Bihar-UP: Why doesn't Bollywood look beyond crime stories?

New Delhi: UP and Bihar became the beneficiaries of paradigm shift in Bollywood during the 2000s. These apparently less sophisticated states were taken to the prominence by the filmmakers who hailed from the other side of North India. First, Delhi became the new Mumbai and then the story travelled towards the east. Of course, this was not happening for the first time, but it was definitely more authoritative and prominent than before. Some technically sound filmmakers were trying to bring crime affected areas to the spotlight, and the multiplex audience felt thrilled on the prospect of experiencing the juicy-scandalous underbelly of rural India.

Most of these films received positive comments from critics as they brought-out a relatively lesser known side of Indian economy and socio-political structure. These films were based on the themes that fulfilled all the criteria of a 'Mumbaiyya' pot-boiler. Some smart screenplay writing paved way for the perfect combination of songs, drama and item numbers. Prakash Jha's 'Apaharan' holds an important space in this regard as it gave the illusion of being a realistic film in spite of following the formula system.

Probably, it was director Kabeer Kaushik's 'Sehar' (2005) that ventured into the world of crime with a different perspective for the first time. There were films including the likes of 'Mrityudand', 'Shool' and 'Gangaajal' already existing in the Hindi film industry, but they didn't explore the world of crime as much as 'Sehar' did. Said to be based on real incidents, the film decoded the threads of organised crime in an innovative way, where the audience felt that the criminals had their reasons of behaving in a certain manner. What 'Mrityudand' started was established by 'Sehar'.

Then a series of films released which centred on and around characters with dark shades. From 'Omkara' to recently released 'Ishaqzaade', the same cynical characters were presented in new cocoons. Filmmakers such as Anurag Kashyap and Tigmanshu Dhulia presented all facets of the dice via their critically-commercially acclaimed films. 'Haasil', 'Gangs of Wasseypur', 'Ishqiya' and 'Dabangg' travelled to deep East and churned out protagonists who had larger than life aura. Occasionally, we saw 'Tanu Weds Manu' or 'Raanjhanaa', but their presence was really limited.

Does that mean Bihar-UP are short on stories, apart from crime stories, that are worth telling on the celluloid?

It must not be the case because life changing experiences are taking place everywhere. If Delhi can be presented in a new light, then these states too can be shown from a new angle.

Are these places not glamorous?

Go for it even if the stories lack in glamorous elements. Who would have thought of 'Paan Singh Tomar' as the film it eventually turned out! The audience is ready for all sorts of well told stories now, so you can target them with some inconvenient truths. A rightly paced story is any day more welcome than a lethargic-uselessly glossy film.

Who would be interested in these stories?

Every person who is fond of good cinema. Haven't we appreciated 'Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi' and 'Daamul' in the past.

If Salim-Javed could single handedly snatch away the charm of Mumbai and take it to towns like Benares and Allahabad then the new writers can also do the same, the conditions are certainly more favourable now.

It's the time to move on from crime stories and to bring new themes to the forefront. From a biopic to an avant-garde film, it could be anything.

It won't be an attempt to propagate the feel good theory, and the reality should be portrayed, but do you think crime is the only reality of these states? The feel, charm, culture and appeal of Northern India are way beyond just crime stories. I hope the producers are listening.