FROM    ‘ DO BIGHA ZAMEEN’ IN 1954 TO   ‘DABANG’IN 2011

O  FILMFARE !   WHAT     A     FALL

       

In   1954  the first   filmfare  awards  were  announced  and  ‘Do Bigha Zameen’  was adjudged as the best film of the year. It  was  a  befitting tribute to the downtrodden people of rural India  who  are  forced by exploitation to  seek irregular employment in cities in order to save their land from the clutches of the Zamindars. The film produced and directed by Bimal Roy was a landmark film in Indian Cinema and was influenced by the neo-realism cinema of Italy particularly ‘The bicycle Thieves’ by De Sica.  It was in fact a precursor to Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’ which was released in 1955

Cinema with social purpose reflecting the problems of society was the theme of the times—‘Boot Polish’, ‘Do Ankhen Barah Haath’ etc.  As we move to 2011 we witness that   ‘Dabang’ an ordinary masala film but hugely successful at cash  counters  winning  the  best  film  award  of  2010.The journey from 1954 to 2010 has witnessed many developments in the sphere of cinema particularly in the technical field and organisational matters .The planning and emphasis on time is of significance but certainly in terms of quality and story telling  there is a significant decline. The spirit of ‘romanticism’ has been lost to aggressive commercialism. Are we expected to be silent when we witness such degeneration? In times such as these when everything has a price and is suspected to be  on sale, from news to reviews to awards; what standards are expected to be maintained? I remember in the nineties when Shahrukh  Khan  won his first Filmfare award for ‘Baazigar’  he announced on stage whilst  accepting the trophy that he was so desperate to possesses the filmfare award that he had even brought money in his pocket in case the same was required. He may have said that in zest but the irony is that  the same  Khan had to muster all  his  ‘resources’  in order to grab the best actor award for ‘My Name is Khan’ even though Hritik Roshan performed much better in ‘Guzarish’, his performance was applauded by both critics as well as cinegoers. It is the reflection of the changed times.

The path of  rise  and decline of  Filmfare  could be ascertained from the path of our national ethos since independence. During the fifties and  sixties the ideals of freedom struggle prevailed and therefore meaningful yet entertaining films  were  made and awarded such as , ‘Boot Polish’, ‘Jagriti’,’ ‘Mother India’,‘Sujata’, ‘Bandini’, ’Sahib Bivi Aur Gulam. Though largely it was the spirit of that period , but credit must be given to Filmfare for awarding Bimal Roy 11 times from 1954 to 1964. Seven times for Best Director and four for best film. In the present times Bimal Roy would have been relegated to Critics’ Award category!  The actual decline came a little later but the first indications were observed in 1966 itself when ‘Himalaya ki God Mein’ was adjudged the best film ignoring the only war epic ‘Haquiquat’ of Chetan Ananad which was a commercial success with superhit music.  The reason is inexplicable. The shocker came in 1967 when  ‘Guide’ was ignored in Best Music category and the award was bagged by Shankar Jaikishen for now much forgettable film ‘Sooraj’ ( Baharon phool barsao mera mehboob ayya hai) .Can any one condone Filmfare for such a criminal offence to the sensitivity of all music lovers ? But indeed Society is superior to Filmfare and it has showered such love and devotion to Sachinda that the scars of being ignored do not exist; but the character of Filmfare was revealed. Its growing  insensitiveness to Art and Culture was amply displayed in 1973 when Sohan Lal Kanwarwon the award in the best film and  best director category sidelining Kamal Amrohi for the Classic ‘Paakeeza’. That year Beimaan’ a film starring Manoj Kumar( it is said that he ghost directed the film) bagged 7 awards; an ordinary film. How will Filmfare redeem itself of such sins!

  Coinciding with our National ethos by the end of sixties the spirit of fairness had given way to favouritism and the benefits of propaganda and publicity was gaining currency. In between out of sheer compulsion to maintain its facade of uprightness and its leadership of film journalism Satyajit Ray was awarded for ‘Shatranj Ke Khilari’ in 1979  and to Shekher Kapoor for ‘Bandit Queen’ in 1997 when both films were internationally acclaimed by then.

   Since last 15 years  the awards have lost their respect as it caters to certain powerful pressure groups and therefore such groups use the publicity and platform to propel into limelight  their  protégé/protegee . This phase it can be said has matched with the age of economic liberalization wherein numerous corporate houses and International  Studios have marched in and as capitalism has set its  eyes on rural land for converting to Sez so have these business people influenced the cinema’s economy and culture wherein each film is merely a  business proposition.

    The cover and complexion of the magazine has also changed. One can only gloss over the pages, there is not much to read. At one time the ‘Review’ of filmfare was revered by the filmmakers for its strictness and minute observations. It was looked forward by the readers. Now; ‘Times of India’ gives reviews which are so liberal that its  intention  seem unclear .As an audience we look forward in some measure for fairness .  The taste of the audience too  has changed as they applaud   the Annual Award Ceremony on TV and watch   the  various  dances and comic interludes  performed by stars on huge payment as the telecast earns  enormous  advertisement . This is the compensation for the loss of substance and aesthetics that withstood Filmfare during the initial years.