#TGLife
One of the major factors that has helped Bollywood emerge as the biggest film industry of the world is its ability to successfully tap emerging trends. In the 60s and 70s, movies depicting life and conflicts in villages, and the struggle between good and evil were big (Case in point: Sholay, Zanjeer etc) Then, the 90s brought in the trend of shooting films on exotic foreign locations (DDLJ, Dil toh Pagal Hai, etc) and 2000s witnessed the films go more youthful, urbane and polished, (Dil Chahta Hai, Wake up Sid etc) with the productions quality as well as storytelling improving tremendously.
Coming to the recent trends, there was a wave of sports movies and biopics a couple of years ago. Now, that trend seems to be slowly subsiding, giving way to new-actually old ideas, if we’re to stay honest with the topic of this article. There is certainly a rise in patriotism these days, but the trend we are looking at is a more subtle one, that is riding on patriotism: Historical films. And according to our experts, the trend traces its origins back to 2015, to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani. The other notable names in the list are Padmaavat (2018) Thugs of Hindostan (2018), That said, movies about historical figures and events have always been around. So, what makes them different now, and why is this a trend?
Historical films are the ‘in thing’ today because of three key things: first, given the gaps many historical narratives, there is space to add fictional depictions. Secondly, advances in technology today have made it possible for Bollywood to depict palaces, or battle scenes in a spectacular manner, and thirdly, Bollywood has now mastered the art of composing scintillating epic music! If you look at the trailers of Bajirao Mastani, Manikarnika, or the latest Kesri, you see that epic music and war cries have been used with great skill to bring about an exciting effect. The music is no doubt set to enthrall the audience in upcoming films too.
After the recent release of Kesri, another big historical film that has lined up for box office is Ajay Devgn’s Tanaji: The unsung hero. The film was originally set to release on December 26, 2019, but has been postponed to January 10, 2020. What’s more, the trend of making films on medieval or early modern historical events is not limited only to Hindi film industry.
One of the most anticipated movies in Marathi at the moment is Baloch- a film that delves into the social and political conditions in India after the Third Battle of Panipat. Historical records suggest that after the third battle of Panipat, Ahmad Shah Abdali took thousands of Marathas along with him as prisoners of war, and these people settled in what is today Balochistan. The makers of Baloch have stated that the film narrates the story of these soldiers. Interestingly, the descendants of these soldiers still live in Pakistan, and have not forgotten their Maratha roots.
