SCREENSAVOUR: All fluff, no stuff

Learning to make films is very easy. Learning what to make films about is very hard,” says George Lucas, famous American film producer and director. In a world inundated with moving images that have pervaded the most private moments of our lives, starting from the large screen to the small rectangle of the mobile phone, Lucas’s words ring so true, especially if we consider the thematic values of most of the content on display.

In 1960, French filmmaker Jean Luc Godard’s Breathless liberated filmmaking by breaking all rules; it introduced hand-held camera movements and jump cuts that suddenly made filmmaking look accessible to aspiring filmmakers; films came to be shot outside studios, in real locations, dealing with characters who looked real and familiar.

The free-wheeling style captivated filmmakers all over the world and the movement it engendered – which came to be known as the French Nouvelle Vague or the French New Wave, inspired other such movements all across the world. Cinema breathed a new lease of life and inspired stories that looked borrowed from real life situations, devoid of the contrivances of studio-dependent outputs. Even New Hollywood, the term used to denote the young crop of filmmakers who started making films from the late 1960s — Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Arthur Penn, Brian de Palma, Denis Hopper and so many others — were inspired by the French New Wave and Godard in particular.

But all such filmmakers were acutely aware of the cinematic tradition they fell into and studied film history to understand the evolution of the film language over the ages. Plus, they had another thing going in their favour that added a very important dimension to their craft: all of them were socio-politically conscious and reacted deeply to the times they belonged to. As a result, their films showed a remarkable awareness of social concerns because they dealt with issues that defined their times and affected them as individuals: they had something to say. Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, Denis Hopper’s Easy Rider, Roman Polanski’s Chinatown or Milos Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and so many other films are also valuable documents of their times in which they are set and made.

In India, this role was fulfilled by filmmakers who came to be associated with the Indian Parallel Film movement of the 70s; filmmakers like Shyam Benegal, Mrinal Sen, Govind Nihalini, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and others reacted to their times which were perhaps the most volatile in post-independent Indian history that culminated in the Emergency.

But times have changed now. The ease with which a film can be made today, thanks to cheap digital technology and user-friendly post-production software, anybody can pick up a camera and make a film and upload it on YouTube. Film schools have mushroomed all over the country, offering short term courses to students who want to bypass the rigours of long term courses offered by national institutes like FTII in their hurry to claw their way into the film firmament.

There is a significant departure in the make-up and attitude of young and aspiring filmmakers that immediately set them apart from their predecessors: Most of them lack reading habits and unaware of their country’s political history; they are simply not bothered. They are looking for the next exciting idea to turn into a film without being aware of the contradictions that constitute a society in transition, which could be a potential source for their stories and ideas. They are inspired by the likes of Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino and are impatient with their own cinematic culture. They are carried away by the aura of a New Resurgent India promised by the political leaders of the day and are on denial of the harsh reality that stands in danger of being negated by a regressive and repressive ideology, turning the nation into a hotbed of intolerance and bigotry. Young filmmakers are cool with it: they have got nothing to say, except a burning desire to make a film.

But of course, there is always a glimmer of hope that shines through the chinks: Masaan, Ship Of Theseus, Tithi, Titli, Lunch Box, Aligarh, Court, Fandry and so many others stand testimony.

(Ranjan Das is a Mumbai-based filmmaker, instructor and writer)