A celebration of B-Grade, pulpy cinema

Cinema Marte Dum Tak

Hindi (Docu-series/Amazon Prime Video)

Creator: Vasan Bala

Rating: 3/5

Indian cinema had a ‘below the mainstream’ movement from the 1980s till the early 2000s. Despite their widespread popularity, the films that were part of this movement were termed ‘B’ and ‘C’ grade ventures. Vasan Bala’s ‘Cinema Marte Dum Tak’ docu-series is an effort to recognise the cultural significance of these pulp films.

As shown in the docu-series, the core formula of these films involves the protagonist seeking revenge after suffering from a tragedy. The makers, back then, marketed these films — made on small budgets and featuring non-famous faces — based on the idea that ‘sex sells’. If we think about it, not much has changed today.

This documentary sheds light on how these films faced the problem of harsh criticism. Insights like how successful these films were and how the makers never lost money for decades can be revelatory for contemporary audiences.

After watching the first few episodes, one may wonder how something so cringeworthy can be the topic of critical appreciation. Yet, as the documentary keeps adding more and more layers, it ceases to be hilarious.

The documentary follows four filmmakers — J Neelam, Kishan Shah, Dilip Gulati, and Vinod Talwar, as they attempt to recreate their “classics” from the 90s and the early 2000s. Making money through low-budget content to please a section of the audience has never received much attention in the mainstream. The documentary does justice to this aspect.

Sneha Khanwalkar’s ode to pulp movie music is a highlight of the documentary, where she took empty lyrics and made them into a pop hit. However, the documentary turns a blind eye to the sexist ideas of these films. It makes no remark whatsoever about the male gaze in Indian mainstream films.

‘Cinema Marte Dum Tak’ does not address the plight of the women performers, who suffered from objectification.

Flaws apart, creator Vasan Bala and the four directors involved deserve praise for attempting to talk about a taboo yet influential topic that was rarely discussed outside of academic circles. The makers however fail to address the misogyny encouraged by it.