Why popular culture is riding the nostalgia wave
There is something deeply comforting about the past. We find solace in it. With our lives forced to change in the past two years at speeds that have made us uncomfortable, and the mandate with which we just had to adapt, we relied on the comfort of the familiar, of the past we had all lived through. Pop culture catered to that need, again and again.
The time was right for a ‘Friends: The Reunion’. The celebration of one of the most successful sitcoms of all time set the modern world into a tizzy. People watched their favorite actors reminiscing about playing iconic characters, and talking about the experience of creating one of the greatest comfort watches of all time. The reunion didn’t have a story. It just had memories, questions and hat tips of episodes that made us laugh.
Similarly, for a generation that grew up reading Harry Potter, the films were as special as the books. While they didn’t live up to JK Rowling’s creation on paper, there is no denying their cast got etched in our minds.
When you re-read Harry Potter, many of those actors become the faces of the characters. The 20th anniversary of the release of the first film brought us all back to Hogwarts. Again, the show ‘Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts’, was an escape, a balm into closets of what we knew is important and familiar. Despite J K Rowling’s deeply problematic statements on gender, fans of the books and the films couldn’t resist a trip down the magical memory lane.
India has witnessed a similar trend. Advertising has borrowed and unlocked nostalgia. Whether it is looking at Kumar Sanu, Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath in ads once again, or watching cinema stars of yesteryears on screen has been refreshing and comforting.
Remixes are not new to the Indian industry. And yet, mostly the tracks of the 70s were being reinterpreted. Nostalgia is now closer and within our lifespan — the 90s being redone. So whether it is ‘Let the music play’ or the iconic ‘Tip tip barsa paani’ (‘Sooryavanshi’), these are tracks that have offered innumerable memories, and therefore the strong connection with them.
The Ranveer Singh-starrer ‘83’, an ode to one of India’s greatest cricketing achievements, has a special significance today. Rarely in India do we see non-topical biopics. ‘83’, like ‘Dangal’ (2016), isn’t responding to a trend of real-life people to reel. It is actually celebrating a momentous journey, one that many witnessed, laced with the simplicity of the time it was accomplished in. The film insisted on the authenticity of not just the mannerisms or styles of the players, but it also focused on how their journey, from underdogs to champions, had an impact on the society.
The trailer of ‘Jurrasic World Domination’, which dropped last week, is being called a nostalgia fest. Back home, the announcement of a trilogy on Shaktimaan, one of India’s iconic superheroes, sent the 90s kids into a frenzy on the internet. It appears as if the trend of cashing-in on the nostalgia wave is here to stay in popular culture.
What is so beautiful about nostalgia though? Its familiarity, and the safety it offers. In a world where everything and anything has the potential to wound us- whether fragmenting relationships, online hate, stories of everyday violence, our own helplessness at the decaying social, political and intellectual fabric of our country, escapes into familiar landscapes of popular culture offer a balm to the lonely fights we undertake. Where there are no surprises, no potential to be hurt, and inexplicable comfort, that this at least, is not about to change.
(The author is a poet, gender activist and ad-woman).
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