Children who dream of pizza, women who multi-task and lovers who battle patriarchy and caste…2015 was a year of offbeat films that talked about ordinary people and addressed social concerns. A few struggled at the box office, while a few others sailed smoothly both in the art and commercial circuits. But, they conclusively proved that there is more to cinema than just superstars or heavy-budgets.
In Bollywood , while the Khans continued to make crores, films such as Piku and NH 10 won the hearts of the audience.
They explored gender dimensions, urban-rural divide and middle-class preoccupations. And, there were the indie attempts such as Masaan , Titli and Talvar that brought to fore the grim side of India. Talvar dealt boldly with the 2008 Aarushi murder. Masaan depicted two parallel love stories in rural India.
Titli beautifully subverted the concept of the Bollywood’s happy Indian family by introducing us to the family of Titli (protagonist), stripped of any humanity.
International attention
These three films made a mark in the international film festival circuits. Talvar was premiered in Toronto International Film Festival while Masaan and Titli were screened at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Neeraj Ghaywan, the debutante director of Masaan , is happy with the response the film. “The Cannes reference helped us in getting a wide exposure to an international crowd. It also created a huge buzz in the media which helped us in its commercial release in India. There is a global market for cinema from the third world. These countries are more politically active. That kind of a political upheaval makes for a great palate for any filmmaker.”
In Malayalam cinema, social media spread the good word about low budget films like Double Barrel , a spoof on gangster film genre. It was too experimental for the average Malayali, but garnered decent response among the youth on social media.
A few explored digital platforms to screen their films.
Ottal , directed by Jayaraj, which swept awards at IFFK, was released simultaneously online and in the theatres. Jayaraj said that he wanted to reach out to the global Malayali community.
Socially relevant themes
However, it was not a great year for a few parallel filmmakers. They failed to make an impact in the festival circuit either.
One such was Karie , directed by Naranipuzha Shanavas, says C.S Venkiteswaran, a film critic. “Unfortunately, even the film societies that used to give these films a platform have become extinct. There is no initiative from the State to encourage parallel film makers.”
Karie explored the caste dynamics in modern Kerala society. “One film critic said it was a loss for International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) that it did not screen my film. And in the commercial circles, films that do not have a star cast will be ignored by the producers and distributors,” says Shanavas.
But, he was surprised when Karie ran to packed houses across Kerala for 15 days. “The audience wants new visual experiences. But, we underestimate them,” he says. In Tamil cinema, films that were critically appreciated were also commercial successes.
A film like Kaaka Muttai won universal acclaim in the festival circuits and ran to full houses in the state. Says Sreedhar Pillai, film critic and entertainment industry tracker,
“It is not enough that your film has good content, it should also be supported by strong marketing muscles. Kaaka Muttai was also aggressively marketed by Fox Star Studios, their distribution house.
In Hong Kong, it earned one million HK dollars. We must use better marketing strategies and aim at broader markets outside Tamil Nadu.”
Shifting tastes
Similarly, Kuttram Kadithal which tackled a social issue like corporal punishments in schools won national award for the best Tamil feature film last year and was again a commercial success. Thanks to the name they garnered in the festival circuits, they did not have to spend much money on marketing, says Bramma G, the director. “We also sold the film to a website and got access to an overseas market. There were 1000 bookings for the film on the very first day!”
The taste of the Tamil audience has changed because of their exposure to world cinema, feels Bramma.
“They want something new apart from the clichés. There is more of fresh blood in the industry. Films such as Kaaka Muttai have inspired a new crop of young filmmakers to do sincere cinema. Also, it is good to see celebrities such as Dhanush from within the industry supporting these young filmmakers.”
Rise of multiplexes and presence of the social media is another determining factor, says Sreedhar. “Ninety per cent of the revenue comes from the multiplexes, which give more screen space to new content. And, thanks to social media, everyone is a film critic. The reviews are out almost immediately as the movie is screened. People can see through the unnecessary hype. A film need not be a success just because it has a star cast. If it has good content and is marketed well, people will accept it.”
The audience wants new visual experiences. But, we underestimate them
Naranipuzha Shanavas
