Anupam- The Dreamer

If you are NOT a big fan of “South Indian” larger than life comedy-action-drama thriller, then no need to scroll down and waste 5 precious minutes of your life! There is nothing new which I am going to talk about, other than reminiscing about the things that make these movies super-duper hit, and why these movies touch the nerve of the common masses. And if you are a fan, then the following lines will take you through big time nostalgia. So, here I go……

First of all, if there is one phrase that could describe these movies, it is “larger than life” portrayal of the characters on the canvas of typical socio-economic conditions plaguing the society. The movie will start with a banger, interesting enough to capture your attention at one go. The backdrop will be a typical poverty-striken village in the hinterland, which is still grappling with basic problems like unemployment, poverty, hunger, landlordism, petty crimes, crimes against women, casteism, mai-baap culture etc. The people will be downtrodden and destitute, who are tortured day-in and day-out by the local “sadak-chaap” yet filthy rich politician/businessman/muscleman/bureaucracy (नेता/लाला/दादा/बाबू), the famous four squad.

In this backdrop, there wil be entry of “larger than life” hero of the story with a thunderous action sequence with the crackling sound of some or the other bone being broken of a local gunda (villain) or a policeman. One thing you can’t help but notice is the attitude of the hero with which he enters the screen. Then, there will be a solid dialogue from him, which will make the audience in theatres go crazy and the girls to have an instant crush on him from this very moment. The hero may be extremely rich or extremely poor, doesn’t matter. But, in most of the movies, the hero will be extremely poor, downtrodden, uneducated and unemployed who lives in a village. His life would be overflowing with injustices done to his family by the local politician or local mafia and he would be continuously battling these injustices against all odds, for his family’s honour. And here is where the Directors of “South” movies touch the “दुखती नस” (ailing nerve) of the masses, as it is very easy for the people to relate to this hero and his daily problems. The hero may be poor but his attitude is sky high (like झुकेगा नहीं साला 😃). Even if the hero doesn’t have two square meals to eat and is living in abject poverty, then also this never-say-no attitude has to be there. Tabhi to picture me mazaa aayega na!

One more thing is common in all “South” movies. To sing the glory of the hero throughout the movie and to remind the audience that the hero is really a “hero”, there will be a die-hard sycophant (चेला) who will sing lullabies in the glory of his master. He will make solid punchlines which will make the common people know how great is his master and at the same time warn the villains that they must not come close to his master, otherwise he will not leave you in one piece! This sycophant is very important, you see. He is like a trusted personal servant of the hero who can do menial jobs like lighting his master’s cigarette, washing his clothes and even feed his master with his own hands. He will also sound stupid with his well-timed comedy lines and this makes him entertaining. More about this चेला later.

Then, the movie will start to unfold, where the hero will start to fight against the injustices against his family in particular and society in general. The hero has to be ultra-virtuous in “South” movies. He is epitome of kindness, justice, large-heartedness, empathy, courage, confidence and what not. His “means” may be bad, but his end “goal” is always good i.e. making the society a better place to live in. And he has to be as strong as an Iron Man, so that he can tackle atleast 100 villains alone, umpteen times if the movie script demands! The one who can start cyclones just by swirling his legs, who can lift motorcycle by one hand, who can pull out the tree and throw it over the culprits etc, who can do liver transplant without any qualification, who can light a cigarette without a matchstick! If I say that the hero is literally an incarnation of “God”, it will not be an irony!

Then, there will be some twist in the story. As the hero is adorned with Godly attributes, there is no way that the girls will not go gaga about him. Every girl in the village, yes literally every girl wants to marry him. But, how could they when the most beautiful and talented girl of the group, also has a secret crush on the hero. This supposed to be heroine, is coincidently (and this happens in every “South” movie) the leader of the all-girls group. The other girls prompt her to go and talk to the hero but the heroine is too shy to do that. And even if she tries, the hero doesn’t give a shit about that, because he is too busy in solving the problems of the society and is heavily overburdened with the Godly responsibilities he has been bestowed with. It’s not that he doesn’t like the heroine secretly, but he doesn’t have any time for that, which makes him even more Godly. The heroine chases him throughout the movie, but the hero doesn’t seem to care. The poor and destitute mother of the hero and his sycophant advises him to get married, but the hero does not relent till he solves every damn problem of every damn person in the society. The movie is interspersed with romantic songs, with amazingly funny Hindi-dubbed lyrics, which make it a wholesome entertainment recipe.

Amidst all this drama, problems, suspense, action, thrill, comedy and romance, the “larger than life” theme continues in every scene. It is as if every single scene is shot with great care, so as to inspire feelings of awe and excitement in the audience. People understand that all this is non-sense in real life, but still love the movie because it is exactly the thing for which they have come out to see the movie in the first place. People don’t want to see routine things, they want a “hero” in their lives who can solve all their problems like a magic wand. People love “larger than life” bullshit, because it dissociates them from their personal problems, even if it is for just 3 hours of show-time. When they come out of the theatre, they want to feel the excitement that “aaj to mazaa hi aa gaya”! And then they will sing songs in the praise of the hero to everyone they meet. This is the reason most of the heroes of “South” movies (unlike Bollywood heroes) are an instant hit when they enter politics. Their charisma is so bright that the people are blinded in their emotions and see the hero as their saviour in real life as well. NT Rama Rao, M.G.Ramachandran, Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan are a few examples. On the other hand, Bollywood actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, etc. could not make a significant mark in the politics, because their portrayal is not as “virtuous” and as “larger than life” as is of the “South” heroes. So, the conclusion is that the “South” hero is an actual hero in the “reel” life as well as “real” life, as not only he can beat the shit out of villain, but at the same time can also solve real world problems. He can sing and dance to the tunes of emotional and romantic songs, and also he can entertain the audience with all his supernatural powers. Janta ko aur kya chahiye jab maseeha saamne dikh raha ho! No wonder that people of our country love hero-worship.

On this note, enjoy “Pushpa 2: The Rule” 😀