IR #063

A lot has been said on this topic and I rarely paid heed to much of what was said or written because of 2 reasons.

1. I felt that Bollywood hardly makes movies with new concepts anymore.
2. If anyone felt that non commercial cinema can make an impact on the awards scene battling mainstream cinema, they are clearly in denial.

I never watch award shows because they tend to follow the same run of the mill or “ghisa – pita” storyline.

• A host with an over inflated sense of humor.
• Glamorous dance performances by tier two actresses.
• A tribute performance to a forgone era by actor/actress.
• A performance by an upcoming actor/actress.
• A diluted, cringe worthy attempt at roasting some of the celebrities present.
• Some self depreciating humor by the host.
• A lifetime achievement award to a completely forgotten actor/actress.
• Random reactions interlaced between comments by the host and dance performances. (Sometimes even repeated)
• A mega star performing the final act.
• A set of critics awards to show that the awards are not “biased”.
• Of late, an actor from the crowd who picks up a pre rehearsed fight with the host is also gaining ground.

This is the same over drawn ritual that repeats itself in every award show year after year. The 3 hour extravaganza on television is usually twice the length and is nowhere near the glitz and glamour that is portrayed on screen. And still someone paid INR 4,00,000 to watch this year’s Filmfare Awards. Unbelievable!!!

The Filmfare Awards was once the most coveted awards for Bollywood along with the Stardust Awards. The National Film Awards are the highest honor the Indian film industry has to offer but Bollywood would hardly be able to hold a candle against filmmakers and thespians from other parts of the country. So it is conveniently overlooked.

I happened to spend some time watching this year’s Filmfare Awards and could only squirm in my seats while watching what is India’s answer to the Oscars. What was that crap?

Bajirao Mastani and its team truly deserved all the awards it got. No issues with that but what about the rest?

• Anil Kapoor as Best Supporting Actor – Now I agree that Anil Kapoor has evolved as an actor and he did quite a decent performance in Dil Dhadakne D0 but was his performance better than Nawazuddin Siddiqi in Badlapur or Sanjay Mishra in Maasan? Definitely NOT!!
• Sooraj Pancholi as Best Debut Male – Come on Filmfare… How could you even think of giving him the award? I mean.. Salman Khan’s locket in Bajrangi Bhaijaan gave us a better performance.
• Bombay Velvet for Best VFX – If this was not pandering to the production house, then nothing else is. How exactly could you have not heard of Bahubali when you were analyzing possible winners for this award segment?
• Why would you have a “Critics Award”? – Every award show has a critics award nowadays. Why would you have one? Why not call it the “I cannot give you the main award so please take a consolation prize Award”. This award is seriously pointless.

Just as I was dreading the next big award night (Trust me there are too many) I just heard about a new addition to the already bulging award calendar – the TOIFA (Times of India Film Awards). I seriously do not expect  anything different nor do I expect anything to change.

So let us all sit back and wait for the next celebration of mediocrity that will be dished out to us. After all, awards are not meant to be difficult to win for the A-Listers. For the rest, the “struggle” will continue.