Philosophy Ours

Movies.
Not everyone likes to read books.

But anybody can sit in front of a cinema screen for three hours.
Movies are the socially viable currency of change.

A film society as diverse as India offers a never-ending run at movies.

Hindi-speaking movies, Tamil movies, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and other regional industries- Cultural diversity as Creative Stimuli.

India is a land of Stories and Avatars.

Bollywood- We growing younger, raising a man inside, getting old, and living by the songs of the golden era.

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The last two or three decades have diverted our attention first to International cinema and then falling back to regional roots- Southern Cinema.

Southern Cinema (Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and others) has a heritage of folklore heroes to stop messing with the superhero spirit.

Bollywood in the 50s, 60s, & 70s

What worked for Bollywood in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and so on is working behind the success of Southern Indian Cinema in the current phase.

What works for any field is a system of values and chained hierarchy.

Talent is about recognition, support, a social system, and a school.

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Southern Cinema Terminology:

• Tollywood (Telugu)

• Kollywood (Tamil)

• Mollywood (Malayalam)

• Sandalwood (Kannada)

Putting all the film industries and their potential together, the Indian film industry stands atop the competition. Not going to talk about what’s in store and how the Pan-Indian movie releases have broadened our horizons, we need to focus on the audience’s role in it.

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Cinema Inspiration’ Team and Our Roadmap for the Audience

Watch out for what speaks to your

• Interests
• Perspective

What speaks to your

• Values
• Vision

What rattles your

• Nerves

What puts your belief system

• to test

What opens a new and middle path

• emerging from the set grounds in society

What opens

• a new world within the same and boring one in your and others’ lives

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Don’t watch something because it’s a

• popular director
• popular movie
• popular star cast

Watch it because you want to underline how a popular cast/director/production house

• helps you to put things in a bin
• helps you to identify the ones trying to copy or emulate and bask in the reflected glory

List of a few notable projects:

• Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain (1999)
• Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai (2000)
• Hera Pheri (2000)
• Nayak- The Real Hero (2002)
• Tera Naam (2003)
• Garam Masala (2005)
• Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)
• Billu (2009)

Have another look. Found anything intriguing? Either you have been cheated. Or there is a layer of deception you need to overcome. Some of these projects have created iconic characters and hit franchises. What was unique among these films?

These were the remake versions of Southern movies.
All of them.

Is that, alone, a talking point?

There is more to claw your fingers in. To fight for.
To fight for your share in the history books of cinema.

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A new Bollywood era began. What a refreshing start!

Audiences showed their class. They never borrowed time to adapt to a new genre of comedy. A new genre of film-making. A new genre of star power.

The era when side characters became mass popular and carved a territory for themselves. They were not an interruption happening between the two connecting incidents. Their roles were studied, researched, and etched with utmost diligence and care. They were not a standout material but glued the plot like a missing piece.

There’s another riddle.

• The seamless transition of Southern movies to the Hindi-speaking taste of the audiences.
• The master storytelling gave us the impression that the team is making the movie in Bollywood and the credit goes to the charm and nostalgia of our industry.
• The originals were set in a different era, with different backdrops, and a fascinating dialect.

Priyadarshan (Director, Screenwriter)

He entered, played, ruled over the masses, box office magician, won, went back, and left the industry in an ever-missing presence of his craft. Bollywood struggled (pleasantly) in a way they have been adding new chapters to the hit franchise or following a style reminiscent of his signature.

It was the breakthrough decade in comedy cinema from 2000-2010.

Has the industry been able to repeat performances in his absence?

We have this much to add- Made caricatures out of the characters he built.

Priyadarshan served comedy in a non-geographical sense.

Audiences laughed, enjoyed, and made jokes around it. Look at the favorite memes of the last couple of years- Priyadarshan should go down as the man who made us laugh in movies, jokes, and memes.

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At the start of the twentieth century, Bollywood ventured into the Pan-India flavor and mass appeal. In the first decade, the remake versions captured the audience and box office numbers. In the second decade, it was the Pan-India factor.

The first decade (2000-2010) was path-breaking for its novelty and creative kill. The new wave rode on compelling remakes and no regional-barrier approach.

The Nosedive Statement

Bollywood struggles to deliver noticeable projects at a time when OTT has brought the world cinema to the dinner table, which has cast an unfair comparison with its Southern counterparts. The comparison fuels compassion and creativity. If it fails to raise the bar on either side, the outcome is seen as winners and losers.

Cinema Inspiration Team’ and Circumstances

The remake years and the franchise favoritism lay doubts on the long-term plan. The industry has taken time to take off and the hunger for original and experiential content is growing. The remakes and franchise love were an additional bonus, not the get-to-theater deal.

We maintain the belief that audiences must keep their Senses On to have the first chance to turn cinema into an art gallery.

Even if a project helps to tick a single box in the list via:

• camera work
• storytelling
• acting
• direction
• music score

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Have a list of your favorite directors, actors, and other categories. Celebrate them. Stay protective if they endorse mediocrity at any point in the name of follower-ship or any other bait.