|
|
|
|
|
|
Multiplex and Crossover Movies |
|
 The world has now become a global village with information (about foreign cultures, lifestyles etc) reaching to and from all parts of the globe in an instant. India, after adopting LPG (liberalization, privatization and globalization) in the first half of the 1990s, could no longer remain in the cocoon as different foreign satellite channels made inroads to Indian households. The changes brought by those international channels were many folds. Mentalities started to change with Indians feeling less dogmatic about issues such as homosexuality, live-in relationships, boozing and the like. Desperate situations call for desperate measures and Indian cinema thus soon caught up with this changing reality and a completely new genre called Multiplex or Crossover movies was born. Though this reality is wrapped in glamour, this genre nonetheless shows reality as it is. There are certain salient features that are observed in films which are representative of this genre.
|
|
 The first and foremost is the realistic theme. Not only the themes are real, the treatment too is increasingly life like. The trail blazer is ‘Hyderabad Blues’ (1998), a film by Nagesh Kukunoor. Like the protagonist of the film, every urban and educated Indian wants to know his partner better before committing himself for a life long relationship. The dilemma thus faced by the chemical engineer of ‘Hyderabad Blues’ who can no longer agree to marrying someone without first being acquainted with her-is what made every urban male identify with himself. The location of films coming under this genre is also very real. In fact the film itself is painted with local color. ‘Hyderabad Blues’ for example, scents of Hyderabad. The spirit of Mumbai is likewise exuded by ‘Jhankar Beats’(2003). The human elements in these generic films are equally realistic. I would even dare to comment that unlike mainstream films, which lie outside this genre; crossover films give filmmakers a lot more room to post mortem the psyche of characters. The reason again is the realistic theme.
|
|
 Multiplex films are mainly targeted towards urban, middle class and educated youths. The reason being-psychologically youths are much more open minded when something new is thrown at them. They may or may not like it but they would certainly go and watch that. Besides, a youth of today faces the same problems and thus readily identifies himself with the protagonist. An analysis of plot of crossover films proves validity of this argument. ‘Mumbai Matinee’ (2003) is a film that deals with a highly tabooed theme-sex. Sex in mainstream Indian films has always been hushed at by the censor board of India. So ‘Mumbai Matinee’ is no doubt a bold attempt. The storyline is about a 32 year old eligible bachelor, desperate to lose virginity. The end however sees him finding a life partner instead of a mere bed partner.
Multiplex films are distinctive from mainstream films in another respect. The protagonists of these films are not stereotypically good looking or the proverbial ‘Knight in a shining armor’ sort of people. Contrary to that, the protagonist is often a common looking man who unlike a mainstream hero, can’t sing impromptu. This inability, on the other hand, looks very real to a young Indian, desperate to see logic interwoven with entertainment. Last but not the least, crossover films use a lingo (English mixed with Hindi) that today’s youths speak. This helps its target audience to identify themselves better with crossover films.
Crossover or Multiplex films have really brought a new breeze to the Indian cinema. There is an attempt to mirror the changing reality and more importantly what today’s youths think. In fact Indian cinema can even be said as maturing slowly. Though the future of these kinds of films can’t be predicted with certainty; it is however undeniable that multiplex or crossover films are increasingly being liked by the younger generation. This fact becomes more promising as India boasts of the maximum number of young people in the world.
|
|
| « Go back |
Go to Top |
|
|
 |
|
