How Bollywood gave up the ghost of good cinema

Actors and film-makers increasingly point to the past, when asked to name good films

Think of Indian cinema and the vacuum left by the likes of Satyajit Ray and Bimal Roy takes your breath away. Has cerebral cinema lost its way in India, hammered by the banality of Bollywood?

Anand Mahadevan, actor and director reckons that the most socially relevant and meaningful Indian films are behind us. He likens today's Indian film-makers' endevours to be "shots in the dark" at best.

According to disgruntled industry sources, the street is clamouring for thought-provoking cinema.

"There has to be a balance struck between entertaining cinema and socially-relevant cinema," says Samir Joshi, head of marketing at Mukta Arts. "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi is a good example of this."

Joshi is of the opinion that cinema is either good or bad, and there isn't any middle path. "Topicality and themes that are steeped in Indian culture are a must, if the filmmaker wants to attract the audience to watch a particular film," says Joshi.

Documentary filmmaker, Anand Patwardhan, claims he simply fails to understand why today's filmmakers are not making socially-relevant and meaningful films like the industry did in the past.

One of the reasons could be the lure of the Box Office, the other is trumpeting the adage: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Mahadevan is rather fatalistic when he says that meaningful, yet entertaining cinema cannot be taught. "It is something that is inside you, that you have to discover and nurture," he says.

Actor Om Puri has fond memories of the past, but states that there are exceptions that test the rule: "There are filmmakers today who are making films that are meaningful as well as entertaining, however they are far fewer in number than they used to be. You cannot force anyone to make films of a particular genre and style. At the end of the day, what someone feels like making, will get made."

But actor Sonali Kulkarni doesn't agree with the above sentiments. She states that socially-relevant films are being made today, and film-makers are exploring new themes. She cites Being Cyrus and Bheja Fry as examples. "You cannot expect filmmakers of today to make films like those that were made in the 60s or 70s. Those times were different; today we live in a society that has its own issues and concerns," says Kulkarni. Mahadevan claims that if a mainstream actor like Aamir Khan can make a film like Taare Zameen Par, others should be able to follow suit.

Today, with satellites beaming hard-hitting, reality-based TV serial into Mumbai's living rooms, audiences expect Bollywood to up the ante. But whether the industry picks up the baton, or prefers not to run the race at all, is something that will only be revealed in the future.