That seems to be the mentality of most of us and media.
Recent reviews about SLB's "Black" announce ad-nauseam that this movie is Oscar class.
Gimme a break.
Are really Oscars a benchmark for good movies??
What about Oscars given to some shitty movies like "American Beauty" ( many might say that it is a great movie...but why ??? ), Eric Bron@#$%( I dont know the spelling)etc...
Why our Indian media and audience go gaga over oscars? Why do we compare ourselves with Hollywood?? Because it is big, rich or are we still living in that age of western superiority??
If Black is really good and it doesnt get Oscar, what is the big deal?
Why do we say in every review that it is Oscar level o some crap?
Why dont we say it is a good movie?
From other perspective, I think it is for the market and money. If a movie gets or atleast gets nomination for Oscar and is played in some so called film fests the movie rakes in big bucks.
I would really love to see a review which says that movie is good and suits its time rather than reading that the movie is Oscar level and some generations ahead of its times.
Everyone knows that Western Industry is biased and they dont give an Oscar to some movie from a Third World Country. Still, we hope that atleast this time they would give it to us.....
But I really appreciate SLB for making a different movie in the times of Mallika Sherawats and Neha Dhupias. Bollywood these days is churning out either sleaze or some poor remake of a South Indian superhit.
Untill and unless we stop looking for Wests' patting and try improving our own standards no use is done to the Film Industry expecially for Bollywood.
Bengalis Speaking Hindi
13 hours ago
3 comments:
Surya,
I totally agree with you on this. Indians dont some foreign reviewer and critic to tell him how good hte movie is or certify the credibility of the movie. Every movie director should convey what he/she really wants to say and it has to be accepted by the audience. Not just in the movies generally i have feeling the one thing that differentiate between us and the chinese are the feeling everything western is superior. We might have beel able to chase the westerners out, but not able to chase the attitude they left on us.
One advantage i see getting your movies nominated for OSCARs is that it indirectly translate into money in forms of DVD rights and overseas media distribution rights. You find LAGAAN DVD in most of the blockbuster video store under the foreign category, and movie had a good run in theatres here after it was nominated.
Hello Surya gaaru,
What ever you said in the post was right. Oscars are not the only benchmarks fro film making and also the reasons under which certain movies get oscars still escapes all imagination. The point of you mentioned was quite legitimate - well, why does a guy like SLB make movies in the first place? "money" of course! So if this venture is for commercial purposes - so be it. The money that comes in will help Indian cinema in turn. Coming to your comment - I totally agree that sometimes we do feel that oscars go to undeserving movies. But the examples you chose were bad. "American beauty" portrayed the American way of life and its ehtical hollowness - thats what appealed to the audience as well as the judges. Coming to Erin Brockovich it is the story of single-mom, mother of three, neck deep in debts who takes head-on a big industrial giant that is dumping toxic waste into a river that serves as the only source of drinking water for a town. Both these movies offer two varied and very down-to-earth aspects of american life. Just like these cnavases depicting American life appeared "shitty" to you a musical like "Lagaan" or "Devdas" would appear "shitty" or sans-substance to them (Oscar judges). So we have to admit for a fact that Oscars are for the Americans and Filmfare is for the Indians and we have to grow up beyond this "pro-oscar" & "against-oscar" thing. We should all remember that the films of a particular country are nothing but the representation of the way of life of their people on celluloid
@Xenas..
Rajasekhar...good to see you here.
Why I chose those exapmles....American Beauty and Erin Br....??
Because OScars to those movies clearly tell you that Oscars are not for the entire world. They are only for US.
If Erin Bro..deserves an Oscar for fighting against Toxins....then our own Ravi Tejas' movie ( what is its name?? ) which is a remake of Tamil Dhool also deserves an Indian counter part of Oscar. But we are better than that ....arent we??
If Oscars dont recognise musicals ....then how come a crappy musical like "Moulin Rouge " get so many Oscars?? Isnt it sheer hypocracy??
Cinemas used to represent the society ..that is way back. Now, I think most of them are representing the confusion of ethics and tradition. And , the audience tend to appreciate what they aspire to be but dont have the guts to be.
Movies like Swadesh, Lagaan..etc...tell you only that.
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