India through the film lens

It is not far fetched to believe that films reflect the 'mood' of the nation. In this post I attempt to analyse the Indian film landscape and break it down into bite sized pieces.

To represent Indian films, I have used the Bollywood as the narrow definition. While this is unfair to thriving film industries in every state I have done so only for the convenience, and not out of disrespect. Bollywood also offers the additional benefit that Hindi films are consumed without subtitles in large parts of India where Hindi is not the primary language. 

To represent the 'mood' I have taken the top netting film of each year since 1940 (80 years). One can safely assume that the earnings of each film is representative of its acceptance across the country. There has been a stupendous growth in how much the top film each year makes. If one were to make an index of the earnings of the top grossing films with 100 as the value in 1940, the value in 2019 of such an hypothetical index would be 56,527. For perspective, the Dow Jones index rose from 131 to 28,538 in the same period. I have made the below chart on a semi-log scale otherwise it simply looks parabolic.

A common belief is that films have linearly reduced in length over the years, but this is not entirely accurate. Films used be in the 140-150 minute range from 1940-1959, after which the runtime stretched. The longest duration films were made in the decade to 1969 with average runtime of 180 minutes. Even in the decades of 1980-1999 films were between 170-180 minutes in length, till finally dropping to ~150 minutes in the last ten years. 

While of limited academic value it is nevertheless interesting to see how much the top grossing film makes in INR per minute of its run-time. The top earning film in the last decade made $245,000 per minute of its reel, up from $60000 from the period 2000-2009. Note this is still a far cry from Hollywood movies where Avengers:Endgame averaged over $15 million per minute of its runtime, suggesting that there is a long revenue runway ahead for Indian films. There truly is no business like show business.

This exploding revenue of films is not entirely surprising given a large population and a hot climate that makes film viewing on the weekends the primary source of entertainment for the masses. Rising incomes and a 'mall culture' with multiplexes have made it even more attractive. The average revenue of top films saw the first tectonic shift in the decade of 1990-99 when India embraced economic liberalization. This continued in the next decade with quality mall space that was just 1 million square feet jumped to 60 million square feet by 2008. Please note that I am not saying that multi screens in malls were the only drivers of increased film consumption (though I believe they did contribute a large chunk), but that they represent a change in the Indian propensity to consume, which is also reflected in film viewing. 

But in this post I am not simply interested in the 'business' of films, but in how films shape society, and how they are shaped by society. Note that I have not viewed 80 films for this post in the interests of time and my sanity, but have read their synopsis to the extent I thought necessary.

The period 1940-49 was characterized by 'poverty' being the main character in films.  Usually it dealt with both main protagonists being poor, or an odd film with one rich-one poor plot. The film names were short, usually just one word and oddly intriguing enough to evince interest. For example the top earning film of 1941 was named 'Khazanchi', a title that encourages me to watch the film. The only top film in this decade with a two word title was Anmol Ghadi of 1946. This decade also saw the first film of my list that was named after the lead female character (Zeenat from 1945). Two stand out films in terms of broader plot were 'Khazanchi' which was from the "mystery" genre and 'Shaheed' which had the backdrop of India's freedom struggle, and is the first 'patriotic' film on this list. Not surprising since it was released in 1948, a year after India's freedom in 1947. This decade also saw the first appearance of Dilip Kumar on this list in the love tragedy Jugnu in 1947.

The decade from 1950-59 saw a clear change from the 'poverty' focus. This is not to say that poverty as a backdrop vanished from films but it was accompanied by a bit more in terms of the plot. 1950 saw Samadhi, which was the first movie on my list which was based on a true incident that happened in the INA. 1952 was Aan, the story of a rich princess' affair with a poor man, followed up in 1953 by Anarkali (the oft repeated Salim-Anarkali) which is another royal affair with roles reversed (rich prince affair with poor girl). Interestingly 1955 saw Shree 420 which is the first film on my list which shows a character moving to a city to make it big (but then of course being cheated and drawn to crime).  This decade was noteworthy for the experimental forays that were loved by the audiences, whether it was the 1956 C.I.D. (investigative), or Mother India (1957), the first film here that deals with nature versus nuture. Reportedly, Mother India was made as a rebuff to the racist denigration of India and Indians by an American novelist. Here's what I read regarding this incident on wikipedia:

But for me the standout film of this decade was 1958's Madhumati, which is the first paranormal film dealing with past life, reincarnation and ghosts. Notably this was the joint second highest earning film of the decade behind Mother India, tieing with Shree 420 for the public's wallet. I must also mention Anari which was the first truly masala film on the list with elements of several genres (class struggle, love story, separation, murder investigation). Anari also introduced the quintessential Mrs. D'sa character, a benevolent non-Hindu who takes care of a Hindu.

1960-69 saw even more diversity in the stories being portrayed. Apart from Mughal-e-azam which is well known as the highest earning film of this decade, there were several 'firsts'. Ganga Jamna (1961) was the first sibling rivalry film where the elder brother provides for the younger brothers education. The younger brother becomes a police officer while the elder becomes a ciminal. Sounds familiar? Yeah, this was the first of its kind to catch the public's fancy. The decade also saw the success of Waqt, which was the first film that dealt with a family being separated and later re-uniting. Another horror/thriller, Bees Saal Baad, released during this decade. Another patriotic film called 'Upkaar' was released in 1967. This was the first film by Manoj Kumar that dealt with social issues, family planning, on differences between western and eastern culture, and evils of black-marketing. Another notable 'first' was the action/adventure film Aankhen that introduced the concept of a vigilante group that fights the nation's enemies. It is also the first in this list to be shot in foreign locales.  

1970s was the decade of family separation, re-unification, and Amitabh Bacchan. Johnny mera naam, Seeta aur Geeta, Amar Akbar Anthony, Suhaag, and to a lesser extent even Hera Pheri and Muqaddar ka Sikandar dealt with this theme. Seeta aur Geeta also had the additional angle of having a female lead, and a double role. Amar Akbar Anthony was also the first film on this list with the inter-religious bhaichaara narrative being attempted to be pushed (this theme being introduced in 1959's Anari). Amitabh Bacchan dominated this decade by claiming the top film spot from 1974 to 1979. Notably, 1971 and 1973 saw two very different films being released with Haati Mere Saathi and Bobby. Note that the class struggle while still present in the films, was no longer the primary driver for the script, and more subtly cloaked in other narratives. What surprised me is how the public so wholeheartedly accepted the exact same theme of separation and reunification almost every single year to the extent of making these films the top grossers. One wonders if this theme was a source of  comfort for a generation that continued to see hardships despite years since independence. The familiarity of the theme meant no nasty surprises for an audience that 'wanted out' from daily stress, and the eventual on-screen reunification gave hope to the masses that 'eventually' things would work out for them too. Notably, this was the first decade since 1940 which did not see a patriotism themed film that would top the charts. Interestingly the top film in 1974 was "Roti Kapda aur Makaan" which roughly translates to "food, clothing, and shelter". This was noteworthy because not only was this the election slogan of Indira Gandhi, it also highlighted how even nearly three decades of independence and virtually one party rule, the basic necessities of life (just to sustain life) were the top concern of the people. And remember, it was the fledgling middle class who was largely watching these movies, suggesting that even the slightly well off identified with the struggle for the basic necessities of life. RKM also saw the first appearance of Amitabh Bacchan, albeit in a supporting role. 

1980-89 saw influence of Amitabh Bacchan wane with only 2 films among the top grossers including the ultra macho Mard in 1985 (in part perhaps due to this health issues after 1983). The second film was 1983's Coolie which saw some of the most obvious communist propaganda with the 'sickle and hammer' symbol banged right on the promotional posters. Perhaps the apogee of Soviet influence on Indian politcians, and their control of the cultural environment that began in the 1960s. This was also one of the first films that saw a Muslim man as the main character with a Hindu side-kick. Its acceptance by the public bears testimony to the social flexibility displayed by Indians in general. This decade saw two stand out films, a) 1988's Mr. India which was the first sci-fi film about an invisible man and b) Tezaab which was perhaps the darkest mainstream film to grace the screens. The film dealt with angst of youth, broken dreams, dysfunctional families where fathers exploit daughters etc. It was almost as a bounce back that 1989 saw relief with Maine Pyaar Kiya, an out and out chocolate romantic film far removed from the action and darkness of Tezaab. This decade belonged to Anil Kapoor who delivered the top films in 1986, 1987, and 1988. The only patriotic film of this decade was Kranti from 1981. To an extent I can say that 1970-89 saw films expressing the anger and frustrations of the youth. It is not for nothing that Amitabh Bacchan emerged as a "angry young man" around this time.

The 1990s saw India liberalizing and perhaps allowed the young population to relax a bit. Poverty glorification stopped, or at least reduced in films. Romances, comedies, family love, and similar dominated this decade. Dil, Saajan, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Dilwaly Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hain, Hum Saath Saath Hain, Raja Hindustani, were the kind of films that found favour with audiences across the nation. The two standouts for me were 1993's Aakhen which was a fun comedy caper film that did not focus on romance, and 1997's Border that was the first film that directly dealt with Pakistan, India's enemy at the gates. But it was clear that post liberalisation and the ending of the forced glorification of poverty, the public's mood was rose tinted glasses and sepia tones. Also note that film makers were getting more liberal with the titles, with some of them four words long, a far cry from the one word titles from a few decades back.

Honestly 2000-2009 I was unable to spot any over riding themes. The lead actors of the previous decades attempted to recapture their hey days by making romantic films like Veer Zaara, and Devdas. However, this decade saw a clear shift to a different kind of film making towards films that veered between slapstick, almost nonsensical comedies (like 2005's No Entry) and films that emphasized style over substance (Dhoom 2). Gadar from 2001 was the only partiotic film made in this decade that was on the backdrop of a love story between a sikh man and a muslim girl. The decade also saw the second mainstream sci-fi film called Koi mil gaya', after Mr. India that had come 16 years prior.  The fag end of the decade saw the emergence of what I like to call overt agenda films, i.e. films that make certain life ideals sound 'cool'. 2009's 3 Idiots that furthered the idea of "pursuing one's dreams at the cost of stability" was one such in my opinion. This film is actually the second overt 'agenda film' by Aamir Khan the leading actor. The first was Rang De Basanti, which attempted to cloak anarchy as patriotism in 2006, in my opinion. So perhaps overt 'agenda' film making can be regarded as the defining feature of this decade? Coincidentally, the earnings of the 'patriotic' hit film by decade are on average equal to, if not higher than the average earnings of other top films of the decade, though with a declining trend.

The last decade (2010-2019) has been peppered with films that focused more on style than substance, a trend that had been successfully experimented with in the prior decade. Dabangg, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Dhoom 3, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Tiger Zinda Hain, War, are all examples of this theme. It almost feels like Indians do not want to deal with any sort of reality at all. There were attempts to make some more overt propaganda films like 2014's PK, and even 2012's Oh My God (which did not make it to the top, but deals with pushing ideology cloaked in comedy, like PK). I believe that this quality of film making is a direct consequence of the 'star system' that has become entrenched in Bollywood since the emergence of Amitabh Bacchan as a 'superstar' in the mid 1970s. In fact 37 years of the last 46 (since Amitabh's Bacchan's first appearance on our topper list in Roti Kapda aur Makaan in 1974), have seen films starring just one of six actors! This trend has only become stronger in the recent years, as can been seen from the below chart:

But overall easy money (due to factors mentioned earlier - lack of other entertainment sources, and not to mention the film being sold just on the basis of the 'star face') seems to have disconnected films from reality. Or is this disconnection a reflection of society itself?

In conclusion it is worth mentioning that the emergence of online streaming services over the last few years is an area worth examining for social implications. The emergence of a 'richer' middle class and access to cheap data plans has its own dynamics. To that extent one can even argue that overt agenda peddling can be noticed from such web series because they can be targeted better to audiences. Series such as Sacred Games, Ghoul, Delhi Crime, She, Lust Stories, Godman, and I imagine many more have an agenda that is evident to anyone who looks. Media and society have a feedback loop. Media is influenced by and also in turn influences societies and it is an important space to be watched to not only observe India, but also observe those who want to shape India in a certain way.

Data on highest earners, run time etc has been taken from imdb.com