From the confections-loving Marwadis to the Punjabis
who are prone to the ‘Balle Balle’ dance fever; our films (read Tamil films)
have transcended every lane of stereotyping. To experiment with movies that run
full time on such nuanced stereotypes is a lesson in drudgery, a lesson in
irony. For instance, the North Indians in Tamil movies, besides their eternally
struggle to speak Tamil, are pawn-brokers for life.
Where did we borrow such references from? One argues that the gun-toting villains of
the 80’s were a direct lift from the Spaghetti Western films by the likes of Sergio
Leone. When they first arrived, the response was phenomenal. After all,
everyone loves an antagonist who is vile and vicious. But the same villains, the
same guns and the same emotions establish the difference between cult films and
plain absurdity.
The era that succeeded it made sure the notions
never changed. It was the time of experimentation with large-bellied
hare-brained villains with sickles and spears. It rendered the cinema blank and
desperately wanting a change. Ridiculousness redefined itself, time and again.
Can we move away from these stereotypes or can we be intelligent with the
concoction of the elements churned out? Definitely, maybe.
Only the wonderful reels of Vijaykanth and ‘Action
King’ offer a conversation between an Indian and a Pakistani (of course, in a
strange dialect) in Tamil. Do we regard this creativity or perceive it to be a
coherent, made-lucid stereotype? The work of a critic is made easier and at
times, luxurious by such instances.
And now, when another movie industry purportedly
takes a leaf out of our culture with ‘curd for noodles’ approach, we wield an
iron fist and are agitated. In a TV show, a Bollywood star was asked why his
movies feature a copycat style portrayal of people from the Western culture. He
defended it in style saying, “Do not oversimplify my films! We put in a lot of
money into the films.” It is like applying linear string theory over a 3
dimensional plot to prove that poorly played violins cause headache. The vanity
of it, one shall see.
