There is a lot of hype of late within the filmi para extolling the so-called new dawn of filmdom in the country. Noted celluloid aficionados plus talk show organisers bring in film stars asking them to elaborate on the revolution that is sweeping Dhaliwood. The stars, in their heavy make-up and the artificial tone, never fail to appreciate the gushing accolades though the question of blind copying from Indian movies is never raised.
It is as if, by default, we are resigned to the fact that local movies will borrow generously from Indian productions. Right, where is the revolution of a new dawn? It should be the uprising of the copy cats!
Taking from Hindi movies is an established culture here. Back in the 70’s, when local productions drew thousands to the cinema halls, copying was an approved method. The reason why those movies are never blasted was the attention given by the directors in making the films as perfect as possible. Anachronisms were either few or could be ignored as minor flaws and the biggest virtue of the movies was that the storylines maintained consistency, minimising the ridiculous.
So, where do we stand now? Unscrupulous pinching is done with marked zeal and reportedly, when a recent film was refused clearance from the censors for accusations of blatant copying from a Tamil flick, a phone call from a leading actor eased all restrictions.
If the current trend is taken into account, Bangladeshi films are besotted with the gangster phenomenon which was used widely by Bollywood in the last ten years or so. Along with the gun toting, goon controlling, lust-driven mafia boss we have the dialogues that the audience can guess even before they are delivered.
The bad guys of the past usually resided in underground warehouses with stacks of Dano milk cans, empty barrels and cigarette cartons.
Their hideouts have seen a facelift — Mafia dons now operate right from their plush homes. The hero is either the gangster or the law abiding police officer unwilling to move from his eternal ‘torch of ideal’.
In a recent film “Hero: The Superstar”, the protagonist, an assassin, is seen glorifying the indiscriminate killing of rivals. The bravado includes dressing up in white suits and smoking white filtered cigarettes while creating mass mayhem. Again, a format taken from others! With a flaming background, the hero walks with an unflappable attitude!
The other borrowed craze is the item number. This means, whether it’s needed or not, all of a sudden, we are taken into a hedonistic setting with haunting lights and seductive smoke where a girl (s) dances provocatively using an array of arousing words like “rosher haari” (cauldron of juice), “jouboner taap” (the heat of youth), “raater shikha” (flames of the night) and so on.
We are inching dangerously close to the level where a dancer compares herself to a tandoori chicken willing to be devoured (Main tandoori murgi Hoon Yaar Gatkaa le saiyyan alcohol se), with an apparent revolutionary of recent Bangla films singing Tor piriter aguney mon ta joley purey holo chicken tandoori in an attempt to woo his woman, in his most recent film.
If I remember correctly, a recent song went like noy octane, noy CNG, noy diesel babuji, 100 per cent petrol hole jolbo ami premer agune…
It’s a given that commercial films need a certain layer of razzmatazz to pull audience but instead of just following others why not create something new?
No matter what modern day directors, actors say, originality is lost. Sadly, no TV shows eulogising the much publicised new era of films, has the guts to touch this abominable trend.
News Source: The Daily Star