I remember in our childhood we were allowed to see only mythological films.In an age & era were working in films was taboo.We were not allowed to discuss films at home.Films were meant to be watched & forgotten.Fortunately my father was an ardent fan of films.Rather than watching Marathi films he liked Hindi films.He even had his hair turned back, well oiled as was the style then.He liked Ashok Kumar,a star who was a singer too.I liked his song in Achhut Kanya with Devika Rani.
He generally never said no when asked for his permission.He specially liked qawwallies in films like’ Dil hi ti hai ‘or’ Barsaat ki raat’.With devotional songs ,I listened to all types of songs from childhood.a time when we waited for summer holidays to watch cartoon films available at only one theatre at 10 in the morning.Woody woodpecker toons all clubbed together.This feast was for a month.
Television came to India in 1976.Not everybody had a set. not everybody could afford it.It was in the halls of only a few.It wasin black & white .We waited for 6 o’clock for the transmission to begin.It ended at 10 pm.All of us watched news.Visuals was new & the smile at the end was eagerly awaited because then the entertainment started.Smita Patil ,the iconic actress made her debut as a news reader on Mumbai television.She also indebted to Tv & incorporated a clip in her later film titled ,Aakhir kyon?
My love affair with the visual media began in 1975 with Sholay.In a very rare instance I had heard the complete story from my mother.She has forever wondered about our fascination for films.It was a Eastman color movie,a Blockbuster & star studded. An action movie with grace,style,finesse & best actors.All have tested success with this project & failure with lesser ones.One hit does not break or make a career.It is an ongoing process.
Tv though black & white was there. The transmission from Mumbai was at times hazy.The weather played a major part.The mountains in between hampered the signal.But no tickets to buy & watch at your place.It was an instant hit.We waited for sundays for a feature film of choice.After exams going for a movie together was an event.Watching a movie at whim wasn’t the norm.Booking tickets before hand was delegated to a friend who lived close by.
Good theatres was a choice rather than a film.I remember laughing hard at Amitabh Bachchan’s antics in Yarana,a film where he played the best friend of Amjad khan.The middle aged couple sitting in front of us was bugged.They kept on looking at us when in a group we were least bothered.Later on as the movie progressed all of us were serious.Still they kept on looking at us. I wonder how a couple will react to a group of noisy teenagers.
Just yesterday we were discussing the noise at the theaters against the comfort of watching a film at home.I recalled Kala Pather, a film on miners where Amitabh Bachchan’s entry in naval officers uniform drew whistles.Will it be possible if you are alone? When towards the end in Sholay, Dharmendra forgets to hand over bullets to Amitabh the audience sighs,some shout loudly, how will it happen if you are alone?Am I giving too many instances from Amitabh’s films? that’s true, we have grown with his films, worshipping him.Even today he remains the iconic figure towering over the entire set of excellent actors.
Tv on sunday became a treat when lot of serials were launched.But masterpieces like Humlog & Buniyaad enjoyed unadulterated attention.There was only one channel every one saw the same things.To enjoy a cricket match friends got together to cheer.I especially remember the Benson Hedges series played in Australia.Channel 9 had a flawless transmission & grounds to die for.Winning the world cup & enjoying the win here was cherry on the cake but enjoying a live transmission came much much later.
With the Star tv came in a revolution of sorts. So many channels & programmes to choose from! With Netflix & Amazon with others came choices that were never thought of.The media can make or break stories so handling it with care is a must.AT A CLICK A WRONG MESSAGE can easily be circulated.Parents even today stop subscription for a year because their ward is in 10th or 12th.Equally discretion should be exercised.The over explosion needs to be channelised properly.
To teach to distinguish between whats wrong & whats right is the need of the hour.I understand that parents were right when they exercised a strong hold on children before they knew what to watch.But then things are not that dismal,the coming generation is clever & more street smart.They are the 2020 young people of APJ Abdul Kalam’s dream.He was a great man.He can’t be wrong.Right?
Happy viewing!
Asian Entertainment 