Oye Lingo, Lingo Oye!

Bollywood has always been blamed for carrying certain stereotypes in its films, characters and has been alleged to be far from reality. One of these stereotypes is the language that is usually associated with a character that belongs to a certain religion or locality. The best examples being that of a Punjabi or a South Indian whose accents are usually the topic of mockery in our films. A Punjabi has to say “Balle Balle”, a Mallu has to say “Aiyyo” and a Bengali has to say “Bhalo” etc.! Most films had a supporting character which usually had a dense ethnicity added just for the sake of making a mockery. The lingo used was a shortcut to catch audience attention and give them pleasure.  

Oft-used in our films is the Mumbaiyya lingo, usually associated with the goons, uneducated or the lower middle class which forms a huge part of the working class in Mumbai. The language of the real Mumbai is what is usually taken up by several film makers to give the characters a raw feel.  The most recent example is that of Lafangey Parindey. In the film most characters speak a language which directly relates with their characters. The Mumbaiyaa lingo that most of the characters use forms an integral part of the film and is not there just for the sake of it .

Many films in past like Ghulam, Rangeela, Ram-Lakhan, etc., where protagonists have used the Mumbaiyaa lingo, have immediately struck a chord with the average Indian cinemagoer. Almost all main-stream actors have played a typical Mumbaiyaa loafer, be it Anil Kapoor , Jackie Shroff, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan or even the macho, mostly metrosexual  Salman Khan, who played a tapori to the hilt in Judwaa . 

Over the years, however, the archetypal caricature-based characters have lost significance and now we have films like Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye, which have a very strong sense of authenticity and culture in the Punjabi elements showcased in the film. Also, films like Omkara and Gangaajal have showcased the rustic and raw dialect spoken in the areas for the sake of authenticity. New age directors are moving away from a mockery of regional languages and accents and using them in complete realism to add the the weightage of the script. Directors like Vishal Bhardwaj are even ready to put Hindi subtitles so that audience can understand the dialogues which sometimes get difficult to comprehend. 

One of the encouraging signs is the hiring of language experts by film makers to be accurate and technically correct. As a result even a Bengali like Pradeep Sarkar is able to pull off a good Mumbaiyaa film like Lafangey Parindey, being as authentic as possible. Speaking in true Mumbaiyaa bhasha “apan ko lag rela hai ki ye film wale shaahne ho gaye hai …” and let’s hope they remain “shahne” and remove the cultural and lingual stereotypes completely from this canvas of diversity!

Patriotic Cinema over the years

 

Indian Cinema is undoubtedly one of the most culturally diverse art forms and one that supports ‘Unity in Diversity’ to its core. Throughout history, Indian Cinema has maintained its affordable price tag thus cutting across the majority of our population with a mass appeal. Bollywood has played a major role when it comes to fostering feelings of nationalism, integration and unity. Though over the years there have been major changes in the way patriotism has been treated on screen, the trajectory is as dramatic as any Bollywood film. 

As India was trying to break free from the shackles of the Colonial rule, some filmmakers dared to instil that feeling of patriotism amongst people through films like Alexander the Great , Bandhan (1940) and Kismet (1943). Eventually as India gained Independence, a host of films celebrated it like Naya Daur (1957) and Hum Hindustani (1960). Like Jagriti (1954) and Leader (1964) most of them revolved around the subject matter of how the freedom fighters struggled against the British for freedom. In this era, the films on patriotism either dealt with the subject of freedom struggle or with the Wars that India had fought in those days. Haqeeqat (1964) was one of the most prominent films in its time which dealt with the Chinese aggression of the 1962. This was the time when patriotism meant giving your life for the country and of patriotic songs like of ‘Kar chale hum fida jaan-o-tan saathiyo…’ 

Then came the time of Manoj ‘Bharat’ Kumar who made films like Poorab aur Pashchim , Upkar , Roti Kapda aur Makan and Kranti etc. which dealt with new age evils of the country like union leaders and corrupt politicians . He also raised issues like cultural pollution and judicial inefficiency in his films that earned him the tag of being a true Indian.

There is a very thin line in India when it comes to differentiating between War Films, Patriotic Films, Historic films and a Biopic. Richard Attenborough’s Academy Award winning Gandhi did very well across India and for the first time made the masses aware of Hollywood’s grand yet crisp film making style. As a result a host of films on Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh were made by prominent Indian film-makers of like Shyam Benegal and Rajkumar Santoshi. Most of these biopics have always carried a strong sense of patriotism in them. 

The times changed and from loud jingoistic ideas of patriotism we moved on to a more subtle and inherent feeling of nationalism which formed the soul of the film and its characters. Patriotism became the part of characters and actions rather than dialogues and songs. The best examples are those of Swades, Rang De Basanti , Lagaan , Lage Raho Munnabhai , Aamir and Chak De India which deal with a range of issues like condition of sports, brain drain, corruption, passive youth , terrorism etc. yet having that strong spirit of patriotism which passed on to its audience like wild fire.

Patriotism today is not limited to commercial blockbusters only and films like Aamir and Mumbai Meri Jaan are perfect examples of how a feeling of nationalism can be handled addressing serious issues like that of terrorism. The patriotism today is not about carrying a flag , singing patriotic songs, voicing lectures and fighting against the system violently, but it is more about following and promoting the ideology that India believes in . The patriotic films have come a long way, changing with times.