second week) are considered to be successes. This is what happened to Andaaz, and this what will happen to Bhoot. Also, we have films that are successful in Mumbai, films that are successful in CP and Bihar, films that are successful in Mars, etc. I remember Akshay Kumar celebrating the success of Jaanwar – “It was a hit in Bihar,” he exulted. Similarly, Chandni Bar made a star out of its director Madhur Bhandarkar by being a semi-hit only in Mumbai.

So, what exactly is wrong? I am one of the very few people who refuse to believe that the standard of our films has degenerated. Yes, we’re not making classics (Mother India, Pyaasa etc) any more. But is our audience interested in some serious social fare like the aforementioned and some more like Do Bigha Zameen, Awara, Anand, etc? The fact is that social humanism is no longer the cup of tea of the common man, who either is busy fighting his own private battles or trying to embrace escapist fare. He doesn’t want to see a reflection of his own life on the screen. But our escapist cinema, that is as good or as bad as some of the stuff churned out from the 60s to the 90s, is also not attracting crowds.

Filmmakers are trying everything, age-old formulae (Ek Rishta), remakes of old hits (Armaan), southern remakes (Shakti), Hollywood remakes (Aks), original stuff (Haasil, Makdee). Unfortunately for them, nothing seems to be working.

Haasil was decent, so was Armaan. But people just didn’t go to cinema halls to see them. These films didn’t even open decently. And that is the point I’m trying to make. People are just not going to cinema halls to see movies. I can understand the audience rejecting films after seeing them (like it happened to Aks), but not going at all must be worrisome. A lot of reasons are being cited for this impasse – climbing rates of multiplexes, video piracy, television, and new movies being telecast on television within a few months of their theatrical release (Hathyaar, Road, to name a few).

All the reasons cited above have solidity in reasoning. But I feel a little differently. A few years ago, cinema was the only source of entertainment in our country. However, with India becoming a major global player, things have changed quite a bit. Every city, except for villages, has offered new means of entertainment to its denizens. Earlier, weekend plans (if there were any) meant going for a movie. Now, from discos and eating joints to bowling alleys, the Internet (yes, a lot of people surf only on weekends), and many more, the options to be entertained have widened.

The film industry, according to me will be in this perilous situation for quite some time to come. Either things will improve or the industry will have to look for other viable options within the entertainment segment. There is nothing alarming about the entire situation. We are witnessing a social revolution of sorts, where as an audience of cinema, our attitude towards entertainment is currently being redefined.