The Friday Verdict

I have always wondered how a movie is made - some go very well with the audience and some just diasappear as soon as they see the light of day.
Are all HITS 'good' movies or all FLOPS just that doomed ones?

Actually, not really.

I, for one, am a person who sincerely puts in an effort to like any movie I see (goes for my husband too). Of course the set I am referring to here is the A grade movies ok...
and not the lesser grades which anyways can best be avoided and not talked about.

What I am talking about here are the pure mainstream movies. If you have'nt got the point yet....
then, without travelling a very long way back,
there's a (A)'Guru','Dhoom 1/2', 'Munnabhais..','Baagban','Dus/Bluffmaster/Bunty Aur Bubly', 'Krrish/Koi Mil Gaya', 'Khosla ka Ghosla/Pyaar ke side-effects...' 'Judwaa/Hera Pheri/Hungama..', 'Main Hoon Na', 'Border', 'Hum Tum','Raaz/Murder/Gansgter/...','Dil Chaahta Hai','K3G', 'Satya','KKHH','DDLJ', 'Darr','Baazigar','Maine Pyaar Kiya', 'JJWS', 'Mr India', 'Hum Aapke/Hum Saath..', 'Devdas/Black..' AND
then there is a (B) 'Jaaneman', 'Baabul', 'Lakshya', 'Armaan','Roop Ki Raani Choron ka Raaja', 'LOC Kargil', 'Run','Darna Mana Hai', 'Fizaa', 'D', 'Nishabd', et al AND then, there is yet another set
(C) 'Shaka Laka Boom Boom', 'Hanan', 'Nehle Pe Dehla', 'Janasheen'

Apart from these...there are the slightly tangential ones..'Anwar' (have you heard of it?..check it out..good and different), the crossovers..'Monsoon Wedding' types,
the cool, urban ones...'My brother Nikhil' types, bold ones...and the list and types go on..!

MIND it...this is not an exhaustive list...as I write there are more names ringing in my head...but, I possibly can't name them... what I am trying to do is
bring out the segregation..which forms the foundation for the next things in line..

(A) - WOW!! You as a person may like some, may loathe some (hey...you anti Karan Johar, anti Yash Chopra freaks..)..but you can't ignore them!
This set covers the finesse of Mani Ratnam, the experimentation of RGV, the sentimentalist streak of Yashraj/Chorpas, the cool romantics - safe bets, comic ones - evergreen,
the Bhatt Camp creations, the action/superhero, Bhansali's brainwaves, patriotic ones...

(B) - Never understood why this lot ever failed! Good movies, some really good ones, some different, some similar formulas/directors/style as the A category - but, ppl just outright reject them.
WHY?? When I see this set, I can see the hard work that must have gone in. Everyone wants to make a HIT movie isn't it? They have it in them, the spark is there, the works ..everything,
but, then the verdict at the BO - Flop. Why? How does the general psyche work?

(C) - Oh this God forsaken set!! Why were these movies ever made? Why didnt they themselves shelve once they saw the end-product and saved us from the ordeal
! Didn't they know what was getting made at their hands? Or was it this crap they alwasy wanted to make - is it a sadistic pleasure in making us suffer OR
pure inadequacy, inefficiency and absolute lack of talent (talent?? may be too lofty a word in this context...let's just call it basic common sense!)


The (C) catgory irritates me to the hilt and I can never comprehend the internal working of the team which puts together such crap.

The (A) category shines always..you can see it/ense it when the movie is being made itself - be it sheer STAR power, great marketing, seasoned masala formulas (not formulae.. :-)),
great talent, glitz and glamour, something novel, cool and chick...whatever..these movies shine and are here to stay. You may like or hate them based on what type of movie buff you are,
but, you cant deny the status they enjoy! These are the Stars, the successes, the HITS.

So, I don't NEED to talk about (A)...they don't need any talking actually! I don't WANT to talk about (C)...let me save myself from reliving the anguish!!

But, it is the (B) category that pains me and surprises me. It pains me to see many a good movie just vanish. WHY? Is it that I am just too generous and like most of the movies
and should really place trust in the larger audience and see their point. They say Folp ...then, it is a Flop..?
But, why? I fail to see what the larger audience who brands these as Flops does. Or is it the other way round - do they fail to see the real thing?

(B) categor also has surprises...which may not be the very best movies ...but, they in fact are more or less replicas of their (A) category brothers and sisters..
but, yet they have a diferent fate.. (LOC..Border, Baabul..Baagban, D..Satya, and more such sibling pair..)

Think about it....if anyone has seen 'Jaaneman' - it had everything that makes a movie click..but, I would say that 'everything' was in a different mould..
and not the conventional style..was it the newness or the audacity of the director to say things in the face of audience which did it?
Shirish Kunder has his own style..may not be as conventional as his wife who scored a perfect 10 with 'Main Hoon Na'.
But, hey, he has got a Style of his own! Give him a break!
And why can't we accept that and appreciate it? Why did it not click with the masses?

There's a 'Roop Ki Raani Choron ka Raaja'...it had all the money, the masala, the works - did it work ? NO! And it brought immense losses to the makers!

The series of flops from Abhishek Bachchan not so long ago...I liked them all! What was it that didn't click? Am sure if they are released again NOW..people
will sit up and watch. Especially...RUn...it was an amazing movie..simple concept shown beautifully. Must have done well maybe..but, from the looks of it,
I would've liked to see it scaling greater heights.
What happened to Farhan fans...the ones who lapped up Dil Chahta Hai..why did they suddenly turn away from Lakshya. I know..i know..they were different subjects..
but the movie-making shows familiar streaks in both.
Border goes well..and people just pack away LOC, Baabul wins hearts of ppl...and the same don't really want to shed tears again in Baabul...the sibling twins remember?

So, there it is...the magic of movies, the magic of watching drama unfold on the big screen, the pains and tribulations that go into the making,
the BIG money at stake, the careers and number games which get made and unmade and the finally the verdict on every Friday!

Strange ..isnt't it....all that 3 hour power pack thrown at the mercy of an audience...which will react how..? noone knows!

But...whatever be the ultimate result...movies are made, continue to get made, we continue to watch them, like some/hate some/applaud some/award some,

It's a magical world really...I'm happy..as there is something new every Friday..which category remains to be seen!