The struggle to sell

Ashutosh Gowariker’s Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey hasn’t done well at the box-office, giving rise to a debate — is the audience interested in watching such films? Do period films still work? Opines trade analyst Amod Mehra, “In the last decade, what we have realised is that not many people like to watch films about India’s freedom struggle. Only those films which have a strong central conflict work. To make it worse, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a story based in Chittagong, which is now a part of Bangladesh. How will Indians relate to it? This is the reason why the film was a disaster in Bengal too.”

No audience connect

What is it about Indian psyche that turns down movies with a historical context when countries like USA and UK still turn World War II sagas into blockbusters? Says Mehra, “If this means that we should stop making such films, I would agree. Why make films that bring in such severe losses to the film industry? Khelein... has had the lowest opening ever for a big-budget film!”

While Mehra is of the opinion that the intrinsic quality of Khelein… is of little relevance, trade analyst Vinod Mirani stresses that the lack of merits in the film was the last straw. Agreeing that the genre is defunct in Hindi cinema and that local freedom fighters have no relevance for a national audience, he says that freedom sagas, in general, always end in protagonist’s martyrdom. The audience does not like to see the hero lose, even in contemporary genres of cinema.

“Like Guzaarish,” he cites. “The hero wishes to die after telling everyone that they must be strong and live life to the fullest! As for Gowariker’s Lagaan, the film only worked because a motley group of villagers triumphed over the British.”

Besides this aspect, Mirani states that even a freedom fighter as well known as Bhagat Singh came across as just another character from Punjab for the audience. This led to the failure of all the three movies based on the freedom fighter, which released in 2002.
“It was only Manoj Kumar who made patriotic and period films in the true sense.

Shaheed, for instance, worked as it was entertaining and had enough intensity to connect with the audience. It made people feel that their time and money were well-spent,” points out Mirani.

Cinema-goers, he feels, want to see entertaining films that also stir up some emotions. “A film with a documentary-like feel,  devoid of drama, does not work most of the time,” adds Mirani.

Analysing Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey scathingly, Mirani remarks, “There is nothing new in Khelein…, no twists or sacrifice. It is soulless and cannot boast of memorable songs either. Indian audiences are different from others. Gandhi was an excellent film but worked well only in Mumbai and a few other metros. Otherwise, it did mediocre business. Jeevan Sangram in 1975 and Veer Savarkar in 2001 were very good movies, but people could not identify with these characters and therefore, these films didn’t do well at the box-office either.”

But Veer Savarkar (2001) is a relevant example and yet, an exception. Well-researched, it was produced by singer-composer Sudhir Phadke — the Yesudas-rolled-into-Ilayaraja of Maharashtra. The film emerged as a crisp, crackerjack thriller only because Savarkar’s life had those elements.

And yet, despite a local flavour and the political-incorrectness (like the depiction of a real incident where Savarkar told Gandhi that his political ideology would make Indians suffer for decades) of the film, sadly, it managed to get a release only in Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir.

Big-budget films

Ketan Mehta (Sardar, Mangal Pandey – The Rising) feels that patriotic movies should never be made only to earn money. The filmmaker has a point. We cannot possibly forget that sometimes a subject can inspire writers and filmmakers to make the film where money becomes a secondary issue. As Ajay Devgn points out, “The budget of a film must be sensible, and according to its prospects.”

A filmmaker, on the condition of anonymity, disagrees with Ketan Mehta and says, “Films are essentially made to entertain audiences and earn profits for the industry. When Shaheed could click in 1965, why can’t a well-made film do so today? Are you trying to tell me that Lagaan did well only because it was fiction and would have flopped had the same story been inspired by a real life episode?”

Devdas and Jodhaa Akbar were two other period films that did reasonably well, but they were not as successful as claimed by the films’ makers. Devdas did far better overseas than in India, while Jodhaa Akbar did good business only in a few centres.

And while Devdas was, like Lagaan, fiction, Jodhaa Akbar concentrated on the love story of the protagonists. But what worked for both these films was their music and the fact that they had big stars. Therefore, filmmakers need to understand what makes or breaks a period film.

The promotional teaser of a film is extremely crucial. Also, it should develop a desire amongst film buffs to watch the film. Most importantly, filmmakers need to accept the fact that good music gives any film a good opening. The idea is to make a period films with a heart and soul in the right place, which will help produce a masterpiece.