It has been many years in the making, actually more than 100
years.
The Hindi Film Industry has given us a lot. Our highs, our
lows. Our celebrations, our deliberations. Our stars, our politicians.
It has given us our dance steps, it has given us our moments
of ecstasy.
There is a movie that reflects every mood of ours, a song
that paraphrases every aspiration of ours, a lyric that embodies every dream of
ours.
Some small snippets of how Bollywood has ingrained itself into
our psyche…
Think Patriotism – Aye mere watan ke logon.
Think Indian Sports Win – Chak de India
Think male bonding (not the modern kind!) – Satte pe satta
Think Romance – Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
Think Ma – Deewar, Mother India.
If one were to say Bollywood is India’s breath, one would
not be way off.
If Bollywood Influences India, who influences Bollywood?
Historically, it is the trio of the west, east and the north
that has shaped the Bollywood that we know of.
Even since Dada Saheb Phalke started making movies, it has
either been a Punjabi/ Muslim combination, a Maharashtrian or a Bengali who has
contributed to the industry.
Some of the most beautiful songs of Hindi have been sung by
the Maharashtrian sisters of Lata and Asha.
The most handsome and drool-worthy heroes have been Punjabis or
Muslims – the Kapoors, Kumars and the Khans.
The songs that have stirred our souls have been sung or composed
by the Bengalis – Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Pancham Da.
Effectively, between Maharashtra, Bengal and the Punjab,
Bollywood has been shaped.
Things started changing in the last few decades.
The Tamil industry started making its mark nationally. Some
of the finest movies of the recent past like Roja, Bombay, Guru have been made
by Mani Ratnam.
With Shankar Mahadevan, Kavita Krishnamoorthy entering the
world of music, the Tamil impact went up further.
And, then, of course, there was AR Rahman, a genius possessing
such divine talent that he dwarfed every other music director.
To anyone north of the Vindhyas, these were all South
Indians.
Very much like the Americans to whom the Indians, Chinese
were all Asians.
But, to the Telugu, the Kannadiga and the Malayalee, it
mattered. We were different, we were unique and we had talent to offer.
The Telugu Film industry has been historically, among the
largest in the country in terms of films made each year.
But, did it matter? Very much like India, the second most
populous country in the world not winning any Olympic medal.
To a proud Telugu this was unacceptable. How could our
contribution be so paltry!
And, Bahubali changed it!
In a volcanic eruption of cinematographic brilliance and
technical chutzpah, this movie took the world by storm.
A director’s courage and conviction to do something different
has created a masterpiece that the country is proud of.
Suddenly, people know of a director called Rajamouli and his
rootsfa as the Telugu Industry.
The fact that almost two months after its release the movie
is running to packed houses in theatres in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai that too in
its dubbed version is testimony to its power.
Yes, the Telugus can take pride in the fact that they are
contributing to the Bollywood pot. Some of the biggest Salman hits like Kick,
Wanted, Ready are remakes of Telugu Films.
The biggest story?
The man who scripted the two largest hits in Indian film industry –
Bahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a Telugu.
Hey Maharashtrians, Bengalis, Punjabis, UP Wallahs and
Tamilians, there is a new kid on the block who is shaking up Bollywood, it is a
Telugu artist! Bahubali is just a sample of that!
