We Indians love our masala not only in our biriyani but also in our cinema. The beautiful melange is so deep rooted from our diverse cultures to the mode of entertainment. Are we the only ones who love it? After using the little masala in my head, I guessed not.
Masala is a genre of movie that some choose to enjoy openly, some secretly and many just don't get it. Unless you know what to expect out of these movies, you can never appreciate it. If Hollywood has got their Sci-Fi and supernatural movies, we've got masala . Watch these movies and you'll get the kind of satisfaction you get after you “Axe Your Ex” (Reality Show; Genre: Real life masala ). There are some side-effects though; prime one being the urge to hit the next guy you see, more often than not the guy collecting parking tickets.
Resurrection
The genre lost its charm in Bollywood after the reign of people like Dharmendra and also because of the Tinseltown influence with genres like Rom-com. But thanks to Salman Khan's “Dabaang”, the genre has marked its resurrection. On the other hand, in Kollywood, the genre grew from strength to strength with Superstar Rajinikanth in the throne. Off course, the blue-blooded crowd would call it bakwaas but we call it “mass”, meaning “for the masses”. It's a very hard formula to crack and a very few wizards like K.S Ravikumar, S.Shankar and Hari in South India have done it. It requires, among many things, precise timing, a charismatic hero, a compelling music director and not to forget an “item number”.
All our highest grossing movies are of the masala genre and Danny Boyle got his Oscar for the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” where he pursued this formula.
Mass movies with a tinge of class are to be cherished and not relinquished. For all you aristocrats out there, first learn to clap and whistle, for it is not a criminal offense and finally try to do both the next time you see Thalaivar Rajinikanth, Thala Ajith or Thalabathi Vijay's entry with slow-mo cams and dynamic music.
Ranjith is a III Year IT student at Crescent Engineering College
