FUNNY FILM WORLD

 FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

 

FUNNY FILM WORLD

 

Undoubtedly, films are the most attractive and fascinating source of entertainment for people from their inception. The film industry had phenomenally grown - in leaps and bounds - into the mammoth size of the present day with incredible, mind-blowing, and staggering technological advancements that one would not have even dreamt of. It is also called Film-land, Show Business, Dream Industry, Silver-Screen, or Big Screen.

 

‘ROUNDHAY GARDEN SCENE’, recorded on October 14, 1888, by inventor Louis Le Prince in Roundhay, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England is believed to be the world’s earliest surviving motion-picture film.

 

At first, only silent films were produced and released. Then came the movie which was also called a picture, motion picture, moving picture, photoplay, or flick (slang). Thereafter, ‘talking pictures’ or ‘talkies’ came to dominate the scene. And, with its logical evolution and growth, the movies took the whole world by surprise and storm.

 

India witnessed the first motion picture in the late 1910s and it was introduced by the late Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, also popularly known as Dada Saheb Phalke, through the film “RAJA HARISHCHANDRA.” He is also considered the 'Father of Indian cinema.' Although it was a silent film, little did he know then that he was giving birth to an art form the silent sound of which would later on echo around the world! His initiative propelled the rise of many filmmakers in our country. Although it took nearly two years after RAJA HARISHCHANDRA for the next (but first of the kind) motion picture with sound to be released (i.e.), 'ALAM ARA' directed by Ardeshir Irani, on March 14, 1931, the seed of colour cinema was also sowed through ‘KISAN KANYA’ directed by Moti Gidwani in 1937 and thereafter, the ‘glitter industry’ grew into a Banyan tree taking deep roots into the mindset of Indians across the nook and cranny of the country transcending all perceivable differences and barriers.

 

Hero and heroine would be portrayed as being the embodiment, personification, and/or incarnation of all good values and virtues, and people considered them a good and benevolent lot. The actors playing negative characters would however be branded by movie fans as being hard-nut, cruel, brutal, and unreasonable people even in their personal life - a blunt, callous, impertinent, and unceremonious way to stamp them so!

 

Needless to say, films have become an integral part of the human psyche and in India, all those connected with the tinsel world are looked at as if they are a special lot from Heaven, least realizing that they are also like other ordinary people. While one can understand the entertainment value the shadow industry offers, giving it undue and disproportionate respect and honour is preposterous and ludicrous smacking of craze.

 

Even though many say that movies reflected the real-life stories and/or imitations of ways of living and lifestyles of the common man, the exaggeration factor cannot be ignored, wished away, or brushed aside. The prominence given to heroes, heroines, villains, comedy actors, etc. is very high. People do hero worship!

 

There are many aberrations (not normally possible or happening in our ordinary life) in films that neither the film producers nor the cinema-goers mind.

 

Many films exaggerate the characters to make it appear as though they were species having come down to the Earth from the Moon or other planets, least realizing that they were also ones grown up amongst us till yesterday and then got elevated to appear on the silver-screen.

 

Several events, episodes, affairs, and incidents shown in films are highly exaggerated, magnified, and even misrepresented at times, to exalt, extol and glorify certain characters.

 

Even though we enjoy film songs for the nice mix of voice with music, etc., singing by characters in the films, especially the heroes and heroines, is unnatural, as, in real life, we don’t sing any song like the actors do in the films. When the hero or heroine is in sorrow due to love failure or other frustration(s), he/she would seclude himself/herself from society and start a long journey roaming here and there and singing a sad or philosophical song crisscrossing roads, forests, desert, valleys, mountainous areas, etc., as if he/she is complaining to those Nature’s bounties for consolation. Or, he/she would walk alone singing it in the night in the pitch of darkness whether one notices him/her or not! In the mundane life, such things don’t happen at all.

 

In fighting scenes, the hero would take on an army of enemies and inflict all kinds of injury to them and make them run away, but the hero would not even suffer any bruises not to speak of getting injured, nor would there be any dust, dirt, scratch, folding, or scar in his dress that would continue to be trim and glittery as ever! If a heroine is tried to be annoyed by anyone or a group, the hero would suddenly appear on the scene as her saviour and save her after fighting the enemies down. He would look as pretty as ever while his enemies would leave the place bleeding.

 

The love between the hero and heroine would blossom invariably after the hero fights with those (how many are there doesn’t matter) who might have tried to flirt or harass her. Even if the heroine was not inclined towards the hero in the initial stages and was consistently rejecting his offer, would readily accept the hero’s love from then onwards.

 

A moment after the hero or heroine does everything to do/get justice for the needy, a posse of police would arrive on the spot to do ‘what was their duty!’  

 

In most films, the doctors would visit the patient's home for treatment as if they were at the beck and call! If the doctor wants to say something negative or the patient is serious, he would first remove his spectacles and then reveal the truth.

 

All characters in the film would be in their footwear - whether they are outside or inside the home, even including in the Puja room!

 

One of the pet storylines would invariably be that the heroine’s father would be the culprit or villain in the wraps and this fact would be exposed by the hero only in the climax scene. Even the heroine would not be in the know of that truth who would become shocked and stunned to know the stark reality only after coming to know of it from the horse’s mouth. But the hero would console and take her as his life-partner. In some films, the villain would finally repent for his past bad actions and bless the hero-heroine couple before being handcuffed and sent behind bars.

In some films, events would be interpolated in order to create or continue some suspense forming the crux of the story. A probable witness would go into temporary oblivion or memory loss after an attack on the head, on witnessing an event of a rude shock, or due to kidnapping. The amnesia would continue as long as the storyline and the director wanted it, and at the fag end, the person concerned would be back with a bang in robust health and the best of past memory he/she lost earlier, and clear the suspense to help identify the culprit/villain whereupon he would be nabbed. 

 

The films would depict as if the hero or heroine would be the strongest person - both physically and mentally - while all others are weaklings.

 

Duet songs would appear invariably in the dream(s) of either the hero or heroine, or perhaps both.

 

Whenever any character is required on the spot as per the storyline, they would instantaneously appear there, no matter how come they happened to be there?

In some films, animals/birds are deployed as a link or messenger between characters, and even as a spy and/or helper to the heroes and heroines.

Families separated for a long time would reunite, (maybe, in the climax) by identification and recognition of their family song.

Extraordinary twists and turns (not possible in a layman's life)  would suddenly occur drastically and extremely swinging the fortune/misfortune of some characters.

 

Even with all the aberrations, the influence of the tinsel world continues, truncated though; not of course to the great extent once it was, with the arrival of other entertainment modes and models say - Media, Internet, Television, Mobile phones, video games, and the like.

 

 

(R.SAMPATH)

28/6/2023