Sunday Snippets: Filmy Pradesh
By Venkatesh Raghavan
Our topic of discussion veered to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeking that Bollywood divas explore his home state as a film shooting destination. Our conversation went somewhat along these lines.
Amir: I feel a cattle-loving hermit turned chief minister engaging with Bollywood Divas is a bit too odd. What’s your take on this?
Me: Far from that, I feel, as an animal lover he will be comfortable handing out mules to film shooters for assisting them in all manual tasks.
Amir: His pitch for investment is that Uttar Pradesh has become safe for investors and mafia elements have been put in place.
Me: I feel his pitch to the film fraternity is actually a hidden agenda to lure investors into picking his state as a favourable destination.
Amir: What do you mean by hidden agenda? Why on earth should film shooting make any difference to other investors on the beeline?
Me: Just eliminating gangsters is not going to work when mafia elements are deep-rooted in the state. What Yogi seems to be calculating is if he can offer all these real-life gangsters roles in gangster-type movies in his home state, there will definitely be a voluntary shift of its economy in the right direction. Additionally, the filmmakers will get affordable pricing for their star cast with real-life gangsters pitching into their action films. I see it as a win-win situation for both sides.
Amir: Don’t you think it might backfire? May the youth not take to crime after getting fascinated by such action thrillers?
Me: The impact of any movie Amir, depends on the theme it adapts to suit the storyline. If the filmmakers choose a suitable theme, there won’t be much of a problem.
Amir: I am not clear about what you are hinting at. I think you need to clarify.
Me: Take for instance the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet. Its theme was true love defies death. Our Bollywood blockbuster Sholay too used the same theme. The most suitable theme for action films should be “Crime never pays.” The Bollywood movie that easily comes to mind is Sriram Raghavan’s Johnny Gaddar.
Amir: You are suggesting that all films copy the same storyline?
Me: Far from that, I prefer that these films reinforce the same theme with different compositions. For example, you might know that Rajesh Khanna- Amitabh ‘starrer’ Anand had the same theme that was put to use in Shah Rukh Khan- Saif Ali Khan ‘starrer’ Kal Ho Na Ho. However, the handling and flow of events were totally different in both.
Amir: Just curious to know, what would be your favourite theme were you to make a film?
Me: “Can’t buy me love” of the Beatles fame. Cheers.
