Bhaiya Aal is Well …
At one point , I dwelt around the prospect of becoming an amateur critic … the domain in which I wanted to wield my knife wasn’t really decided , it could be anything .. movies to mobiles , novels to novelties . Of course all this in my self-styled , self-proclaimed ways where credentials were barely needed and strictly with a Title ” To whomsoever it may (not) Concern”. The medium ? Well, until the time Rediff sends me a paycheck to write for them 
, it had to be this blog of mine 
.
That wasn’t until I had watched a movie , where three Idiots ..ahem , loveable rascals all …drew the divide between being a stupid and an Idiot. After 2 hours 40 mins of rib paining , jaw dropping unadulterated laughter , I came out an enlightened being … only to mutter to myself with conviction ” Critics are a Cursed Lot “.
What essentially is movie making ? Is it story telling , injecting a message subtly in the guise of entertainment .. or both ? I guess , movie making’s bottomline is none of these. Movie making for me is a way to entertainment on the first place … you take a message home, is like the garlic breads which come free with the Pizza.
Human beings , as complex creatures they are, with labyrinths of thoughts and layers making for a complex social animal, seeks entertainment in so many forms. Fairy Tales and Tom and Jerries , were entertainment ,when the mind’s twists, turns and taverns were less. With passing years and loss of innocence , we start seeking entertainment in various expressions and emotions which do not always have to be fairy talish. We find gratification even in sadness , we find fulfillment in viewing pain and sacrifice and we love our childhood fantasies of villains and heroes redefined on-screen ( remember Frodo Baggins and the Dark Knights in Lord Of the Rings ).
However, in all this modes of story telling , the bottom line remains unaltered, its entertainment. A plain jane fairytale , that doesn’t entertain is worth a few pennies whereas a dark adventure , unfolding the shades of a Hero where good and evil play hide and seek , is worth a lifetime’s treasure.
So what are all these lines for ? Think of a critic who always gives the magic a miss for the sake of catching the magician at his trick. Who spends half the dictionary to prove a story telling faulty by giving the story itself a miss … and who gives his mind the punishment by banishing it from being entertained and putting a taboo against the simple philosophy of taking a thing for its face value on the first place. I sometimes wonder , if it’s the urge to run against the grain or criticizing a work for the sake of it which is the driving force of a Critic. Or simply put, they are doing their job and can ill afford to walk alongside the populist opinions.
Since Lage Raho Munnabhai , I haven’t had such a prolonged period of entertainment ( sex and orgasms are way shorter in span ) , wherein I was plucked out of all my worries , inhibitions and stresses of stereotypic life and chucked into an orbit of pure joy. I was cautioned by friends of mine , about few moments of humour which may border embarrassment for my family , when viewed in public. By the time , those moments came ( Read: The famous speech by Chatur ) , the viewers had been transfixed into Raju Hirani’s world, wherein they barely had time to give a half smile or pass a quick glance from the corner of their eyes, to assess any semblance of vulgarity. The magic had engulfed the audience, and they were transposed to their college days in gay abandon.
In an industry, which thrives on viewers and their response to a story telling … the resounding statement of ” I loved watching it ” is the biggest litmus test that it has to pass. This makes me pause for a moment and introspect … do I side myself with the ” Mass” , or do I take pleasure in calling my taste as ” elitist” . If it is the former , I have to bear the pain of siding with all those who cried horse while watching Salman Khan in ” Wanted” , and if I take pride in being a vaunted elite , then I have to part with the joy of shouting aloud ” Yes , I want to be like one of those 3 Idiots” .
Heck … I will switch boats between the Elite and the Mass as needed , but for now I am with the Tide ” Bhaiya Aal is Well ” ( there wasn’t a typo in the last line
PS : Rediff’s resident ” Critic De Excellence ” Raja Sen with his ” I know all about movies” attitude rated ” 3 Idiots” with a measly 2 stars. I go one over Raja and help him by plucking the remaining two stars from the movie’s badge as well . How about giving it an ” One Sun (shine)” rating instead ?
