i spent the new year's eve watching "main azaad hoon"... a 1989 tinnu anand's film in which amitabh bachchan acted... quite interesting concept... though the film could have been much better done, i guess... the understanding of the power of mass media is quite nice... but then the film goes too formulaic... and the music is too much and all... 

 

that's not why this blog entry is but the film probable made me think... well, it is quite interesting how cinema reflects the society at any given points of time... as to how the hero changed from the basic labour class or the struggling unemployed youth to the millionaire kids to the present supposedly "aam janta" (the common man) notion... as to how the mainstream industry's focus has changed from a person's need for roti, kapda and makaan... to sort of relationship issues and family drama kind of stuff of people who don't only NOT have to be worrying about any of the practical aspects of life  (the roti, kapda aur makaan or the kheer for that matter)... with the current focus on maybe trying to redeem the "aam janta", the common man... but interestingly this common man doesn't have to worry about the daily livelihood but can't really be affording to jump off the helicopter and be running into the castle...

what i find interesting is also the fact that earlier people wanted to see the poor man beating up the rich guys... and get aroused by it, i guess... in the sense that they would probably take pleasure from the fact that the working class could win over the "bourgeois"... at least on the screen... and thereby the adrenaline rush when the labours would find their "hero" (who cannot even afford to get his next meal) who would beat the hell out of the seth ji.

then came "globalisation" and "industrial reforms" and our country's outlook became more capitalistic than socialistic... and so did change the outlook of the people... and thereby the reflection on the screen... nobody seemed interested in stories of the poor anymore it seemed... everyone wanted to potray on screen a lifestyle which was supposedly desirable... which people would look up to and aspire... the aspiration had changed from beating the bourgeoise to becoming one... to be one of those who could probably jump off the helicopter to run into the castle to meet his mother after a long long time... 

but then something else happened... i don't understand it completely as of now... maybe more will be understood in retrospect... but anyway... then again the common man empowerment movement has begun... and this time the common man is different than any other... it is a middle aged service class guy who gets enough salary to not have to worry about food and shelter but is certainly not a very influential character... or a very powerful fellow at that... but never the less it wins, because of what the situation has inspired him to become... be it the social situation or the personal life situation... our "hero" rises upto the situation...

but why are we talking about all this??? i don't know... i really don't... anyway...