Journalism of Courage
The face of Bollywood, over the years, has undergone a radical change. The change has been definite but not sudden. Over the years several films, released at different junctures, and changed the topography of Bollywood. It is this trajectory that acclaimed critic Shubhra Gupta pens down in her 2016 book, 50 Films That Changed Bollywood, published by Harper Collins. As the name suggests, the book traces those films which the Indian Express film critic feels changed the language of Bollywood in the last two decades. Out of these 50 films, if there are 10 films that significantly changed Bollywood, and films that you must watch then
here is Gupta's list.
DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE: When Raj met Simran, it created history. Hindi cinema became Bollywood. SRK and Kajol became Jodi Number One. And every single big-ticket romance since has referenced DDLJ one way or the other.
SATYA: Ram Gopal Varma created Satya, and his cohorts, and the Bollywood mobster hasn't been the same again. Post Satya, RGV became Mumbai-ka-king, and launched the hood as one of the most enduring characters in the movies.
DIL CHAHTA HAIN: Pre Dil Chahta Hain, all rich people in the movies were thugs or crooks, preferably gold smugglers, or corrupt pols and cops. Post DCH, it was all right to have it and flaunt it. Greed was good, greenbacks even better!
JISM: No A list leading lady before Jism was as hot and heavy and sexually charged as Bipasha Basu's character in the movie. She was the woman on top, and went after what she wanted-- John Abraham's louche lover. And Bollywood recognised that heroines didn't always have to be sati-savitri, touch-me-not types. They could assertive, and lead from the front.
HUM TUM: Bollywood's first genuine rom com. In standard Bollywood romance, girl met boy and was immediately surrounded by a nudging-winking-loud joint family. In Hum Tum, Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherji got lots of alone time, to get it on, and get going.
MY BROTHER...NIKHIL: Bollywood's first film which revolved around a 'gay' character. Sanjay Suri was terrific as the beleaguered Goa-based swimmer ( based on a real-life character) who discovers he has AIDS, and the film taught us the value of empathy over empty sympathy.
DEV D: This full-tilt re-telling of Devdas, that classic Indian lover whose self-pity was the biggest emotion in his life, showed us just how pathetic a sorry-for-himself love-lorn male could be, and how the women who love him propped him up as he mooched along morosely. A tour de force for director Anurag Kashyap, and the trio of actors-- Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill and Kalki Koechlin.
LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA: After LSD, the old conventions of How To Depict Love and Sex in Bollywood was over-turned on its creaky head. Dibakar Bannerjee's brilliant film turned a merciless eye on the hypocrisies and corrosive patriarchy the 21st century Indian society is riddled with, and deep sixed the idea of two nodding flowers, and kissing swans for ever.
DUM LAGA KE HAISHA: Bollywood had been so obsessed by the Size Zero Leading Lady whose washboard abs and gym toned bod were more important than her acting talent, that to get a plus plus sized leading lady seemed like a miracle. Bhumi Pednekar's character in this delightful Yashraj confection was over-weight, but not weighed under by it. She is a confident today's girl, who shows up her entitled spouse as a jackass, and shows him the way to become a man. Double clap.
