The general feeling today is that classes and masses don’t mix. What the crème de la crème want differs completely from what the average man on the street desires. We live in an age where markets and consumerism define everything, from what we eat and buy to what we watch on television. Rising incomes, growing urban rural divides and a tendency to measure everything in money (a natural consequence of infant capitalism), has lead to compartmentalization of markets each deemed to possess different wants and desires. In this perceived lack of homogeneity comes the drive to cater to the lowest common denominator, the largest market size. Thus you have television channels and newspapers trying to outdo each other in ‘dumbing down’- while strictly taking the defense that if the reader/viewer wants entertainment and not information and opinion then they have no option but to accede to this demand. It is a trend which is also increasingly evident in the kind of movies we make. The advent of multiplexes has provided a compartment for the filmmakers to cater to, a section of society that wants to see a reflection of its own hip and happening life on the big screen, while there is another section which continues to churn out the ‘masala’ stuff believing this is what the common man wants.
In a country as vast as ours and with so much heterogeneity, it may not be incorrect to argue that different communities/ sections have different demands or tastes. But what is incorrect and frustrating is the complete lack of effort to cut across these artificially perceived lines, the almost inept throwing up of hands and falling to monetary interests while claiming to serve the consumer. It is in this environment that two individuals this season have proved to be exceptions. The success of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black and Rabbi Shergill’s debut music album carry a message that out there exists a space for original and brave creativity.
Bhansali’s Black has been universally lauded, its sensitivity and artistic perfection complimented. But his real success lies probably in the fact that an unusual Hindi movie with a rarely touched theme and with no songs (!) is till now this year’s best commercial performer. It reinforces the weakening belief that good cinema can be (no, must be) both entertaining as well seen to convey a larger message, be panaromic and yet not lose sight of the fact that the man who stands in the line to buy a movie ticket expects value for his money.
Rabbi Shergill’s songs are a rage on radio and television today; and yet he is the same man whom music companies refused for almost four years believing that his music was not worth the investment (I wonder what those managers would be thinking today). The young sardar has proved that there is more to Punjabi music that bhangra beats and loud dhols. It is this novelty of making people explore new grounds of creativity that drive both his and Bhansali’s success – the courage to be different and yet respect the listener/viewer’s intelligence. It is a lesson our marketing managers would do well to learn. Substance, not form ultimately sells. By dumbing down we are only stifling our own creativity and money is poor return for such heavy sacrifice. The big question then is – how many more Rabbis and Bhansalis are there, willing to listen to their own voices and convictions and not allowing their artistic imagination to be held captive by perceived market interests?
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