Motion Picture Reviews and Insights- Vaishali Adwant

The advent of masala and formula movies started since the 90’s and continued until likes of Ayushman Khurrana and Vicky Kaushal entered the scene. The former decades made movies that had a plot, eternal music, and performances by actors that seemed unlearned and instinctive. But you cannot deny a long list of movies from various decades that can give you a good laugh and keep you amused for their blithesome antiques and narration. You could just hit the mute button and watch them, scene-by-scene and keep yourself entertained. For instance, Jitendra and Dharmendra movies and especially, the singing and dancing sequences, which are iconic for all witty reasons and gif-worthy.

Then came a gush of Govinda-David Dhawan movies. Seriously, could you even sit through movies like Raja Babu and the sorry likes of them. Neverthless, they had a plot, unlike the stories that are narrated today. Clothing, make-up, and you talk of kitsch personified, and there comes the killer-style from the 80’s and 90’s, that is just bizzare, tasteless, and campy for what you would expect to view for its visuals.

From the YRF brand of movies starting from Chandini to all those made in heavenly locations of YRF’s favorite switzerland, you knew you are going to get a romantic and a visual treat in the name of movies, sending you in the trance of a dreamland and wishing for a fairy tale. YRF movies have given young and older hearts dreams of what could be a beautiful love story amidst scenic locations and a host of tribulations and challenges. YRF movies gave you dreamy love stories and dreams of what love should be in the name of Raj and Simran, Rahul and Anjali, Rahul and Pooja. The name Rahul played over and over again by SRK had become iconic to a heart breaker who would steal your heart and give you emotions of how deep love is to be. With this ends the 90’s era.

Come the 21st century, and we had movies like Dil Chahata hai and a different style of storytelling through Rajkumar Hirani movies. The themes and the nuances of storytelling changed. We had Munnabhai MBBS, 3 Idiots, Taare Zameen Par, Rockstar, and a vast diversity of movies with original plots, emotions explored never before, and stories from uncharted waters. This was still the time when Salman Khan, SRK had their string of masala movies working for a large audience that revered them. But then, something magical happened….

Entered Ayushman Khurrana with Vicky Donor. A tricky subject to speak about that was the dark horse amidst all the tried and tested masala movies. The auidence started to respond to independant films chosen by this brilliant actor. He gave us movies like Badhai Ho, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Andhadhun, Dum Lagake Haisha, and many more masterpieces that connected with the aam janta and sent a wonderful message to all the masala makers about how audience connects better to good content rather than banners, masala, and item numbers. Seriously, even the audience in the first row too has grown out of the trills of item numbers. Remember why Race 3 tanked at the box office? Sallu Bhai needs to learn a thing or two now and make be show a real ‘Being Human.’ and not give raddi movies to auidence. Looks like SRK has already chosen to take a dignified retirement and not consider himself the lover-boy from the YRF movies anymore.

Knock-knock, SRK, you are not dreaming anymore. Good luck with that. But I got to tell you in all of this, Sallu Bhai will be Sallu Bhai and will make Dabaang 3 in his typical style, but you never know if he will still hit the bulls’ eye this time. Only time can tell, if he is still to reign in his iconic Culbul Pandey or feign as a superstar in this coming-of-age Bollywood evolution where movies have reached milstones of a blockbuster collections without item numbers or superstars in them.