While Bollywood is still looking back at 2010 to guage what worked best with the audience – action, comedy, romance or drama – an increasing number of filmmakers are looking to real life for inspiration in 2011 .
The soon-to-be-released " No One Killed Jessica", based on the much-publicised Jessica Lall murder, only follows in the footsteps of "332 Mumbai To India", based on an incident that took place in Mumbai some two years ago. " Hostel", based on the Aman Kachroo ragging case, will also release this January. And the list of movies inspired by real life incidents that go on the floors this year is even longer (see box right). However, it's not all smooth sailing for reality cinema in India.
For one, box office success continues to be elusive for films that haven't been fictionalised enough for the audience. Movies like "Chak De! India", "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai", "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se" and "Rakhta Charitra" were all based on real life people or incidents, but not all of them could send cash registers ringing. And as trade analyst Taran Adarsh puts it, "While it's true that Indian cinema is veering towards real stories because audiences want to see movies which they can relate to, only those movies where real life episodes are well garnished with entertaining stuff, do well at the box office. Movies which only show stark reality can never appeal to audiences. So, there should be a blend of fiction and realism in such movies."
Not surprisingly, at a recent press briefing, Rani Mukerji was at pains to explain that while "Non One Killed Jessica" is an issue-based film, it's also an entertainer. "For me the criteria (for doing the film) was that it has to be entertaining. If one has seen the promos then they will know that my character in the film is entertaining. There is a lot more in the film than just an issue-based story," Rani is quoted to have said.
That's not all. Bringing reality to reel has more obstacles than one on the way. Poonam Jhawar, who's all set to play the role of Nira Radia in "2G Radia-tion" has accepted that the film has already begun to attract trouble and that Radia's company has already sent the filmmakers a legal notice. And as Mahesh Pandey, the director of "332 Mumbai To India" says, "I believed that cinema mirrors society and that inspired me to make a thought-provoking film on the March 2008 incident of violence against North Indians living in Mumbai. But all in vain. Theatres were even afraid to showcase the movie. And after the confrontation with political parties and pressure from producers and distributors over the release of the movie, I will desist from getting into reality cinema again. If we have a system of censorship to decide on what reaches the audience and what doesn't, then why is such a hullabaloo created after the movie gets Censor Board clearance."
On the flipside however, an issue-based film does stand to cash in on the media frenzy created around the incident. And for that reason, Vikas Bahl, the chief creative officer at UTV Motion Pictures, which is producing "NOKJ", believes that "real life stories are more fascinating and appeal to audiences, may be because they already have a strong connection with the incident, making the movie more interesting". But he adds, "The movie should not appear as a documentary made just on incidence. There should be a perfect combination of fiction and reality to make it a successful venture."
Agrees trade analyst Komal Nahata. "The bottomline for every filmmaker is to make money from his movies. Choosing real life incidents for story plots is just a way to cash in on the hype generated by an issue," he says, adding, "Reality and fiction should blend together to create box-office success."
Reality Bytes
"332 Mumbai To India", on Rahul Raj's hijack of a bus during an attack on North Indians in Mumbai
"No One Killed Jessica" on the Jessica Lall murder case in Delhi
"Hostel" on the Aman Kachroo ragging case that happened in 2009
"Monica" on the Shivani Bhatnagar and Madhumita murder cases
"2G Radia-tion" on the Nira Radia tapes controversy and the 2G scam
"Run Milkha Run" on Jeev Milkha Singh
"Special Chhabis" on 26 men posing as income tax officials
"Ragini MMS" on the MMS scandal
"Dirty Picture" on Silk Smitha
"Bombay Velvet" on Guru Dutt
Vikram Motwane's biopic on the cult Punjabi singer Chamkila
Read more: Real life inspirations for B'town in 2011 - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Real-life-inspirations-for-Btown-in-2011/articleshow/7236045.cms#ixzz1APuN9Lv1
The soon-to-be-released " No One Killed Jessica", based on the much-publicised Jessica Lall murder, only follows in the footsteps of "332 Mumbai To India", based on an incident that took place in Mumbai some two years ago. " Hostel", based on the Aman Kachroo ragging case, will also release this January. And the list of movies inspired by real life incidents that go on the floors this year is even longer (see box right). However, it's not all smooth sailing for reality cinema in India.
For one, box office success continues to be elusive for films that haven't been fictionalised enough for the audience. Movies like "Chak De! India", "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai", "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se" and "Rakhta Charitra" were all based on real life people or incidents, but not all of them could send cash registers ringing. And as trade analyst Taran Adarsh puts it, "While it's true that Indian cinema is veering towards real stories because audiences want to see movies which they can relate to, only those movies where real life episodes are well garnished with entertaining stuff, do well at the box office. Movies which only show stark reality can never appeal to audiences. So, there should be a blend of fiction and realism in such movies."
Not surprisingly, at a recent press briefing, Rani Mukerji was at pains to explain that while "Non One Killed Jessica" is an issue-based film, it's also an entertainer. "For me the criteria (for doing the film) was that it has to be entertaining. If one has seen the promos then they will know that my character in the film is entertaining. There is a lot more in the film than just an issue-based story," Rani is quoted to have said.
That's not all. Bringing reality to reel has more obstacles than one on the way. Poonam Jhawar, who's all set to play the role of Nira Radia in "2G Radia-tion" has accepted that the film has already begun to attract trouble and that Radia's company has already sent the filmmakers a legal notice. And as Mahesh Pandey, the director of "332 Mumbai To India" says, "I believed that cinema mirrors society and that inspired me to make a thought-provoking film on the March 2008 incident of violence against North Indians living in Mumbai. But all in vain. Theatres were even afraid to showcase the movie. And after the confrontation with political parties and pressure from producers and distributors over the release of the movie, I will desist from getting into reality cinema again. If we have a system of censorship to decide on what reaches the audience and what doesn't, then why is such a hullabaloo created after the movie gets Censor Board clearance."
On the flipside however, an issue-based film does stand to cash in on the media frenzy created around the incident. And for that reason, Vikas Bahl, the chief creative officer at UTV Motion Pictures, which is producing "NOKJ", believes that "real life stories are more fascinating and appeal to audiences, may be because they already have a strong connection with the incident, making the movie more interesting". But he adds, "The movie should not appear as a documentary made just on incidence. There should be a perfect combination of fiction and reality to make it a successful venture."
Agrees trade analyst Komal Nahata. "The bottomline for every filmmaker is to make money from his movies. Choosing real life incidents for story plots is just a way to cash in on the hype generated by an issue," he says, adding, "Reality and fiction should blend together to create box-office success."
Reality Bytes
"332 Mumbai To India", on Rahul Raj's hijack of a bus during an attack on North Indians in Mumbai
"No One Killed Jessica" on the Jessica Lall murder case in Delhi
"Hostel" on the Aman Kachroo ragging case that happened in 2009
"Monica" on the Shivani Bhatnagar and Madhumita murder cases
"2G Radia-tion" on the Nira Radia tapes controversy and the 2G scam
"Run Milkha Run" on Jeev Milkha Singh
"Special Chhabis" on 26 men posing as income tax officials
"Ragini MMS" on the MMS scandal
"Dirty Picture" on Silk Smitha
"Bombay Velvet" on Guru Dutt
Vikram Motwane's biopic on the cult Punjabi singer Chamkila
Read more: Real life inspirations for B'town in 2011 - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Real-life-inspirations-for-Btown-in-2011/articleshow/7236045.cms#ixzz1APuN9Lv1
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