This refers to Surajeet Das Gupta's article "Box-office bonanza" (June 30). It captures how, thanks to the growing number of multiplexes and rising income levels of the movie-going public, film-making has turned into a lucrative, though risky, business. Since films are also an expression of technology-assisted art, have they registered the same progress in this field? Of the six top grossers of 2013, none are rich in artistic content.
No doubt, they compete with the best technically - camera work, choreography, music, picturisation among others. But they lack quality in vital areas such as subtlety, lyrics, thematic content and lingering impact. Unless there is a transformational change in film-making, the Karan Johars will make money but will be soon forgotten - just as we have forgotten Manmohan Desai. But quintessential directors like Satyajit Ray (he directed two Hindi movies too - Shataranj ke khiladi and Sadgati) will stay in memory and history even if they did not create box office records.
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No doubt, they compete with the best technically - camera work, choreography, music, picturisation among others. But they lack quality in vital areas such as subtlety, lyrics, thematic content and lingering impact. Unless there is a transformational change in film-making, the Karan Johars will make money but will be soon forgotten - just as we have forgotten Manmohan Desai. But quintessential directors like Satyajit Ray (he directed two Hindi movies too - Shataranj ke khiladi and Sadgati) will stay in memory and history even if they did not create box office records.
Y G Chouksey Pune
Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201
E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number