Changing perspective of Indian Cinema

Bollywood heroes become…….‘Banjara’

Indian cinema started changing in this modern era with looking beyond its culture and identity… Let’s look on several super hit movies of the year, (accept Salman Khan movies) which are appreciated by critics and common people both. Some of them are Queen, Haider, Yeh Jawani He Diwani, Highway etc… Let’s look them with different perspective and observe what is they are indicating.

It is believed that wherever you go but you can find peace at home only. In Gujarati, “ધરતીનો છેડો ઘર” but modern India doesn't believe in that, and it is reflected in some recent movies. 

One of the appreciated movies is ‘Yeh Jawaani hai Deewani’, the main protagonist of the movie wants to fly… he wants to see the world, for that he sacrifices his all relations and his home also. Here the traditional mentality of home is broken. The character is not bounding him in one place. Like a ‘Banjara’ he wants to roam road to road.

The traditional idea is, to let go back to home and the modern perspective is to fly away from home. You may remember a movie which released some years ago, “Swades” in which protagonist comes back to his home-native land though he is living luxurious life in foreign for many years. Many traditional movies end with coming back home after long journey or suffering.

Traditional idea believes in nativism, homeland… one of the celebrated Indian ideas or values is to believe that the native land is more precious than heaven.  “जननी जन्मभूमि श्च स्वर्गादपि गरियसी”.

The idea of flying from native land is not only imposed in male protagonists. (Hero does not mean male protagonist only!!)  But female protagonists are also shown with this idea.

Other example is the movie ‘Queen’, where the female protagonist finds her happiness outside her home (the idea of peace at home is destroyed!??!!!). She wants to fly and see the world. Denying long lasting relationship, she chooses individuality and freedom to go beyond her world, to go around the world. As one of its song suggests...

In one of Shishir Ramavat’s articles (Multiplex), he compares ‘Queen’ with the movie ‘Arth’. One of the differences we can find between these is of flying from their small world. It is not possible to show in ‘Arth’ as ‘Queen’ shows because of time and traditional thinking. As this idea is not widely accepted and it becomes more problematic to show a woman going out from her city even, than what about country!!??!!!

Another very good example is from the movie ‘Hasee to fasee’. In this movie heroine wants to go away for her research work without caring her family and relation with her family members. Even the last scene suggests, after her marriage with hero, they are going out of the country instead of staying with her husband’s family.

 One of the reasons of success of ‘Highway’ is this new modern idea. Both of the characters want to run away from their culture, home… Roaming, journeying, going far away from native culture, land become appreciated value today. That’s why they like roads instead of home!?!!

That’s why ‘Haider’ wants to cross the border… one of the conflicts shown in Vishal Bhardwaj’s master piece is Haider’s wish to go away from his problematic land and traditional idea of mother land, as it suggests whatever problems are there, person should tolerate but have to stay.

It can be seen as effect of globalization, modernisation and westernisation, but truth is that, now for modern India, home is not end of journey but sky is the limit and mother land is not heaven whole world is home.