No place breeds, nurtures and nourishes clichés like our movies do. Every movie industry, depending upon the audiences it has to cater to, conjures its own web of clichés. Telugu cinema, in particular, is notorious for its obliviousness to the expiry date of clichés, hanging on to patterns, that have been hashed and rehashed so many times it will put the midnight teleshopping ads to shame. Here, we take a look at some clichés that have firmly entrenched themselves that nothing short of Bombarda Maxima from Harry Potter’s wand could get rid of them!
Heroine’s introduction
The heroine is probably Telugu cinema’s greatest paradox. Her entry-scene shows her as an angel who has descended upon this planet. A few moments later, she is just left on her own, a second fiddle to the hero’s extraordinary story. Where we haven’t changed is the way heroines are introduced — the girl of everyone’s dreams with perfect makeup, perfect hair and the perfect dress.
Hero entry
Make way for the heroes Mahesh in ‘Pokiri’, Allu Arjun in a poster of ‘Race Gurram’ and Pawan Kalyan in ‘Attarintiki Daredi’
Remember Allu Arjun running along with horses in Race Gurram ? Or Mahesh Babu’s Deewaar -style fighting scene in Pokiri ? Or Pawan Kalyan’s Men-in-Black avatar to intimidate his opponent in Attarintiki Daaredi ? It doesn’t matter what the story of the movie is, one thing is for certain – hero entry should be over-the-top. Literally, over the top. It generally includes a chase or/and a fight. Depending on the mood of the movie-maker, that entry could extend from a minute to ten minutes.
Hero’s friends
Whoever said birds of same feather flock together has probably not watched too many of our movies. Ever noticed the friend circle maintained by our hero? Don’t think you would have. Generally, they are there to accentuate the greatness of the hero, nay super hero, while providing comic relief. The way those artists are chosen is also stereotypical. Remember Siddharth’s friends in Bommarillu ? Or NTR’s friends in Ramayya Vasthavayya ? Hero’s friends are a classic screenplay instrument – a stroke of genius – the shorter stick that makes the longer stick look longer than it actually is. In this case, they help the story in innumerable ways, most prominently, allowing our hero to voice ‘cool-cat opinions’ which they have no choice but to listen to and applaud!
You cannot be different
From Bujjigadu to Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde , the way gay characters portrayed in Telugu cinema is a tragedy. But, the sensitive subject is treated in the most insensitive manner possible, sometimes even disgustingly. In many a movie, you often find yourself wondering if the movie-maker really understands the difference between what constitutes trans-gender and what constitutes ‘gay’? Either way, it is almost baffling that Telugu filmmakers get away with absurd comedy at the expense of homosexuality, a practice that is too crass to be dubbed as ‘comic relief’. And none of the superstars ever protest against it, civilisation be damned. By the way, a homosexual is not someone dripping with hormones and always horny. Get it, people?
Interval bang
Whether it is a commercial blockbuster like Mirchi or a sophisticated psychological thriller like 1-Nenokkadine , one definite component of every movie is the interval bang. So common is the introduction of a twist at interval, that audiences expect it and are rarely surprised — the classic definition of a cliché. Understandable is the pressure under which story-writers and script-writers operate. But sometimes in the need for needless sensationalism, the story turns into a series of bumps, the interval bang being the biggest of them. Just before the interval, audiences are treated to a stunning fight scene cum punch dialogue, a revelation about the hero’s past or a sneak-peek into the future. One way or the other the bang will arrive. Mostly, it is predictable in its ridiculous attempt at unpredictability.
