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Progression in hindi cinema is a lot like the race track in TRP: Filmmakers think their moving in the right direction, going full speed, but the farther they go in the name of progression, the faster they end up going back to cliche’d and regressive filmmaking.

A few disclaimers:

1) I do enjoy escapist cinema, as long as its good. From the YRF camp I’ve liked films like Shaad Ali’s Saathiya and B&B, Veer Zaara, Dhoom, Hum Tum and Siddharth Raj Anand’s Salaam Namaste. If you view these as candyfloss entertainment and don’t indulge too much in cinematic analysis, these films were quite entertaining.

2) This isn’t intented to be a review of Tara Rara Rum Pum Pum (I can NEVER get than name right!) as much as using TRP to reflect upaon regressive filmmaking.

3) I’m pissed off.

Ok, so I watched TRP. Yes, I admit that I ignored the warnings. I had to view/judge it for myself.

I’ve already expressed my disapointment, but because I’m pissed I got a few more things to say:

There was just no innovation in the writing, despite having a good premise to work with. It’s all either incredibly cliched (Saif fallin on Rani in their first meeting, then coincidence after convenient coincidence in them meeting) or completely rehashed from other films.

Ok fine, we can accept that one would be inspired by a great film as “Life is Beautiful”. It was a wonderful concept, and if brought into a different context and handled well it could make for good Indian cinema. But it didn’t because it was done in a very very cheezy manner!

I mean, how are these kids (of a TV/Internet generation) to believe they’re on a reality TV show when there are NO FUCKING CAMERAS AROUND? And how is the audience supposed to buy into it when ITS NOWHERE CLOSE TO REALITY??

I couldn’t imagine the reaction of middleclass Indians living in Queens watching how pathetic their lives are depicted. Do taxi drivers not earn enough to feed their wife and kid?? Before you answer that, my FATHER is a taxi driver and he’s afforded his children plenty more than the basics of life. Maybe thats why I’m SO PISSED!

Which brings me to direction. How childesh could it get? First off, the story (with flashbacks) is being narrated by like a 6-7 year old girl, who seems to know details of conversations from before she was born.

Then there’s shit like Saif’s dramatic crash scene… in the smack middle of which we see a toy car flip over. WTF was that? I burst out laughing at how insipid that sequence was made to be. I mean, why would you need to see a toy car flip over WHILE YOUR WATCHING THE ACTUAL CAR FLIP???? Its not even symbolism or metaphoric. Its RETARTED!!

And the sequence where Saif returns to racing… the flashbacks of the accident… he’s somehow in shock and removes his foot from the accelorator (indicating he’s frozen and unable to drive) and yet he manages to drive just fine and cross the finish line accident free (albeit in last place).

PS - I hate it when the filmmaker underestimates the audience so much they feel the need to SPELL SHIT OUT FOR YOU! Like the flashbacks while driving… I mean, don’t you think it would have been far more effective just to see Saif freeze up while driving (sans flashbacks) and the audience to relate it back to his accident??

Ok… so I’ll stop myself there, as I had said this would not be a review of TRP…

Fine, most won’t call Salaam Namaste great cinema, but it was still a good movie. It had its innovations, its entertaining moments. It wasn’t preachy. And it wasn’t nearly as blatant in its attempt at emotional manipulation.

You see it far too often. Gadhvi follows up Dhoom with Dhoom 2. Kohli goes from Hum Tum to Fanaa. And now Siddharth Anand does it too. Follows up a refreshing, good film that shows some promise with hackneyed, cliche’d crap. Looks like Shaad Ali’s next in line…

Whether its a film with a good story that’s handled in the most bullshit manner or a filmmaker who fails to deliver what he/she seemingly is capable of, there’s nothing worse than wasted potential.

Well, maybe one things worse:

Regression where you expect progression