MYTHBUSTER

this is an article from this sundays edition of 'daily jang' which of course is a paki newspaper..thought u d be interested...read on, it s kinda longish

India's new breed of films: breaking taboo barriers

"There is no such thing as adult movies now. Television and Internet has changed all that," says Usha Nayyar, a social researcher at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai.

By Mohsin Jaffri

With the dawn of information age, computer-links multiplying, Internet capability reaching new heights, data bank capacity going beyond imagination and visual clips on all subjects abound; what is there that can be veiled from the eyes of whoever surfs the web of his choice. In the knowledge field, the distinction between what a young person can grasp and an adult can understand is narrowing to the extent of becoming meaningless. The impact of this new revolution is more effective in the third world and developing countries where people, in the past, were allowed only 'controlled' information and access to the highly advanced social and cultural concepts were rigidly denied. That is no more possible now. The ruling authorities in some countries, India being one, has accepted the reality and are learning to bow down to 'free media environment'.

In this revolution, the western social and cultural concepts of 'right to choose' for adults and 'sex' taken as normal activity removed all the barriers from under the traditional stronghold of 'taboo'. Also, within this concept and a new approach to free market economy, 'whatever is sellable shall be sold', women found that a 'good figure and face' has a value in market. This helped women (talented and not-so-talented) take advantage of market economy and achieve economic independence.

In India, where women were trapped in centuries old traditions and were made to follow in the footsteps of mythological 'daasi' characters, women were subdued as "born to serve". But all this is changing now. With greater access to education (educational centres, school and colleges multiplying) and more open policy allowing foreign media to enter freely in India, young generation now seem to have more confidence in discussing, tackling such issues that were taboo just a decade ago. India, much ahead in Information Technology compared to its neighbours is also far ahead in accepting the revolution and meeting it. And it takes a positive route by accepting the challenge and implementing liberal policies to create a progressive environment.

India's censor policy has also gone through a complete overhaul. What was a complete no-no some years ago has not only become acceptable but is seen in a respectful vein - and not a mere cheap thrill.

There was a time when a film like Ram Teri Ganga Maili in which an attempt was made (daring for the time) to break taboo subject of sex (explicit encounters outside marriage) but didn't succeed. It actually raised quite a hue and cry. The audience not only felt uneasy but angry too. But a decade and a half later with the young generation better educated, well informed and with access to cultural environments of the western world and entering a liberal age in their own country accepted a highly sex-oriented film like Kama Sutra. Some so-called fundamentalists did create commotion but that was all. This was a courageous attempt and opened the way for 'free and frank' discussions on big and small screens both on taboo subjects.

India adopted a policy of 'liberalism in its true spirit'. She allowed women to come out in the open and choose and define their own role in the society. This helped the Indian women to emerge as 'reborn', accepting new challenges and creating a respectable place for themselves in society. The Indian film industry revitalised with the introduction of highly educated young girls and young men joining the industry, moved towards more open policy. With 'nothing barred' concept and stories, the image and quality of the screen became open and progressive.

Two films, Hey Ram and Gadar, took up the tricky subject of the division of India and birth of Pakistan. This was again for the first time that subject like this (sensitive to good neighbourly relation) was put on screen. Now, with mature and more educated audience, Indian film industry attempted another sensitive and taboo subject in Kya Kehna a story revolving around a single unwed mother, which turned into a box-office success - a subject that could not have been discussed in the open only a decade ago became a big-screen production. Another daring subject about 'live-in relationship' was filmed with the title Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai. This too managed to pull crowds without any agitation, fuss or criticism.

Anupama Chopra, a film commentator for the weekly newsmagazine India Today, says, "I think the biggest change is the way films have started dealing with relationships. It has become more natural and realistic." Indian women with newly found confidence through education and economic opportunities in job markets felt at ease with some of the taboo barriers removed and entered the new liberal environment with full confidence. In 'new mood society' taking the bull by the horn, more experiments were taken in. Another film Fire, based on 'relationship between two women' drew big crowds. Fire was produced by former actress Deepa Mehta who reasoned the choice of the subject on the grounds that there should be no dark corners in society that people shouldn't know about. Deepa Mehta's courage in tackling a taboo issue was appreciated by many liberal social groups and the film received critical approval. Soon another film being produced by Kalpana Lajmi (yet to be titled) would be in the market bringing the environment of the ancient city of Khajuraho, famous for its sexually explicit sculptures.

In a survey carried out in India, asking what the new generation of cinemagoers want, the reply was "something new reflecting the changes that are taking place and certainly not the old stuff". It is a known fact that India's film industry is the largest in the world. It produces on an average 160 films in Hindi (Urdu) and around 650 films in various provincial languages annually.

Indian film industry is now fully developed with the best technology related equipments, skilled computer animations, highly educated actors and actresses and fully skilled dancers (classical and modern). The demand for Indian films in foreign markets of the east and west is growing fast. Every thing begins from home, according to one estimate, the cinemagoers in India stand around 60 million per day; this has helped the industry to grow tremendously and to enter export market too.

The Indian film industry, film stories, subjects and issues being handled, and the new liberalism reflect that Hollywood is dead and Bollywood has come of age. Whether it means better cinema or not, only time will tell, one can safely assume that 'trite' could take a break for a while till the audience explore cinema that is unconventional, realistic and is closer to life.