The World Takes Notice — India and ‘Mass’ Movies
While action movies have been around for a long time, it is only in recent times that the term ‘mass’ movies has garnered a whole new and exciting meaning.
There used to be a time when movies across industries had plots which showcased very generic storylines like — the son saves the family from impending doom or the elder brother takes it upon himself to rescue his sister or brother from a group of ruffians.
It came to a point where such plots became so commonplace that people became bored of it and filmmakers had to revert to fresh ones which captured the intrigue of audience and made them hoot and cheer for their favourite hero once again.
Birth of Real ‘Mass’ Cinema
Both Bollywood and South film industries have given Indian cinema quite a large number of exciting films which remain fresh in the memory of film-loving audience. However, with all due respect to Bollywood, it is the South film industries which created the concept of masala (often referred to as ‘mass’) movies.
While there have been several duds along the way, they diligently stuck to the formula which they started with initially and since then, have found massive acclaim all across the country and the globe.
One of the first ‘mass’ movies that I watched was ‘Kaththi’ (2014). The film, with its massy elements, generated a lot of hysteria and hooting in the theatre, while at the same time, sending across an important social message to the audience.
This movie still stays strong in my heart, mainly because it was easily able to balance the concept of mass and sending out a social message.
While mass can be balanced with sending out a message, it is not just limited to that.
I got sufficient proof of that when I watched the Tamil movie ‘24’ (2016). This movie came under the genre of sci-fi/action, something which was quite new then to Indian cinema. Though the film got mixed reviews, in my opinion, the movie had many mass moments, while not compromising on the sci-fi part.
Several other mass movies released during this period, which could be referred to as the nascent or birth phase of mass movies. Critics of this type of movies quashed such kind of movies at the time. However, they were in for quite a surprise as the next phase is when mass movies really started dominating and taking the film industry by storm.
‘Mass’ Takeover
It was during that the year 2018 that mass movies really went into overdrive mode. The perfect start was given by ‘KGF : Chapter 1’ (2018), which narrated the story of a young man who seeks power and wealth to fulfil a promise that he had made to his dying mother. The film was a massive success at the box office and resonated with a majority of movie-goers. Though movies of such kind have its fair share of criticisms, which I will dive into later on, the ‘mass’ appeal and its impact on the audience cannot be denied.
The very next year, ‘Kaithi’ (2019), released. The film had many mass moments, while at the same time, showcased the bond between a father and his daughter. The action set-pieces had the audience engrossed from the start and the emotional portions of the movie also got a place in the heart of ardent movie lovers. Surely, the appeal of mass movies can’t be denied!
Of course, how can I forget the latest one which caught the attention not just of the Indian audience, but also of the whole world!?
An action/drama epic film with all the ingredients of a modern mass venture, ‘RRR’ (2022) was stunning, not just with its action set pieces, but also the major theme which it touches upon — brotherhood. The impact of the movie was such that not only movie lovers from across the globe, but also master filmmakers praised the making and execution, along with the performances in the film.
Most recently, the film secured the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for ‘Naatu Naatu’ — a song which showcased the camaraderie between the leads, with some exhilarating dance moves.
It is important that movies with unique and edge-of-the-seat action pieces keep getting made, so that the audience can find a reason to watch the movie on the big screen, rather than wait for it to come on an OTT platform. While watching big scale action movies on OTT can be fun, it can never replace the thrills that one gets while watching the same in a packed theatre!
The Other Side — Taking the Wrong Message
While mass movies provide audience with exciting set pieces and a reason to visit the theatre, in recent times, there have been certain instances where the audience have taken the wrong message out of it.
A recent shocking example of the same came in Madhya Pradesh, where a teen serial killer murdered four sleeping guards in Madhya Pradesh. The killer had confessed then that he had borrowed his ideas for ‘crime and mannerisms’ from KGF and wanted to become famous. (The criticism referred to previously)
This is just one of the many incidents than have been taking place over a period of time, where the criminals have taken inspiration from mass commercial movies.
While crimes have been conducted previously by mimicking movies which do not come under the mass category, it is only in recent times that the number of such incidents has increased to a dangerously high rate, which has set alarm bells ringing.
Its high time that people who aspire to be like the characters portrayed by their favourite heroes understand that what happens within the movie stays in it and crime in real-life will always be caught, unlike the case of movies.
Conclusion
Mass movies have well and truly changed the landscape of the film industry in India. While certain aspects which are shown in such films are not realistic, it gives audience exactly what they want — entertainment. What started as an experiment, mainly in the Southern film industry, is now being widely made use of in Bollywood as well, the latest example of that being ‘Pathaan’ (2023). It has to be said, the movie came as a breath of fresh air, especially for those who have always craved to see their hero in a mass avatar.
It can well and truly be said that mass movies are here to stay, at least based on the performance of the movies which comes under this genre in recent times.
From an audience point of view, it is important to know that we should be entertained, but cautiously.
‘The film is meant for entertainment purposes only’ — This is something which is shown before every movie and rightly so. This becomes more crucial in the case of mass movies. The action set pieces, fight scenes, violence — everything is limited to the movie and movie only.
A quote that is well suited for mass movie lovers? Let me borrow that from WWE:
Please don’t try this at home, school or anywhere!
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