All the world's a stage - but our cinema's not on it...?
Cinema from Iran, China, Mexico even Korea, Thailand are producing artistically integral and exciting, socially motivated cinema that have created sustainable creative industries within their countries. These films earn export dollars globally, defy cultural and language barriers at a time when the global appetite for all things South Asian is at an all time high, gross earnings of these so-called 'art' films are 20 times that of the most 'commercial' Bollywood product.
Further, we Indians excel internationally in literature, the Indian modern art movement is one of the most exciting in the world today, we export world-class software but in cinema, a historic industry (as old as Hollywood) which has genuine ability to pose a viable alternative to the hegemony of that most vociferous cultural / economic powerhouses, is not even 1% of the total revenue of the world film industry, our films are un-watchable by any audience outside India and its diaspora.
Why?
The simple answer is a lack of scripts, 'realistic' stories and exciting ways of telling them, plus lack of vision to bring those stories to the money that will make them into films (implied in that is the producer-distributor network that will take it to markets).
The complicated answer is a combination of the feudal, inward looking Bollywood industry and government apathy not inclined to tap into what is a cinematic revolution around the world. New talent is absorbed in the uninspiring mediocrity of Bollywood, develop a narrow frame of reference rendering them useless for anything but Bollywood. Worse, as was obvious by the unimaginative and somewhat crass presentation (ironically at a bill of Rs. 30 crores, a healthy budget of a motion picture, if you please) at the Commonwealth Games by New Delhi, Bollywood has come to represent not only Indian cinema but (god forbid) Indian culture, if not in the perception of the world, then certainly in our own imaginations.
Further, there are no spaces in which to expand people's minds and give exposure, cinema theaters, libraries, film festivals, training, learning. The absence of role models for young film makers like myself who prefer to look to Abbas Kirostami or Zhang Ximou or Coen Brothers or Mike Leigh or Alexandro Innaritu for inspiration.
This has killed the striving for excellence, encouraged mediocrity and aided by our particularly inane media, we have convinced ourselves that the world is awed by our cinematic genius.
What that meant for me, is that for my feature film The Forest, an international film that could afford the best that Indian film industry had to offer, besides myself (writer / producer / director) all heads of departments were foreign and the Indian crew that we did take were second rung and most barely competant. How disappointing is that?
Frankly many film schools of international standards is what is really needed. That and a vibrant, irreverant short film making community pushing the envelope and gestating all that India has to offer in their own unique voices. These would automatically provide a base without cinematic heritage and a springboard for new talent... but those are out of my scope and practically speaking a huge undertaking.
However, the foundations for that can be laid quite simply and cost-effectively. Begin with the basics and play to our strengths: the screen-play or rather the Story - the fundamental reason why anyone anywhere would want to watch a film from India.
There is a HUGE backlog of untold stories, not only from our rich and bloody history but also from our myths and not the least, modern contemporary stories arising out of the conflicts of an India making its transition from a feudal / socialist society to a capitalistic meritocracy, where a gurgaon of the 21st century is separated by a few miles from a Haryana of the Eighteenth century. The contradictions and conflicts intensified by the confidence of an upwardly mobile critical mass. Expressed in shifting attitudes, a generation post-colonial and irreverent, creating and negotiating popular cultures like never before.
The way forward, it would appear then, is to incubate scripts / talent, leverage an awareness of what's going on internationally with passion / love for the home country and blend the two in a manner that is palatable internationally. The problem with Indian screen writing at the moment is that even if we have a story that would travel, we don't know how to tell it on screen and certainly not internationally.
Hence a movie development enterprise that will not only add value to the Indian screenwriters will act as agency, clearing house, incubation program and ultimately expand its activities to cinema appreciation, short film workshops and ultimately into a film school.
Breeding young and dynamic storytellers who will be the cultural messengers of decades to come, create engaging, fascinating, yet commercial cinematic works for an international audience, something that has been seen in individual filmmakers, the triumvirate - Nair, Kapur, Mehta and our (mis-appropriated) cousins - Shyamalan, Chadda - and arguably the most successful of them all, Amritraj, but not sustainable, not an industry and certainly not in India.
It is useful to note that the India of their time is very different to our India now. The time is ripe and four - five years of development along the lines proposed will yield rich dividends. Most importantly to create a sustainable enterprise that would not need to rely on anything but its own ingenuity and foresight.
Ashvin.
Further, we Indians excel internationally in literature, the Indian modern art movement is one of the most exciting in the world today, we export world-class software but in cinema, a historic industry (as old as Hollywood) which has genuine ability to pose a viable alternative to the hegemony of that most vociferous cultural / economic powerhouses, is not even 1% of the total revenue of the world film industry, our films are un-watchable by any audience outside India and its diaspora.
Why?
The simple answer is a lack of scripts, 'realistic' stories and exciting ways of telling them, plus lack of vision to bring those stories to the money that will make them into films (implied in that is the producer-distributor network that will take it to markets).
The complicated answer is a combination of the feudal, inward looking Bollywood industry and government apathy not inclined to tap into what is a cinematic revolution around the world. New talent is absorbed in the uninspiring mediocrity of Bollywood, develop a narrow frame of reference rendering them useless for anything but Bollywood. Worse, as was obvious by the unimaginative and somewhat crass presentation (ironically at a bill of Rs. 30 crores, a healthy budget of a motion picture, if you please) at the Commonwealth Games by New Delhi, Bollywood has come to represent not only Indian cinema but (god forbid) Indian culture, if not in the perception of the world, then certainly in our own imaginations.
Further, there are no spaces in which to expand people's minds and give exposure, cinema theaters, libraries, film festivals, training, learning. The absence of role models for young film makers like myself who prefer to look to Abbas Kirostami or Zhang Ximou or Coen Brothers or Mike Leigh or Alexandro Innaritu for inspiration.
This has killed the striving for excellence, encouraged mediocrity and aided by our particularly inane media, we have convinced ourselves that the world is awed by our cinematic genius.
What that meant for me, is that for my feature film The Forest, an international film that could afford the best that Indian film industry had to offer, besides myself (writer / producer / director) all heads of departments were foreign and the Indian crew that we did take were second rung and most barely competant. How disappointing is that?
Frankly many film schools of international standards is what is really needed. That and a vibrant, irreverant short film making community pushing the envelope and gestating all that India has to offer in their own unique voices. These would automatically provide a base without cinematic heritage and a springboard for new talent... but those are out of my scope and practically speaking a huge undertaking.
However, the foundations for that can be laid quite simply and cost-effectively. Begin with the basics and play to our strengths: the screen-play or rather the Story - the fundamental reason why anyone anywhere would want to watch a film from India.
There is a HUGE backlog of untold stories, not only from our rich and bloody history but also from our myths and not the least, modern contemporary stories arising out of the conflicts of an India making its transition from a feudal / socialist society to a capitalistic meritocracy, where a gurgaon of the 21st century is separated by a few miles from a Haryana of the Eighteenth century. The contradictions and conflicts intensified by the confidence of an upwardly mobile critical mass. Expressed in shifting attitudes, a generation post-colonial and irreverent, creating and negotiating popular cultures like never before.
The way forward, it would appear then, is to incubate scripts / talent, leverage an awareness of what's going on internationally with passion / love for the home country and blend the two in a manner that is palatable internationally. The problem with Indian screen writing at the moment is that even if we have a story that would travel, we don't know how to tell it on screen and certainly not internationally.
Hence a movie development enterprise that will not only add value to the Indian screenwriters will act as agency, clearing house, incubation program and ultimately expand its activities to cinema appreciation, short film workshops and ultimately into a film school.
Breeding young and dynamic storytellers who will be the cultural messengers of decades to come, create engaging, fascinating, yet commercial cinematic works for an international audience, something that has been seen in individual filmmakers, the triumvirate - Nair, Kapur, Mehta and our (mis-appropriated) cousins - Shyamalan, Chadda - and arguably the most successful of them all, Amritraj, but not sustainable, not an industry and certainly not in India.
It is useful to note that the India of their time is very different to our India now. The time is ripe and four - five years of development along the lines proposed will yield rich dividends. Most importantly to create a sustainable enterprise that would not need to rely on anything but its own ingenuity and foresight.
Ashvin.
1 Comments:
This observation is right on the money Ashvin. The market for Indian film has been very limited and still is, although it has extended itself to the Indian diaspora and is extremely popular with NRIs everywhere.
In the UK, box office at many popular Bollywood title screeings easily exceeds the box office for films of peculiarly British interest, but both types of film have a common problem.
Both forms of cinema have restricted themselves in the same way. They have relied on the "home" audience alone. But film is an international business and whilst pure entertainment films may be exported from the sub-continent to the wider world, in most cases, the only audience will be Indian.
If India's film producers want to expand their industry they have to look wide, not narrowly. They must look to international markets.
A number of very modest budget dramas starring Indian actors with settings derived from Indian culture, but made in English language have travelled well internationally, but have also given very respectable box office returns within India itself.
A country that has so many millions of people has as many millions of stories to tell to the world.
I hope that mainstream producers can see the potential of developing an international appeal cinema alongside domestic appeal cinema, so that some of these stories can begin to get "out there."
A fraction from the profits of a big Bollywood hit could easily fund gifted and progressive independent filmmakers like Ashvin Kumar to bring India's many stories to life and raise India's profile as a very interesting place to visit, as well as helping to build a new, international Indian cinema.
Bollywood scenes filmed in exotic locations like the Alps, Singapore and Scotland have done wonders for Indian tourist visits to those countries. Why not reverse the trend and encourage many more world tourists to India whilst developing that cinema with world appeal.
A country's best assets are her people and their skills. India now has filmmakers with international reputation for making films that will travel the world, like Ashvin, who was Oscar-nominated for his short film Little Terrorist and deservedly so. Put them to work, or it may well become a case of use them, or lose them. I do hope it does not come to that, for what a waste of opportunity that would be....
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