The wider audience also translates to more opportunities for films targeted at niche audiences since a small number of these audiences in different pockets could still add up to sizeable number of viewers. The budget is what gives the film its 'look' and Tamil cinema is at an obvious disadvantage here. Hindi cinema has a pan-Indian reach and this wider reach means that Hindi films have a bigger budget since costs can be recouped much faster. But there is a lot more maturity in the way subjects like affairs - pre-marital or extra-marital - are handled and there does seem to be a trend towards songs playing in the background rather than being lip-synced.īefore I'm branded a Tamil cinema-hater, let me say that I do understand that the situations in Tamil and Hindi are different. The changes in romance aren't as obvious as in the above cases since we still see the weak romances and duets in foreign locations. I'm not saying that all laws of physics are adhered to in these action sequences but it is easier to accept the breaking of the laws(like in Dhoom 2 or even Dus) when they are picturized with style.
The action is now in chases(on foot or in many different kinds of vehicles) and gunfights. Gone are the days when a lone hero, defying all laws of physics and human ability, bashed up an assortment of goons in fight sequences. Action is another department where the change is obvious. They do have comedians but blend the comedy in to the main track. Even romances like Kismat Konnection, fantasy-comedies like Thodaa Pyaar Thodaa Magic and action-comedies like Singh is Kinng don't have comedians striving to make us laugh in a track that has little or no link to the main storyline. And I'm not talking about just the offbeat, non-mainstream films either. I haven't seen a separate comedy track in any of the recent Hindi films. Lets consider the three staples of cinema - comedy, action and romance. The actors' receptivity to varied roles obviously allows the directors more freedom in coming up with interesting stories and creating intriguing characters.Īnother big factor is that Hindi films don't seem to be stuck in the past and have made changes that keep moving their cinema forward. Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan play bad guys as easily as they play action heroes and Abishek Bachan and John Abraham, who have achieved heartthrob status, are getting ready to play gay men in their next film. Its no longer even a surprise to see Aamir Khan play a terrorist or Shah Rukh Khan play the coach(without a romantic pair or a duet) of a hockey team. Proving their versatility to themselves and others seems to be their priority. They are willing to take on any role that interests them and provides enough fodder for their acting.
The biggest factor in Hindi's cinema's transformation is, I believe, the complete lack of 'image' among the Hindi actors. At the same time the quality of Tamil cinema has slid to scary levels with recycled stories, lacklustre screenplays, over-the-top heroism and a 'follow the herd' mentality. They are exploring diverse and unique subjects, tackling fresh stories and experimenting with new styles and approaches in storytelling. Hindi cinema has seen a remarkable resurgence and Hindi films of late have showed a marked increase in quality.
It was around that time that I wrote an article on how Tamil cinema could boast of the best talents in Indian cinema(best actor - Kamal, best director - Manirathnam, best music director(s) - Ilaiyaraja/Rahman, best dancer - Prabhu Deva, etc.).īut the tables have slowly but surely turned. Their films looked good but lacked soul as they were mounted on lavish budgets and pandered shamelessly to the NRI fraternity.
I sincerely felt that Tamil cinema had better subjects and stronger stories while Hindi cinema churned out films that were mostly rip-offs of foreign and South Indian films. That wasn't the Tamil chauvinist in me getting riled up or me playing devil's advocate just for the sake of an argument either. It wasn't too long ago that I vehemently argued, with anyone who held a contrarian opinion, that Tamil cinema was way ahead of Hindi cinema as far as quality goes.
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