Is the current splurge of political films a result of elections?

 

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align="right"/> 2014 will see a wide variety of political films releasing around the next few Is the current splurge of political films a result of elections?

 

months owing to the upcoming elections. This week will see the clash of two films with political

 

backdrop which includes Youngistaan and O Teri. While Youngistaan talks

 

about a young Prime Minister coming to power, O Teri focuses on the recent CWG scam and

 

soon joining the league will be Bhoothnath Returns where a ghost contests elections

 

against an evil and greedy politician. Many may shrug this off as a mere a co-incidence but we

 

at Bollywood Hungama spoke to filmmakers and a prominent trade analyst for understanding

 

these films, their relevance to elections and politics and change in the approach towards the

 

subject.

 

Though this year will see a splurge of political films, this trend of political cinema has not

 

emerged as a contemporary phenomena but it has been a part of this industry since always. Trade

 

analyst Taran Adarsh says, "If you notice there has been this trend since old days with films

 

like Aandhi (Suchitra Sen-Sanjeev Kumar). Prakash Jha too has made a couple of films like

 

Raajneeti and Satyagraha."

 

While there is no denying that politics has been explored well in Bollywood, what leaves all of

 

us a little surprised is the fact that some commercial filmmakers like Atul Agnihotri have

 

switched to films with a social message. So why this sudden interest in politics? "O Teri

 

is very relevant to today's time but it satirically represents the situation. It wasn't

 

intentional that film's release date is set around elections. It's just about the issues that

 

the country is facing currently but it will definitely give you food for thought this coming

 

elections," says Atul.

 

Another reason is that Bollywood writers require inspiration and reality is the fodder for their

 

films. Voicing it out aloud, film critic Taran says, "A particular episode or a newspaper

 

headline can excite a filmmaker like MMS scandals or Arushi Talwar case and when he believes

 

that there is an audience for it, he goes ahead with the film."

 

Maintaining the fact that films are a reflection of the society and that everyone is longing for

 

a change, Atul not only agrees with it but also believes that talking about the contemporary

 

issues in the country is of utmost importance. "We do realize that we need change, we need a

 

thought that will define our country and future of the people. And moreover, filmmakers often

 

draw inspiration from the times they live in."

 

 

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align="right"/> Elections being the focus in the upcoming months, Bhoothnath Returns

 

plans to cash in on the topic as it talks about a ghost contesting in elections. "It is related

 

to elections completely. People will like the concept not only because of its uniqueness but

 

also because of the fact that it portrays the kind of campaigns that happens during elections.

 

So the film is surely to benefit with the current scenario," says Ajay Kapoor, the CEO of

 

T-Series.

 

So are films proving to be an eye-opener during elections? Producer Vashu Bhagnani thinks that

 

films may help audience in choosing their right leader. Referring to the topic his film deals

 

with, Vashu says, "When we talk about Youngistaan, the youngest Prime Minister of the

 

country, it is actually what people want. Agar aadmi 70 years ka bhi ho toh bhi uski soch

 

young honi chahiye! In India, we have a lot of youth population. I am 53 and my son is 28. I

 

have to look at the world from his point of view, only then I can run my house. Exactly the same

 

way, a Prime Minister should think what a party worker wants," says Mr.Bhagnani.

 

But what we see is a shift from the intense political dramas to satirical, quirky and romantic

 

films with political backdrop. Producer Atul thinks adding that entertaining element is

 

beneficial. "Nobody has approached this topic of politics in this way. O Teri is a

 

satire. People are making intense films but we prefer to entertain people." Agreeing with the

 

changing trends in cinema, Taran adds, "You have to sugarcoat the film. Thoda toh gaana

 

daalna padega. Because the story has to connect with the audience... it is required for a

 

layman. No one likes to be preached."

 

At the same time, a sudden trend of similar genre films often creates saturation! With constant

 

campaigns from potential leaders and Bollywood participating actively in Lok Sabha elections and

 

at the same time, films talking about scams and elections releasing, often, there is a tendency

 

to get saturated with the topic. However, disagreeing with this one is trade analyst Taran

 

Adarsh who believes content is the king. "A good film will always find an audience irrespective

 

of its genre, irrespective of competition or comparisons."

 

After the analysis of these political dramas and satires, we do realize that reality is the true

 

script behind Bollywood but at the same time what will draw you to the theatres is the unique

 

way in which it is presented. But at the end of the day, box-office decides the fate of every

 

film. If we look into the past, some films like Raajneeti have ruled the roost in terms

 

of critical and mass appreciation. What needs to be seen is if O Teri, Youngistaan and

 

Bhoothnath Returns are able to achieve those expectations or will they fall flat amidst

 

intense political dramas that have earned success?

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