A chronological point of view on the direction of Bollywood and how it shaped society decade by decade
By Liza Bhansali
I am here to present a viewer’s chronological point of view on the direction of Bollywood and how it shapes the society. Whether film has been, is, and will be an accurate reflection of society is undermining the power of cinema.
Cinema in the 1950’s highlighted patriotism and indicated the need for social reforms. On one hand, we have the good ones like Mother India, Do Beegha Zameen, and Awaara. On the other hand, there was Kaagaz Ke Phool testing troubled waters. We saw the introduction of item numbers (e.g. Babuji dheere chalna in Aar Paar – 1954).
Cinema in the 60’s (Indian wave, romance and action) – There was Upkar (1967) but we also saw films such as Aankhen, Hamraaz, and Teesri Manzil that just revolved around murder mysteries and romance. The game changer, however, was An Evening in Paris (1967) featuring Sharmila Tagore in a swimsuit.
The 70’s began with the memorable Purab Aur Paschim and ended with an extremely forgettable Qurbani in which admiring opulence, gangsters and violence was normalized. On one hand, we had classics like Garam Hawa on the subject of the Indo-Pak partition. While on the other hand, Bobby was busy making shedding clothes acceptable and desirable. Game-changing films included Sholay and Deewar. These films had violence and had lead actress Hema Malini doing item numbers (which previously had been a vamp’s domain only).
The 80’s saw a new low. Starting with Insaaf Ka Tarazu. Incidentally, it was made by the maker of the unforgettable Naya Daur. The 80’s saw a rise in violence and a steep decline in values. However, we had some good films such as Akrosh, Kranti, Chakra, and Ardha Satya. But the audiences were, at the same time, applauding Insaaf Ka Tarazu in 1980. This type of response from the audience almost suggests full ownership of the provider over the bodies of the weak. The lead actress became bolder. Rape arrived on screen with Insaaf Ka Tarazu. One person attending this talk was in a state of utter shock as the crowd cheered the rape scene just before the intermission. By the 80’s the mob was already devoid of the mental faculties to know right from wrong. Among those films that raised the raunchiness bar was Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985) in which Mandakini is seen bathing in a waterfall wearing a translucent saree. This set the trend of showing actresses in showers and in water bodies while wearing minimal clothing. Within a decade there mushroomed a bunch of rain dance clubs as places where the new generation parties and hangs out. That is the power of cinema!
Moving on. Through characters like Kanhaiya Lal – the Hindus were shown as wicked, money launderers, cruel, perverts, and fools since the early 40’s. Hollywood films like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) also did a great disservice to Hindus by depicting them as evil, human-sacrificing and monkey-brain eating psychopaths.
Hindu traditions, ethos, value system and icons are constantly denigrated throughout. Making a caricature out of religious personalities and icons – showing them with antenna-like chotis (Ponga Pandit released in 1975). Villainous characters are portrayed as Pandits who are often greedy, perverted and manipulative men with loose morals like the character played by Mithun Chakraborty in Kalpana Lazmi’s Chingari. If not this, then they are old, useless morons. Hindus as a race, are often shown in poor light. Their traditions and Gods are mocked in such derogatory ways.
Hindu leaders and priests are always portrayed as villians in Bollywood movies
Then there are films like PK, which hit the nail on the coffin. All this while somewhere in every few films, we would see polite, harmless, and helpful AK Hangal as Rahim Chacha of Sholay playing a victimized Imam Sahab. This consistently softened the Hindu society to perceive their Muslim neighbors as not only harmless but also vulnerable. Their icons are never shown with their true caps on!
The 90’s redefined sensuality and began pelvic thrusts in dance moves of lead actors and actresses. The game changer was the Anil Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit song, Dhak-Dhak Karne Laga, from the film Beta (1992). The good films of this era like Santosh Sivan’s Halo, Satya, Virasat, and J.P. Dutta’s Border were unfortunately accompanied by expressions of art like Kamasutra. These racy flicks retested the audience to push the ‘acceptable’ bar further down.
Cinema in the 2000’s was sexually explicit and vulgar with films like LSD: Love Sex Aur Dhokha, Garam Masala, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, and Yaadein. They erased all boundaries. However, good films of the decade included Gadar, Lagaan, and Udaan.
Up to the 1970s, Bollywood often relied on the figure of the “vamp”, usually a cabaret dancer, or a tawaif (prostitute or a courtesan) or a male gangster’s moll, to provide sexually explicit or demeaning musical entertainment. While the heroine too did sing and dance, it was the vamp who wore more revealing clothes, smoked, drank and sang in bold terms of sex. She was portrayed not as being wicked but as immodest, and her dance performances were sexualized by male producers. The trend was started by Cuckoo in films like Awaara (1951), Aan (1952) and Shabistan (1951).
But from the 80’s to current times (right from lyrics of Yo Yo Honey Singh to the suggestive choreography to explain the double meaning songs), cinema is a newly wedded couple’s bedroom without walls. Severe denigration of Hindus and their traditions/value system combined with the simultaneous push of Arabic/Islamic words, romanticism of Islam and promotion of Sufism, all play a significant role in the rise in numbers of victims of Love Jihad and forced conversion. Communal discord is at an all-time high. Equilibrium is on the brink of disruption. Is this just a co-incidence? May be it is convenient to think so.
The systematic destruction of Hindu values, the advancement and promotion of Muslim practices in films, and wholesale objectification of women in film have all led to a severe downward spiral in society. Rape, abuse, Love Jihad, and hyper-sexualization have become the norm. I urge you to look as some statistics and cases revolving around Love Jihad below.
You should also reflect on who are Bollywood’s leading men. Why is it that they could only find Hindu women to marry? How is it affecting the gullible young women? Data from one state of Bharat says it all.
Love Jihad data from the state of Kerala
From ‘wow’ movies like Kahani and Bhaag Mikha Bhaag, we had to bear with PK, Singham Returns – taunting and teasing us in our faces! Along with a never ending list of films redefining vulgarity like Grand Masti, and The Dirty Picture.
Ram Gopal Varma’s film Sridevi showing a teenage boy infatuated with a lady. Ok, I accept it is not abnormal or rare but does it need to be glamorized to make it look like a new fad?
Objectification of women and nudity in mindless copying of the West:
The advent of item numbers and explicit sexuality in lyrics have had a detrimental effect on society. We have been persistent in objectifying women, projecting them as sex objects that each man is entitled to. I ask you all, then why are we shocked at acid attacks or brutal rape, and murders?
Young, so-called modern parents take pride in their girls dancing like these celebrities. It is common to witness such parents who after getting friendly with you in the first couple of hours to ask their 9-year olds: “beta, uncle ko Chikni Chameli kar ke dikhao”. I was stunned when I overheard that mother. I was wondering where society is heading to. Who is to be blamed if tomorrow this little girl is raped or her early curiosity, caused by overt exposure to adult content, leads her to foray an unprepared sexual exploration? I came home and sat on YouTube and found it to be full of videos of teenage girls trying to be ‘sexy’ – their mannerisms have clearly changed.
The parents don’t realize what they are putting their children through. What future are they preparing them for? As grownups, is it not our responsibility to protect the innocence of children? I would like to ask, am I the only one here who feels such larger-than-life sized posters outside cinema halls cause embarrassment as we pass by them with kids, parents or even friends from the opposite sex?
Another one is a deodorant advertisement that overtly tells boys to have wild sex with their female friends just to affirm their claim on manhood. Really! What trash! Here is a chart presenting the impact of cinema on society as a whole.
It is rather evident that Bharat’s crime rates coincide with the trends in the entertainment media industry. It deeply saddens me to inform you that in our blind copying of the West, we are seeing a growing number of rapes and murders. Such news no longer shocks us. Post-Nirbhaya, there have been many more rapes but not even 10% had candlelight vigils or social media outrage. Why? Just because, there are too many such incidences for us to react to? So, we stay silent and get desensitized. I suppose we need and even more outrageous case to make us react.
Love Jihad outside of India- Cases filed in the UK against Sikh and Hindu girls
Anti-nationalism:
Throughout the years, society has changed and evolved – some may argue it has regressed. What was once an exception has now become the norm. Cinema seemed to span its wings to an independent, patriotic, and proud nation free from stigmas, to uphold the value system that formed the spine of the country. But sadly, Cinema has disappointed many as it brought us vulgarity, the infamous pelvic thrust, vilification and objectification of women. It has even helped to make anti-nationalism fashionable.
Vishal Bhardwaj’s 2014 film, Haider, is not even a great piece of art, but it received rave reviews and critical acclaim. For what reason? Should art portray our army (who traded their lives for ours) in bad light? Are we really respecting their sacrifices? Also, the 8th century Martand Temple is used as a prop from which emerges a devil. Can one even imagine a similar depiction replicated in Mecca or the Vatican? This film questioned the very basics or our origin.
Bhaarat being a young country has openly appreciated films as good works of art with social messages like:
Vivah by Sooraj Barjatya
Iruvar, The Terrorist, Halo by Santosh Sivan
Nagesh Kukonoor’s Dor
Priyadarshan’s Kanchivaram
Shankarbharnam by K. Vishwanathan
Kurukshetra 2008 Malayalam film by Major Ravi
Matrubhoomi: A nation without women
Fashion and Page 3 by Madhur Bhandarkar
Not just cinema, but timeless TV series like Byomkesh Bakshi and Chanakya gripped the audiences. Chanakya, in fact, spearheaded a revolution by bringing back age-old timeless teachings of the economist-politician Chanakya.
The shortest and often repeated are advertisements, hence they cannot be ignored. I have listed my choices of advertisements that make us smile below:
Prahlad Kakkar’s advertisements like Pepsi kites with Sachin and Amitabh are beautifully shot commercials even though I feel it’s morally wrong to celebrate unhealthy products or brands. But that is how economics works. If you don’t endorse a product, someone else will.
Britannia’s 25 years of happiness ad with kids running behind the truck: viewers ko bhi khushiyan baantata hai
The Hindu – Behave yourself, India. The youth are watching!
Havells Fans – Hawa Badlegi
Tanishq Jewelry – The double knot
A video or a film is not just a piece of art which enjoys freedom of expression, the influence it carries and the impression it makes on one’s mind, make it important for them to be socially responsible on ethical and moral grounds.
It’s actually more interesting than that. Taken away from the environment, the naked human body has no real attraction. It’s the wider context in which this is taking place that should be emphasized.
Indian women did not cover their upper halfs before the Muslim invasions in North, and the British in the south. These two hordes of barbarians brought with themselves a regressive mentality to the sub-continent… Now a closseted victorian society is in its teenage years. The soft-porn peddled by Bollywood will soon lose luster…
That said, the perversion that centuries of imposed victorian prudity entails is easily seen by searching for “????’… That much of glamour industry works on the existence of this artificial gradient tells you that the deeply Christian ethics of the West haven’t yet found a way to assimilate into ‘modernity’ – they probably don’t even think this is a question worth asking!
The Indian values you speak of are deeply admixed with victorian ones, and to save one above the other with little intellect (and our country desperately exports all it has) is plainly impossible.
Great article