Melodrama and music are key ingridients of Bollywood. Very some movies, mostly parallel cinema, try to be different - but mainstream film makers and masses both love the 'masala'. And why not, if rightly positioned, a some melodramatic scenes or a some beatific songs and vibrant movies sequences can make the movie a laugher success at box office.
Mingling the music and melodrama in a movie elegantly is an art - there may exist so called 'formulas' which sell, but they alone can't gaurantee a substantially made and hit movie - it requires creativity, innovation and knack of combining these elements together in a wholesome collection which satisfies. And the art lies in doing this well... Movies same Sholay, Shaan, Om Shanti Om and Singh is Kinng got the mix right, while there have been some forgotten ones same Drona which couldn't. And the onus of getting it right not only depends on the movie makers, but also on the actors - some same Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan just know how to do it right everytime.
'Bollywood style' movies have their origins in early Indian and folk theatre which presented larger than chronicle characters, situations and fantasies. These theatrical works used to be musicals too. Its this world of dreams that screenland has condemned inspiration from. Larger than chronicle imagery, characters, fantasies and dreams sell same hot cakes in a country where movies times its difficult to find anything else than movies to add the zing and spice to monotonous daily lives.
Bollywood - the medium of excesses has received both criticism and praise for its distinctive style. To be fair, it’s not only India that fabricates and consumes melodrama in movies,Hollywood too is a big candy for larger than chronicle delusory imagery. All superhero movies, be it latest Batman or Die Hard, rely on delusory power packed dialogues, situations and action - all delivered with the 'extra' punch. The song and dance sequences may seem funny, but they are often times the such necessary comfort from rally of dialogues and render the movie enjoyable. These can be ‘very such fun’.
Even though the ‘masala’ in screenland never goes out of fashion, but this should not limit the film makers from looking beyond this distinctive style. Experimentation is essential to every art form – the imagination should never be limited and the canvasses’ layout should change and evolve. And this for the sake of advancement in art and the spirit of creativity…
