By Surendra Bhatia
The month of September, 2019, will always be remembered for two rollicking films that generated enthusiasm among cinema fans in the country and demonstrated that the word of mouth, even though not backed by high-octane promotion, could get those films into the fast lane. Chhichhore was not a film that was lurking in any part of a cinema fan’s mind; yes, it was on release and 330 (or more) Sushant Singh Rajput fans and 643 (or more) Shraddha Kapoor fans might have been counting the minutes to the release but not too many more. However, the day the film released, the word started getting out into the public domain that here was a film worth watching.
It is the energy and interest the film evoked among audiences that suddenly made it the film of the moment. And that energy surfaced only after Chhichhore had been seen by a decent number of people and judged on parameters of entertainment. Chhichhore did not have much of a star cast. True, Sushant Singh Rajput and Shraddha Kapoor are not rank unknowns but neither are they the stars that draw large audiences. So, what was it that pulled in the crowds? Two reasons, possibly. One could be that the director’s last film was Dangal, the highest-grossing Hindi film ever… but that had Aamir Khan in the lead and as producer, and it will always be seen as Aamir’s film. The director did excellently in Dangal but his face and his name could well be anonymous for the aam janata, so it is possible that masses were waiting with bated breath for the Dangal director’s next film but not in any great numbers, obviously.
The other, probable and, perhaps, the only reason the crowds streamed in and kept streaming was the film’s content: story, screenplay, dialogues, acting, direction, setting, etc. To an extent, the story was not outstandingly different as it was in Dangal, but the treatment kept it rooted in a space that went well not only with youngsters but also the ones grown up and reminiscing now of their college days. It is something that worked in Aamir’s Dangal too… the rooted-deeply-in-the-ground content.
Actually, there’s no other way for a small production to make a mark except through superlative content. It is acceptable that a heavily-budgeted film, with top stars, may have a slightly loose script (though why it should be so, is difficult to understand) because it has other factors, like production values, glamour, songs shot abroad, etc., to compensate audiences, but a small film, per force, has nothing else to bank on but content. Fortunately, today, a small film can be made on any subject (like a woman’s sanitary pad!) and it would still work if it is done intelligently and with a degree of entertainment.
In this context, the content of Chhichhore hit home, resoundingly. It was like a breath of fresh air, and audiences streamed into cinemas to partake it.
Soon after Chhichhore, Dream Girl released. This film would have had an innocuous and unheralded opening but for one factor: Ayushmann Khurrana. This young actor has made a habit of giving audiences something to think about with each of his releases, so the expectations have begun to run high when he is spotted in the star cast. While a Hrithik Roshan starrer evokes a feeling of glamour, production values and awesome action or dances on the menu, Ayushmann’s films promise food for thought, or, at least, entertainment of a more sensible kind. He didn’t disappoint and neither did Dream Girl.
The film is great fun with Ayushmann working as a female voice in a call centre offering a caring ear to the anguished males. Predictably, a number of these anguished males fall in love with the girl Ayushmann is pretending to be… and that sets off a new game of seduction and un-seduction. The story neither carries the intrigue of Andhadhun nor the pithy comedy of Shubh Mangal Saavdhan nor the fluffiness of Bareilly Ki Barfi!, but Dream Girl offers an insight into how lonely people actually are, and does it through the medium of a range of guys having telephonic conversations with a girl’s voice produced by a guy.
The hilarious concept and the writing were enough to keep audiences happy. Dream Girl became yet another Ayushmann Khurrana film that surprised audiences and had them flocking to cinemas. It would be wonderful to credit the success of Dream Girl to Ayushmann but the aspect of the film that hooked audiences was the content. Of course, the character of Pooja (name of the female voice) enacted by Ayushmann had audiences doubling up with laughter, in their seats but essentially, it was the script that offered engagement and entertainment.
Both, Chhichhore and Dream Girl, were small films that turned into big box-office performers. Each of them topped over Rs. 100 crore in a couple of weeks. And these two aren’t the only instances of worthy writing getting small films acclaim and rewards at the turnstiles but they are the most recent reiteration of the ancient formula of filmmaking: give the audience engaging content. It would be so tremendous if better-budgeted films, starring bigger stars and holding an appeal to much larger audiences, also boasted of superlative content, but it is not often so. Though, at times when they converge, we get super-hits like 3 Idiots, Dabangg and Dangal. For the moment, however, smaller films put more emphasis on innovative content, because, frankly, what else do they have, anyway? And, one can only say, thank God for it!
