How many times have you heard the question,"Who is better, Salman or Shahrukh? " I'm sure you can't keep track of the count. Why do we continue to compare Bollywood Superstars!? The Indian audience watches both Hollywood and Bollywood movies. Yet we don't feel the need to compare actors like Leonardo De Caprio and Tom Cruise. It's not just the audience, the Indian media loves to question "Who is hot and who is not?" The most frequently asked question in the hit TV show "Koffee with Karan" is "Rate these Bollywood actors on the basis of their acting skills." You never here these kind of questions regarding the Hollywood actors. The point that I'm trying to make here is that it's not a cultural thing. It's not that only Indians like to compare these actors. This comparison is confined to only Bollywood superstars.
Majority of the Indian audience decides to watch a newly released movie based on it's cast. And the leading actor plays a major role in that. It's a fact. If the movie is a Salman Khan starer. the movie will be a box office hit. We all know that. But what makes us know that? Most of the movies are made here are made for solely one purpose. And that's profit. Such movies don't have content but still manage to have record breaking profit in the first week of their release. The main reason is that these movies star Bollywood superstars as their leads. Majority of the Indian audience go to watch these movies to see these superstars in action. Movies like "Jai Ho", "Kick", "Chennai Express", (and the list goes on and on) manage to earn profit in the opening week of their release. The above mentioned movies lacked content or logic yet were hige box office hits. There are directors who make movies that have a splendid plot, a great cast, etc. Such movies would include "Gangs of Wasseypur", "3 Idiots", "Bheja Fry". The point is that people go to the movies to watch their favorite superstars dance and beat up bad guys.
This is why we compare Bollywood actors. When we're watching a movie, we're not focused on the story line. Rather we focus on the actor showing off his body, him dancing in the middle of the street, him flirting with his female counterpart, him beating up 250 bad guys at once, etc. So, basically, we see these actors as glorified models. We compare them by looks. As far as comparing them on the basis of acting skills is concerned, don't you think that if Aamir has survived in this industry for more than 2 decades, he's a good actor? Sure he is.We don't need to compare Salman, Shahrukh, Aamir, Ajay, Amitabh, etc. They're established actors. If one feels the need to compare such established actors on the basis of their looks, it's because the Bollywood industry has nothing to offer the audience other than glorified models.
When we watch a Hollywood movie, the content is there and we're focused on the story line. We don't compare Johnny Depp with George Clooney or Brad Pitt. Because we see them as artists, not models. We appreciate them in their roles.
The Bollywood industry mostly offers us commercial cinema. And, therefore, we see these actors as products. Eventually, we compare these products.
Please leave a comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment