The only
constant in our human world is change. Change takes place for good or bad but
nobody can avert it or impede it. Change has its own mind and pace.
The world of
art is no exception. It has experienced change just like the others. The human
necessity and aesthetics of expressing themselves started with some symbols on
the walls of some cave in the Stone Age but it became a way of life once it got
pen, paper and a wider audience. Then came theatre- the reenactment of what was
written, another change. That change led to formation of cinema. Sciences were
making progress and the cinema was one of its many perks. The dream just got
bigger and better.
The beauty
of the cinema is that it takes you on a journey that is life and in just under
three hours you get all the shades and flavors of life. In this mayhem, those
three hours are a lifeboat for many.
Our Cinema
grew like any other cinema. Like anything else, at the time of independence our
cinema too was in shatters. However, it remerged and we started to find our
feet again. Varieties of audience were built and manufacture to consume our
cinematic output. Even in those days there was a sizeable number that liked
Indian cinema. Even in those days, the Indian movies use to get releases in
Pakistan. The stories were relatable, the language was understandable, and the
music strike similar kind of emotions. The thing about cinema is that it
creates stars. People get frenzy about them. The more it gets frenzy, the
better. So, Indian movie stars were now our stars too. Dilip Kumar was a big
deal and Madhubala was beautiful.
The 1965 war
saw a ban on the Indian movies in Pakistan. I sincerely believe that it was the
start of the end of the Pakistan’s film industry. Indian movies had a better production
value than our movies and they pose a challenge to our movie industry. This
challenge always kept them (our film industry) on their toes and striving for
excellence. Before 1965, Pakistan really produced some good movies such as Malangi
(1965), Ghoonghat (1962), Neend (1959) and Anarkali (1957) to name a few which
gave Indian movies run for their money. In the absence of competition, the
quality of Pakistan’s cinema declined and our film industry died a slow death.
Fortunately, now Pakistani cinema is in its revival phase and Pakistan is
churning out some good movies but still there is a long way to go. That is why
we need world cinema to not only feed our cinemas and cinema goers but also to
increase their appetite and make them to appreciate a good movie irrespective
of its country of origin.
However,
this piece is not about Pakistani cinema or its decline or revival. This piece
is about why we celebrate and mourn Bollywood? Obviously the main stimulant
behind this piece is sudden and untimely demise of Siridevi and the consequent
criticism on Pakistani media for her projection. The interest of the news
channels in her death was natural because of the way she died and all the
mystery that clouded her death. Keeping in mind the reporting of Indian media
on the same issue, Pakistani news channels fared better and reported the
incident in a more professional manner. First thing first, it should be
understood that we can mourn Siridevi and condemn Syria at the same time. It is
a doable thing and it is not inhuman.
As I have
stated above, the reason for acceptance for Indian movies in Pakistan is that
both of us share same kind of problems and language. So, as compared to others
it is easier for Pakistani cinema goers to relate with Indian movies.
Another
factor that contributed in establishing a Bollywood fan base in Pakistan
irrespective of the ban in 1965 was the VCR revolution of the 1980’s followed
by the Cable revolution of the last 1990’s. These revolutions gave Bollywood an
access to every Pakistani household.
It should
also be kept in mind that after 1980’s, at least two generation of Pakistanis
have grown without the cinema of their own. Though Pakistan was making movies
but they were cyclostyle gandassa vehicles, catering the needs of a particular
type of cinema goers (no offence intended). Pakistani cinema seriously lacked
diversity. We grew up watching Indian movies and listening to their songs.
Madhuri was the first crush of many, Siridevi’s attire in Chandini was a rage among
local females, sweaters wore by Anil and Rishi were local favorites, Sunny and
Sanjay were our action heroes.
The only
savior or the knight in the shining armor was PTV. This Bollywood onslaught
coincides with the golden age of PTV. That is why both of them that are PTV and
Bollywood enjoy same amount of nostalgia.
There must
have been other factors too but we have to accept this as the reality of our
times. There is a need to expedite the revival of our film industry without
compromising on the quality of production and content. Still, there is no harm
in appreciating a good performance. Sridevi was a brilliant performer and she
deserved all the mourning she got. My first Siridevi movie was Mr. India and I
will always remember her for the Charlie Chaplin sequence from the movie and
the Hawa Hawai song. Although, I watched the movie as a kid but when I grew up
the “I love you” song made me to appreciate her sensuality. Ironically, her
last movies had two Pakistanis in a pivotal role and her shout out to Pakistani
actors can turn many strong willed teary eyed.