Why is Tollywood bullet-proof?

It was nothing short of a scene straight out of the movies. Human bodies rinsed in blood, panic-stricken faces all around and helpless cries of children searching for protection.

But no matter how unreal it seems, the financial capital of our country saw it all in one of the worst terror strikes in recent times. The city, which had come up with some of the most extraordinary films on terrorism, itself seemed gripped in a drama of terror.

As Mumbai grapples to come to terms with the impending crisis, all Kolkata can do is lend a helping hand and empathise with their cause. Though recent Bollywood films have often used terrorism as a backdrop, Bengali film-makers has strangely stayed away from depicting terrorism on the big screen. Quiz director Anindo Banerjee about this apathy and he says, “Since the city has not faced the fear of terror strikes, our films haven’t reflected the trauma. We are living in an apparently peaceful time. Since films are actually the cultural reflection of a society, we have failed to come up with films, which directly deal with terrorism.”
Banerjee believes that experiencing a trauma or crisis makes all the difference when it comes to reflecting that issue. “It will be more easy or natural for us to highlight Naxalite issues in our films, because Bengalis have faced the situation directly. The same goes for the political turmoil in Nandigram, which I have explicitly shown in my telefilm Raja Ashe Jaye,” he adds.

However, director Swapan Ghosal believes Bengalis have been bereft of social awareness and empathy. “Bengalis, once thought to be the most progressive among the Indians, have lost the guts to come up with movies related to terrorism. Tollywood should come up with movies like Mumbai Meri Jaan or A Wednesday. But the people here are only running after TRPs, and monetary profits, instead of making good movies,” Ghosal says. However, the director is planning to soon come up with a movie on the Mumbai terror attacks!
Not just awareness, funds too, claim many, are a reason for abstaining from such films. Director Prabhat Roy feels, “Films on terrorism need funds to be shot properly. Tollywood can’t afford to come up with such high budget movies. Moreover, we also make films for the audiences in villages, who fail to understand the basic concept of terrorism.” The director is, however, hopeful that the traumatic experiences in Mumbai will prompt many in Tollywood to come up with movies on terrorism.

However, Raja Sen is quick to point that his Desh had clearly showed the impending dangers of militancy in India. Says Sen, “I am clueless why more movies on terrorism are not made. I had highlighted this issue long back in Desh.”

Bappaditya Bandopadhyay feels that directors from Bengal shy away from contemporary issues. “In the name of Bengali cinema, we are only interested in copying from Tamil films. Terrorism or serious issues like that doesn’t find space in such films. In my own way, I had tried to show the affects of terrorism in Kantataar. My forthcoming film will deal with terrorism in a more direct way,” Bandopadhyay reveals.

Somewhere, in the midst of the great rural and urban divide in Bengal films, we need to understand that there lies lot many subjects beyond what is dealt with in candy-floss cinema. If the 24X7 coverage of terror strikes can keep even the people of rural Bengal glued to the screens, perhaps, more Bengali directors will follow Swapan Ghoshal and Bappaditya Bandopadhyay in their attempt to explore terrorism on the big screen.


Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Potpourri/Why_is_Tollywood_bullet-proof/articleshow/3784659.cms