With filmmakers rarely challenging the mainstream narrative, the Hindi film industry was stuck in a labyrinth of clichés for decades. But in the twilight of the previous millennium and the dawn of liberalisation came films that broke away from the norm, and, in many ways paved the path for Hindi cinema to include previously unexplored narratives. Shubhra Gupta, a film critic for over two decades, experienced the transition up close, as well as quietly from a distance. She decided to handpick 50 films that, in her opinion, changed Bollywood and her experience of being at the movies.
What were the criteria for selecting these 50 films?
The idea was to zero in on some of the most significant films — 50 was the mandated number — of the last 20 years. These were the years during which India was coming to terms with the enormous, far-ranging changes that liberalisation brought with it, which impacted social constructs and mores and changed what we watched and how we watched it. These were the films which both ushered in and reflected those changes, or caught a moment or started a trend for the first time. Basically, films which, in my opinion, changed the game.
You've written about Hindi films changing after liberalisation, but what about a change in the audiences?
I think audiences are leading from the front now. They are far more impatient than they used to be even a decade ago, and are voting with their feet if they don’t like a film. You may be the biggest star, but if you aren’t giving viewers something new, something different, you are not going to get them in.
Do you think some films, like My Brother Nikhil (2005) for instance, have been exceptions rather than trendsetters?
My Brother Nikhil may be an exception, but it is an exception which placed, for the first time, same-sex love firmly in the middle of the narrative, the thread from which everything else flows. That was a huge first.
Were there films that you didn’t like and never thought would make it big, but did?
Yes, there are a couple of those in here. I didn’t like Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006), but I must be the only one on the planet who actually quite enjoyed his Chennai Express (2013). He completely changed the way Bollywood did comedy after the film (and its sequels), became huge hits.
Are you expecting a shift towards conventionally non-mainstream narratives with the urban audience getting more cine-literate?
I am an incurable optimist. So yes, I do hope for more ‘difference’, more personal voices, sharper storytelling styles, both from established players as well as the new entrants. Of course, there will always be the big tentpoles which aim at the big numbers. My hope is that the other end of the spectrum will also grow and flourish. And that will only happen if we the viewers support that shift.
How relevant do you think is a film critic in the age of social media?
Film critics who take their work seriously, never putting themselves ahead of the film, who do not get influenced by PR spins, and who give you their opinion with knowledge and grace, are priceless. And they are more valuable than ever in these times when everyone who has a social media account is a ‘critic’, because they — the true film critics, not the pretenders — are the only ones who can sift grain from chaff. Go look for one, is my advice. And then stick with them, because they can be your constant companions, whether or not you agree with them.
What's your take on some young filmmakers saying theatres will die and digital is the future?
I don’t think theatres will ever die. There is nothing that replaces the big cinema community watching. And there are some films you can only enjoy if you see them on the big screen with the most advanced sound systems in the world. But I also do think that the increase in digital penetration will add another layer. A certain kind of film can do as well on a smaller platform, so yes, I think we will see more and more films made just for the web, which may actually turn the conventional distribution models on their heads, which is a good thing.
Lastly, what was the most challenging aspect of writing this book?
To keep the number at 50!
50 Films That Changed Bollywood, 1995-2015, HarperCollins India is priced at Rs. 399.
