Bollywood finally embraces reality cinema

After playing it safe for years, Bollywood is finally opening up and promoting sensitive films on communal violence and social or political issues. One can say that it is finally coming of age and embracing reality cinema in a big way!

Deepa Mehta's "Water", which has been nominated for the Oscars, and Anurag Kashyap's "Black Friday" are important cases in point.

While Indo-Canadian filmmaker Mehta came all the way to Delhi and Mumbai last week to promote her film, based on the plight of widows in pre-independence India, Kashyap's film is being promoted by Adlabs, one of the leading Indian production and distribution houses.

Filmmaker Ravi Chopra has decided to release "Water" across India and said he believes in only "promoting good films". Chopra stressed that one shouldn't undermine the intelligence of the audience.

"We are releasing it because of the audience, who like reality based films. Ultimately, a production company makes a film which the audiences would like," Chopra told IANS.

He is unfazed by threats of right wing Hindu groups. Though the film will kindle the controversy again, Chopra feels it will eventually subside after people see the film and are taken in by its beauty.

Mehta was forced to shelve shooting of the film in Varanasi in 1999 after Hindu groups objected to the film's subject, torched the sets and burnt her effigies. She later shot the film in Sri Lanka.

"It's a beautiful romantic film and we always want to back good films... we try to make good films ourselves. Having said that, I add that one can't control anything. But I have a lot of faith in the people and I am sure they will understand," Chopra said.

Adlabs recently presented Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed film "Black Friday" that analyses the events leading up to 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts and the investigation thereafter.

The movie, which was to be released in 2004, was given a red signal by the Mumbai High Court. The court's decision came after a petition was filed saying that "Black Friday" might make the public biased against the accused and hence the outcome of the verdict, which was pending at the time.

With the final verdict on the Mumbai blasts out in late 2006, the film saw the light of day Feb 9.

"'Black Friday' is a bold and brave story that is waiting to be told to the Indian public and we are very happy to have facilitated its release on the scale and the platform that it truly deserves," said Sunir Kheterpal, COO of Film Distribution Adlabs Films Ltd.

This turn-about by the distributors is bound to bring a radical change - it will articulate the release-related problems faced by filmmakers and make it easier for them to fearlessly tell their stories.

Director Rahul Dholakia is the toughest of the lot. He is not the one to shy away from what he sees as a just fight. He went ahead and made "Parzania" on the Gujarat communal riots of 2002 despite knowing very well the problems he was likely to run into.

Based on a true story, the film couldn't find any distributor so the director launched his own company and released the film himself. Starring Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika, the film is based on Dholakia's friend Dara Modi who lost his son during the riots.

When released, it was received well all over India except Gujarat - the rightwing activists had their way in the state and didn't allow multiplex owners to screen it. Modi was crestfallen because the film was his last hope to find his lost son.

Undaunted by the threats, Dholakia is still fighting for its release in Gujarat.

"Films should expand their boundaries by becoming more responsible towards the society rather than being a mere source of entertainment. They should bring forth the reality through their craftsmanship," said a critic.

Creative filmmakers like Kashyap and Dholakia are showing courage by venturing into so-far un-treaded areas. They are striving to be different from their predecessors in terms of creative thinking.

"The filmmakers are doing their job and now it's the moviegoers turn to fulfil their responsibility by buying tickets and watching their films because it will encourage these filmmakers to make more such films," the critic added.