Eyes still set on stylised action This ‘masala’ pot-boiler worked,
and how. Still,
not many were willing to take this risky route and though action movies were being made,
Read More">they were mostly slick and stylised with inspiration being drawn from the West. It was expected that ‘desi’ audience would also want to upgrade themselves and
Read MoreEyes still set on stylised action
This 'masala' pot-boiler worked, and how. Still, not many were willing to take this risky route and though action movies were being made, they were mostly slick and stylised with inspiration being drawn from the West. It was expected that 'desi' audience would also want to upgrade themselves and would lap up flying cars, high speed chases and some Matrix inspired stunts. Script be damned!
No wonder, it wasn't short of disaster as expect for a stray effort like Race (which thankfully did have good drama to boost the masala ingredients in the film), nothing much worked. The excuse made was an oft repeated one - 'Audience likes only comedies or love stories and this is the reason why Bollywood makes such films week after week.'
There was no one to hear 'junta ki awaaz' though which was pining to see something that could bring back the memories from the past. Of course when it comes to cinema of the past, it couldn't be presented as it is. That would have only led to further boredom. However, an attempt of such kind was required which could blend the narrative of past with the technology of today in order to get the perfect 'bhelpuri' to saviour.
Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie had managed to crack this in Hollywood and the question raised was if Bollywood would ever be able to emulate something similar? This is where Salman Khan decided to take the plunge.
Single screens revived with Wanted
Salman Khan's Wanted may not have boasted of the finesse of Tarantino or Ritchie but it gave something tremendous for audience who were starved of 'masala' entertainers. 'Laaton aur ghooson se bharpoor action', something that was totally lost with the advent of technology that helped create action sequences on computer rather than on the sets, was put on full display in this Prabhu Deva directed film. Also, Salman Khan's charisma ensured that every dialogue he mouthed met with a tremendous response from the 'aam junta'.
No wonder, Wanted - which was lapped up by mass as well as class audience - turned out to be a huge earner for everyone involved. Finally, it was being reconsidered if action coupled with drama and some 'dhaansu' dialogues could be just the kind of potpourri that audience had been missing for quite a while. The misconception of films doing well 'only if made for multiplex audience' started fading away to some extent as it was proved once again that if the right formula was applied, a film could well fetch universal audience for itself.
Also, another factor that stood out was that for any 'masala' film to succeed all over, it definitely had to be set on Indian shores. If at all action, drama and punch lines were aimed at overseas (or were set in this geography), the probability for success was bound to go down. However, whenever there was something really grounded and rooted, as evidenced in Ghajini and Wanted, where people spoke, thought, behaved and acted in Hindi, a higher success rate could well be on the cards.