He's not wrong, but that doesn't mean he has an entirely valid point.
Commercial, massy cinema can coexist with pure, offbeat cinema. In India, there's this weird trend where Ayushmann's social comedies are considered part of the latter. That's not true. His movies are as commercial as a Rowdy Rathod. It's simply an issue about genres and reach of the star/makers.
We have ample space for a Dabbang and a Tumbbad to coexist. People who seek entertainment will watch Dabbang. That's the majority. People who want to be stimulated by great cinema will watch Tumbbad. For me, Tumbbad is arguably the best film of last decade. I also believe that Dabbang is one of the greatest masala movies of all time.
Somehow, these actors who don't see much box office success always complain about these 100 crore clubs. It doesn't always have to be that way.
Notebook, for me, was amongst the best movies of last year. It was a disaster and was ignored by major critics. I'd have been happier if it ended up doing 100 crores at the box office. It didn't happen. It also didn't change my perception of the movie.
Fans celebrate the success of their favorites because that is the whole concept of fandom. If the fans were indifferent, there would be no such thing as fandom. Cinema would cease to exist as a mass institution and would become a niche topic like philosophy.
This fandom aides smaller films too. In any healthy industry, there is balance between commercial products and niche products. I'm pretty sure Fogg sells more than Versace.
Masses have and will always dictate cinema. Why do popcorn romantic books sell more than deep philosophical books?
It's entertainment and attachment. Attachment to films/stars/genres, entertainment derived from those films/stars/genres.
You can't dictate what fans need to do, how they need to act, what they need to watch. You can't blame audiences. It's their time and money. It's because of them people are getting work. Without the masses, film industry would die an excruciating death.
That's how it is.
So, stop blaming audiences. Stop judging fans. Just do your work. You're getting paid for it. Please spare us with the moral high ground.
comment:
p_commentcount