Most of my posts will be discussing the the negative elements of Bollywood movies. I don’t thing it would be fair of me to not touch the positives at all. So for my first post, I will by talking about the good things that have come out of Bollywood cinema. Let me just say: Spoiler Alert.
I am born in 2000 and up until 4 years ago, I refused to watch or listen to anything BM (Before Me). I had a couple exceptions to this like DDLJ or KKHH but for the most part, I would not watch any movies that released before the year 2000. Mostly because I found it difficult to relate to the content. Like every time I hear the kabootar ja song, I just think, if only they could text each other, this half an hour movie scene (yes, I am definitely exaggerating) would have been over 28 minutes ago. Because of this, I have not seen movies from before the 80’s (except Mughal e Azam, of course).
I soon realized that old movies had a lot more to offer than just nostalgia to my parents. It showed me what the culture was while my parents were growing up. Some things I absolutely love about 80’s and 90’s movies are the concept of everlasting love, the importance of family and the value of friends. These things are hard to come by in current movies, which I will be discussing later.
Let’s start with everlasting love. I was watching Yeh Hai Aashiqui, its a TV show for those who don’t know, and one of the episodes had a quote I really liked.
“Romeo aur Juliet zamane se lade apne pyar ke liye, aur yeh dono [referring to the modern couple] khud itna lad th hai ke zamane ki zarurat hi nahi padti.”
Now I watched this episode maybe 5 years ago, but this line stuck with me. Its a commentary on how our generation loves. We, for the most part, do not have to fight our parents or society, so we just fight each other. This rarely happened in 80s and 90s movies. (I know that this also resulted in toxic couples staying together when they clearly should not have been, but this post is about the good couples that overcame obstacles.) In 80s and 90s movies, once two people decided that they were in love, they would fight tooth and nail to stay together. Breaking up wasn’t an option and somehow, they were able to make it work. I know this is a huge generalization because movies like Dhadkan and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam showed the main couple breaking up and QSQT had the main characters die at the end but I am talking about other movies where couples fought all odds. Classics like DDLJ or Maine Pyar Kia, where breaking up may seem easier, but the couple sticks together and win. Watching such movies made me feel that love is eternal and can win if both people put in the effort. It showed my how powerful love can be.
Let’s move on to the importance of family. One example that comes to mind, that I think you might be thinking of as well, is Hum Saath Saath Hai. Movies now focus on self-care and independence, which is very important, but the support of family in the 90’s is irreplaceable. I will be diving into the cons of HSSH, such as letting Salman Khan drive a bus with little kids on it (JK) in another post. But it is undeniable that this movie showed how powerful family can be if you raise your kids right. The strength of good support system is vital. Although old flicks usually show lovers fighting against their family, these movies usually do conclude with a happily ever after with the family. The emotional attachments that are shown in the old cinema it too beautiful but cannot be recreated now.
Lastly, the importance of friends. Usually, when the lovers need a safe space in these movies, they turn to their friends who would do anything to help them. Movies like Ishq or Jo Jeeta Wo Sikandar show how true friends are willing to die for you. When there is a ‘bhaag ke shadi’ scene, it the friends who come to the rescue of the couple in question.
Old bollywood flicks do an amazing job in portraying the strength of relationships, weather they are romantic, familial or platonic. They demonstrate the the benevolence a person shows when they accept that they are part of something bigger than them. I have a lot more to say about these movies such as the grand sets, clothing and scenes but I want to keep this post more focused on plot related events.
One movie I want to consider from the 00’s era that has qualities completely opposite to 90’s movies, but still is an amazing movie is Aja Nachle. Probably not what you were expecting but think about it: a divorced woman (not everlasting love), who had been estranged from her family for years because she ran away and whose best friend ends up deceiving her. Not 90’s-esq at all but still an amazing story. With that, I want to transition to modern movies. Movies now promote self-love and independence like never seen before. I would like to think that it started with Aja Nachle. Madhuri Dixit plays a strong woman who knows how to take decisions for herself and herself only. She won’t let outside forces interfere with her goals and dreams.
Movies like Break Ke Baad and Love Ajj Kal promote independence and freedom. Although the main couple do end up together in both movies, they don’t rush into anything and find each other again only after the time is right. They take an opportunity to grow as individuals rather than compromising that growth. This is one this old movies do not offer, growth of characters as individuals rather than a part of a group. I really do admire movies like this because they have a much more realistic portrayal of love, and a new type of love that we just discovered in India, self love. It’s a concept we still need to explore but I think we are at a pretty great starting point.
Hulchul and Kismat Konnection show that you can have a great life even if you are far away from your family.
Movies have a lot to offer. They aren’t a mirror of society, but rather a reflection on a river. When outside influences move about, it doesn’t just cause the change to be seen in the reflections, but also causes ripples and disturbances throughout the water.
I would love any and all comments about what you think about the post. What are your favorite lessons/things about Bollywood, either old or new?
The Rebellious Bollywoodist 