Na Na To Bollywood Nanos
Tata gave us a common man’s dream car Nano..Bollywood too, of late, has been producing its own Nanos ( movies with the budget between 2-3 crores)..Not only the Nanos but Nannies ( movies with the budget between 4-6 crores) and Nanas ( movies with the budget of ten crores plus) also ..(These categories are home-grown and product of this finicky mind of mine).. But Nanos seems to be the flavor in these rocky times..
In present era either it is high risk-high returns model that comprises of films with topnotch stars or low risk-high returns model that comprises of films with terrific stories that are being favored by production houses and studios.. The reasoning given is that the audience tastes have changed..It has matured and become more discerning..With global exposure it has become more demanding too..Hence it is open to more and more out-of-the box stories and scripts..
But more than the emergence of such an audience it is the revenue model that has undergone a multi-stream change..Today its not only the Ganges alone but many tributaries and rivulets that are flowing into the Ganges that are eventually making it Gangasagar..Hence the focus on producing small budget-low risk-high-return films ( so called Nanos) and then marketing them to tap all its revenue streams..
So its not only the theatrical release and domestic box-office receipts but the overseas,satellite and home video rights that can add to the coffers..And all this has been made possible by mushrooming multiplexes and consequent multiple shows, carpet bombing with hundreds of prints to garner the maximum eyeballs on the opening day and the full first weekend..
Moreover with stars becoming inaccessible and twinkling up above the world so high, Bollywood has no choice but to change its product mix..Hence its leanings towards producing its own version of Nanos..And the mood seems to be upbeat..
So all is very hunky-dory..There is pot of gold at the end of the rainbow..There are roses in December..And talk of changing face of Indian cinema..But is it the reality?
Consider the Nanos released in last three months (from July to September—a kind of quarterly results so dearly loved by the Corporates)..Few of them got critical appreciation but no audience attendance..Recent duds at the box-office have been Hulla, Saas, Bahu aur Sensex, Rafoo Chakkar, Hari Puttar-A Comedy of Terrors,Tahaan Ru Ba Ru..
One could argue that it is not only the Nanos but most of the Nannies also that have tanked..The Last Lear,Hijack, Mumbai Meri Jaan, Maan Gaye Mughl –e-Azam, Ugli Aur Pagli all went downhill..
And about Nanas ( remember the ten crore plus star,studs and starry-eyed big bonanzas!) the less said the better..In past three months audience has said big Na Na to Mission Istanbul, Money Hai To Honey Hai, Mukhbir, KKCompany, Chamku..They have been virtual duds..God Tusi Great Ho brought no cheers.. Kismet Konnection and Bachna Ae Haseeno provided some smiles..Rock On broadened it a wee bit..But only one Nana went laughing to the bank and has proved a stud among stars is the sardar in Sing Is Kinng..
Though Nanas rate of success is dismal there have been few Nannies that have done decent runs on the box-office highway : Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na,1920,A Wednesday, Welcome To Sajjanpur.. But is it enough?
And what about Nanos? That seem to have almost zero success rate except Phoonk ( though it is touted in Nannies category, I consider it a Nano with no star cast and limited locations i think it wont have cost more than 3 crores to make it) ..When these much touted Nanos also don’t do well one is compelled to ask some pricky questions.. Where lies the fault? Is it lack of proper marketing with its attendant jargon of positioning, differentiation and distribution that is to be blamed? Or is it the poor content that is the culprit? Or is it that the whole business model is going the present day Wall Street way ? Can these Nanos fetch excellent price for their satellite and home video rights without proving their mettle at the box office first? Are Stars the ultimate solution? What about guerilla film-makers or directors who don’t have stars, or find them inaccessible but have good stories to tell and experiment with genres? Or is the so called good not good enough?..How to sustain this Nano revolution ( assuming it is here to stay)? Is there any future in these Nanos that somehow manage funds to make a movie but find not enough funds to market it? Or a different kind of marketing is required for these Nanos?..
As I leave you with these questions for which I find myself challenged for answers, how about Anurag Kashayap’s Paanch..If Khosla Ka Ghosla (original) and Bheja Fry ( good copy of an original) followed the trail, Paanch ( original and bold and brazen) is one of the few true blue Nanos that was much ahead of its time and unfortunately ‘Singured’ unceremoniously!
Tatas Nano met its Singur ( or Waterloo)..Are these Bollywood Nanos also going to be ‘Singured’ some day?
Questions galore.. that require comprehensive answers..Or are there no clear-cut answers in this highly speculative industry?
Maybe it is rightly saide Paanchon Ungliyan baraabar nahin hoti ( All five fingers are not equal or something like that)!
Tags: 1920, A Wednesday, Paanch, Phoonk, Singh IS Kinng, welcome to sajjanpur
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
quote -It has matured and become more discerning – unquote
.
i wouldn’t agree to that
i am not going to insult my forefathers
quote -With global exposure it has become more demanding too..Hence it is open to more and more out-of-the box stories and scripts.. – unquote
.
how many of them have global experience
.
i think finger of one hand will be enough to count them
or do you think i will need both of my hands !
.
could i be counted in
i have seen quite a little
.
still
when i enter in cinema hall
i want pure unadulterated bollywood
.
i don’t care if the story and script is from in the box or out of the box
it should be entertaining
Krysh,
I dont agree.. The films can be called Nano only if Audience have to pay Rs. 25, 30, 40 to watch these films (in ratio to the budget).. If Hulla/KKG would cost me Rs. 200 per ticket as much as a Drona or SiK, how does it affect the end user..
vishrant,
by saying that Indian audience have become more mature and discerning , we are in no way insulting our forefathers.
We are just saying that there has been a change in mentality and thinking which is bound to happen with every generation.As a result, the current audience are willing to watch something that is out of the box.It means they are willing to watch movies on subjects that the previous generations found unacceptable. Please try and use your brain before you post anything.
Secondly, you may be among the people who go the a cinema hall only to be entertained. But there are plenty of us out here who want to watch meaningful, intelligent, out of the box cinema. Entertainment does not happen to be our soul criteria for watching a film.
Pavan Jha,
I fully agree with you. Shelling out 200 bucks a ticket for any movie, irrespective of its budget is unacceptable to me.
quote – But there are plenty of us out here who want to watch meaningful, intelligent, out of the box cinema – unquote
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search for meaningful and intelligent
.
america’s search for meaningful and intelligent in there cinema is justified
because they are just near about 350 years old
america has no philosophy
all the western philosophy is of europe
.
when an average american youth try to search for something intelligent
he gets up to the hollywood, there is not much beyond it
.
per agar bharat ka naujawan kuch ‘meaningful’ aur ‘intelligent’ ki khoj cinema main karne lage to hairaani hogi hi
.
gita press se chhapi ‘ishavasya upanishad’, 3 rupaye main milati hai
.
yaa phir
bharat ke naujawan ka bauddhik star itna neeche hai ki ab woh sirf cinema main hi meaning doond sakta hai
.
kya durdasha hai
.
baat nikali to har ik baat pe, rona aaya
.
Americans adore me and will go on adoring me until I say something nice about them. – George Bernard Shaw
Vishrant…why do those comparisons have to be with americans always? I don’t think anyone ever mentioned america while talking about entertainment and intelligent cinema.
And I don’t even think Raunak meant that films are his only source of meaningful media. That again was assumed by you.
Ho ho…vishrant beta, aage se mera post theek se padho aur fir comment karo.
I said I wanna watch meaningful, intelligent, out of the box CINEMA.
That does NOT mean that I’m looking for something meaningful and intelligent, ONLY in cinema.
Logic ki baat hai.
Cinema tere liye sirf entertainment ki cheese rahegi. Mereliye nahi.
Nobody is stopping you from watching entertaining cinema. But I’ve personally found most of the mainstream, big budget movies coming out from bollywood recently to be nothing short of garbage.So i hardly watch them.
And unlike you, I don’t want ONLY entertainment when I go to a cinema hall. I wanna watch meaningful, intelligent and realistic cinema.
You may think its silly to find intelligence in cinema.
I don’t!! I think it’s a great medium just like books, TV and the Internet.
Soch samaz ke, poori baat padh ke, fir apni bakwas kiya karo.
narcissist
comparison with america
because that’s where our moonstruck pfcians look at
.
raunak
.
clear your statement of what you mean by intelligent cinema
with some examples
.
for me
bhatt camp is the most daring production house working in india today
.
tell me the other one who have the guts to make a film on ‘extramarital affair’
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or a film with a bookie as a hero
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here is my top 10
passage to buddha
bad guy
spring summer fall winter ..and spring
3 iron
peaceful warrior
the last temptation of christ
kundan
visitor Q
roshomon
sing is king
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awaiting your definition of intelligent cinema
vishrant,
My definition of intelligent cinema is firstly a film that doesnt insult my intelligence, like a Race,Sing is King, Dhoom to name a few.
Secondly, a film that provokes me to think, makes me reflect on my views and opinions is intelligent cinema.
It is something that is innovative and that does not just present an old wine in a new bottle.
It is something that i can relate to and keeps me engaged throughout its duration. I can easily give a hundred examples both from bollywood and hollywood.
Some examples include Shawshank Redemption, Memento, Parzania, Black Friday, Bheja Fry, Khosla Ka Ghosla,TZP, MMJ,Satya,Viva Cuba, A Wednesday,Water,One flew over the cuckoo’s nest, Psycho, Fightclub,15 Park Avenue, City of God(brazilian) …just to name a few.
And you think making a film on an ‘extramarital affair’ or a Bookie is gutsy? How about a movie like Black Friday where the main bomber of the 1993 bomb blast is one of the lead characters.Also, he is not portrayed as a fanatic maniac, but his human side is also shown to the audience.Wasnt that gutsy?
And what about Rajat Kapoor’s Mixed Doubles which dealt with the subject of ‘wife-swapping’? That for me was”gutsy” !!
Also as far as Jannat is concerned, i agree that having a bookie as the lead was defiantly innovative. However, i happen to personally know a couple of bookies myself. I have also been introduced to some others. Let me inform you that Emraam Hashmi’s portrayal of a bookie in the film is extremely unrealistic. Its in situations like these that i feel my intelligence is being insulted!!
i love america
.
the last word of George Gurjieff was ‘bravo america’
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there are two kind of souls
one that has the potential to grow
and one that has no potential to grow
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sprituality is for dare devils
sprituality is a journey to the unknown
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america is the land of dare devils
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that’s why masters were going to america
george gurdjieff, swami vivekanand, paramhans yoganand, d t suzuki, shunruyu suzuki
.
and
american mind is still being made up
it is not much old
compare to indian mind
which is at least ten thousand years old
and it is almost next to impossible to teach is something new
.
what i am against is the comparison between hollywood and bollywood
and that too through hollywood goggle
.
cinema is not as much a universal medium as books
bollywood is bollywood
and bollywood is not inferior to any cinema in the world
.
you can not make an americn beauty here
it would be like planting a Siberian tree in rajsthan desert
.
growth of bollywood has to come from with in
not in comparison to hollywood
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one more thing is that people moonstruck by hollywood think
that cinema in indian society could be as important as it is in america
but they forget one thing
america has no baba ramdev
no matter where bollywood goes it is not going to surpass spirituality and politics
hollywood developed its cinema without any benchmark
.
why do bollywood needs a benchmark?
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i am not talking about technology
i am talking about story telling
.
this blind and somewhat stupid adulation
leads to many follies
.
people who know nothing of indian cinema
can consider themselves being aware of cinema as such
because they has seen the godfather
.
they don’t know about pyasa
but has seen memento
(which is utter crap)
and feel important enough to curse bollywood
.
ghar ke pichwaade ki khabar nahien
duniya jahan ki baatien kar rahe hain
.
this kind of talk doesn’t go in vain
slowly people start beliving in them
general conception here is that bollywood produces crap
no body cares that hollywood too produces more than its fare share of crap
.
at least i don’t prefer someone from bollywood as a role model who is lacking the confidence to experiment with the medium and doing the copy pasting job in the disguise of intelligent cinema
.
asutosh gowarikar, karn johar, nagesh kukunoor, are better
they experiment with the material available
not conveniently import it