Dishum-dishum’s back in action

Herogiri is back in Bollywood. So, just like in the good ol’ seventies and eighties, the heroes are now taking on the baddies single-handedly in hand-to-hand combats instead of depending on high-end gadgets or slick Matrix-like action. A look at some of the recent films like Dabbang, Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, Raajneeti are a witness to this. In fact, many of the forthcoming films too, including Anurag Kashayap’s Manoj Bajpai starrer, Nishikant Kamat’s Kha Kha Kha starring John Abraham, and even the Rohit Shetty’s comedy will have actors indulge in bare-handed fight sequences.

“Besides, depicting realism in films, the South’s influence too cannot be overruled,” say trade pundits, referring to the Aamir Khan starrer Ghajini that had a high dose of such fights. Trade analyst Amod Mehra says, “Our films have always shown fight sequences, and though many are still over the top, there’s no denying that they are more real, raw and gruesome.” Trade analyst Komal Nahata believes it’s the shock value that these sequences create. “People see so much violence through so many other means like video games, etc. that in films showing something so believable is more eyeball-grabbing.”

Ram Gopal Varma — whose films have always depicted stark fights — explains. “My films depict reality, real people and real situations. And reality is more shocking than fiction. So, even the fights that I show in films are real.  It has shock value too, to imagine that something like that can or does happen. If I am going to show farmers fight, they will obviously use weapons like scythes and sickles and not laser guns in high-end car-chases.”

Stunt choreographer Allan Amin, who’s taken action in Bollywood to a completely new level with his technically-advanced stylish stunts, says that our films have always had such hand-to-hand fight sequences. “However,” he adds, “now they are far more violent and the focus is on showing muscle-power. Now we also have better infrastructure to shoot the fights with the harness-wires et al and that takes it to a different level altogether instead of being plain dishum dishum.” And with audiences and the industry giving it a thumbs up, seems like herogiri is back in action and here to stay too!