Skip to main content

The Toxic Trend of Revenge in Indian Movies



It started with Simmba, I believe, that Indian audiences began venting out frustration through revenge drama-comedies. (Dramedies?) It was triumphantly carried forward by Uri: The Surgical Strike. The trend of the protagonist with all his swagger avenging injustice is toxic. The injustice, in the plot, is also what our hero decides and revenge, of course, is justice. It is a one-man show (reflecting politics, maybe). This trend furthers in upcoming Amitabh Bachchan starrer Badla.
There isn't anything wrong particularly in the movies due to their revenge theme. It is reflection of the society after all. But the trend in itself is quite dangerous. It speaks of the general anger and frustration in us all. Considering the earlier two movies were little more than escapist crowd pleasers, the state of people is all the more worrisome.
The Pulwama attack could have explained the anguish but Simmba and Uri were before the attacks. As culture, politics and economy are all spokes if the same wheel, I guess the roots of this frustration lies in the politics or the economy.

Art thrives only in peace and harmony and the success of poor revenge stories speaks of the agitated crowd.

Something more to think about is why are always men seeking revenge in these movies?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Share your thoughts. Be nice. Have a good day.

Popular posts from this blog

Kesari Movie Review: Immense Nationalism, No Soul

Nationalism in film is nothing new to be appreciated or criticized. But what is lacking in discourse is the analysis of this film nationalism. Why haven't anyone as of yet attempted to trace a pattern to this sort of Indian film making? Are we afraid? Or are we really this “nationalistic”? Well we do cry when are soldiers die? That must mean something. Shouldn't it? Kesari is the newest addition in our long list of tear jerking patriotic cinema. And I don't write this sarcastically. Kesari is patriotic. And a few other things as well. Although the plot and dialogues try everything they have to prove that 36 Sikh regiment of the British Indian army did not fight on British orders to protect British forts but to prove their valour and worth and the great sacrificing spirit of the community, the songs talk of teri mitti mein mil jaavan and the sacrifice of the soldier. Pretty much what nationalism is about in its entirety. Interestingly, the songs reflect the ...
Post a Comment
Read full story >>

The Genius of Andhadhun: The Climax Explained

Andhadhun poster Halfway through watching Andhadhun on Netflix, I realized the characters have all got somewhat ironic arcs. One pretending to be blind actually becomes blind, someone who stole human organs asked to donate their organs, lady Macbeth reference, and many more that I missed. These ironic arcs make you a little skeptical about the plot of the film. It begins to feel like the story is a little too good to be true. With a number of lucky coincidences, heavenly influences and sudden changes of heart, Andhadhun feels more and more Bollywood . But then the movie does not drag for even a second; which, keeps you hooked. Considering that the same director, Sriram Raghavan, had earlier given us another gem called Badlapur , where all characters keep looking for closures and lead miserable lives, I decided the makers want me to be skeptical. After all, real lives are more like Badlapur and not like Andhadhun. And as the movie ends, Raghavan's intentions become clear. ...
Post a Comment
Read full story >>

Is Uri: The Surgical Strike a propaganda film?

Uri: The Surgical Strike theatrical poster Well, the answer is yes. Just not in the way you think. It saves you a lot of time and you can leave right away if you cannot read beyond the headlines. Also, if you were looking for some confirmation bias and don't have patience to listen to the other side. And honestly, both  for  and  against  groups on this topic have gone deaf to other side. But let's not blame anyone here. It is the standard these days. In the world of today, arguments are not meant to explain your point with reason but to please those who already agree with you. Confirmation bias blooms on all fences. Opinions become content and there exists an audience for whatever side you pick. So what side do I pick? Well, no points for guessing; none.  Uri: the Surgical Strike  is propaganda but not in the way it portrays the events but the way it depicts the army. If I still have your attention, we could be friends. Uri: the Surgical Strike...
Post a Comment
Read full story >>