The other day I was with a circle of friends who were discussing on movies and the new blockbuster 'Chennai Express'. Until now I had only read critics' reviews of the new Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer labelling it as a movie with all nonsense humour and brainless content. Well, the box-office success of the movie seems to suggest otherwise that further asks us to redefine our pre-set notion on 'good' and 'bad' films.
Honestly, I usually don't watch comedy movies rather I go for more thriller, suspense or action genre. I hate comedy movies to that extent that I don't even bother to read about Hollywood's some of the finest comedy products. Nevertheless, the comedy movies we produce in Indian Film Industry are totally of different taste with flavours of its own. Chennai Express is one of those movies offering a rolling trip to nowhere, yet worthwhile for your time.
The point here is, whenever we go for cinemas on a weekend break, as audience, we certainly want a nice time with our friends and families. No doubt, there are different genres of films and everyone may or may not like the same genre of movies, but what we eventually expect is not the nitty-gritty of filmmaking but the entertainment value. Different filmmakers make different films for a different set of audience, without expecting same reaction from each and every filmgoer. In the end, if it makes us laugh, cry or amuse, it is indeed a good film.
Critics review a film on different aspects; from story, to acting to direction and to overall filmmaking (in technical terms). That can be journalistic or academic criticism, as we come across varied opinions from film critics. They certainly do analyse and opine about the impact and appeal of a film beyond a particular time. However, for audience or moviegoers filmmaking doesn't matter the most as long as it entertains them for the time being. Chennai Express may not have the great content in terms of a script but it does have those elements to entertain.
Again this year we have films like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Lootera, Raanjhanaa and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani which are loved by critics and audience alike. The biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag not only charmed the audience with its inspiring content but also the critics for its storyline, acting and filmmaking. Both Chennai Express and Bhaag Milkha are in Bollywood's 100 crore club even though the later is a much better film. Similarly, the film Aashiqui 2 was not well received by critics but it had a decent collection at the box office.
Even though one may argue on the scale of release and the time of release of a film or even the star cast that might influence audience on accepting or rejecting a movie, there is no doubt that a director's vision for what is on offer rules the rest. If director Rohit Shetty's films are all for fun, comedy and typical South-Indian style masala mix, and if those deliver what we call 'entertainment' then it is all right. Again it is up to us to make up our mind on what kind of film we are going to watch before entering the theatre. We have the option to keep our intellectual eye-glasses on or simply go as someone with whistling skills; good and bad films come later.
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