Revival of Passive Resistance in Indian Commercial Cinema

What began as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's Non-Cooperation movement in colonial India , almost a century ago is, today, regarded as one of the most effective ways of achieving political or social goals. Whether it is the African-American Civil Rights Movement or the anti-apartheid movements in South Africa , various nations and communities have adopted the idea of passive resistance in achieving their respective socio-political objectives.

I met a drunken man this summer on the No. 5 bus. From the moment he entered, he looked totally smashed and there was no reason why I should have paid any attention. So, there I was, wearing that sophisticated student look and pretending not to be aware of his presence in a small, empty bus. That was until he drew up next to me and in a meek voice asked me if he could use my cell phone. For those of you who know nothing about me, it would be difficult to explain why I handed him the phone but what followed was horrific. He called up whomever and left one of the most foul, abusive voice messages I have ever heard. What was startling was that once he was done, he was very apologetic. He said something like the following:

“Thanks, man! I apologize. Look man, I'm really sorry … You're from India , right? …. (I nodded) You people in India like peace, right? Man, I totally know what you are thinking …. But you must understand …. I am a peaceful guy, I want peace … but this person …. this person is the biggest ***** …. and I believe in Karma and I believe in peace and I believe in non-violence too …. but she doesn't. She doesn't care and if she calls you back ….”

So, we as Indians have an image; one that isn't too distant from our cultural background. That non-violence is an integral and a much respected part of our culture, however, seems to have slowly escaped our memory. We as a community are full of so many religious or ethical beliefs, yet this one ethical lesson that we taught the world seems to have deactivated in our own minds.

For every culture there exist mirrors that not only reflect but also affect them on a whole. One such prominent cultural artifact is the film. Apart from being a visual art form and a source of entertainment, films also carry the responsibility of informing and educating. Immediately after Independence in 1947, a lot of the focus was on building – infrastructure, a national identity and so on. Not surprisingly, a lot of the cinema (minus the romancing and singing) was about perseverance and what I'd like to include in the scope of passive resistance. Traditional values and cultural celebrations formed the foundation of the conservative Indian cinema of that time. Mother India preached chastity even in the face of starvation, Do Ankhen Barah Haath delved into the possibility of reforming and rehabilitating corrupt minds through hard work while Ab Dilli Dur Nahin depicts the journey of a laborer's son to Pt. Nehru's residence in New Delhi in search of justice.

There are more reasons than can ever be listed by my feeble mind that forced a different path to successful cinema – commercially successful cinema. Stretch your memory back to the 70s, 80s or 90s and consider how much it mattered to you what the “hero-heroine-villain” combination in every movie was. At times, it was all that drove people to the theatres. Look at Amitabh Bachchan's early career as a gauge. Zanjeer, Deewar , Shahenshah, Sholay , Amar Akbar Anthony etc. a distinct pattern is discernable. The angry young hero(s), the gorgeous, distressed, troubled heroines, their arrogant/ ascetic parent combinations, the steering-swirling car chases, the exploiting industrialist, his blood-thirsty pets, the endless number of hired goons, and the two dozen songs. But, more importantly, the ideology that by pinning down fifty-odd henchmen, and blowing away the evil axis, the “hero” was doing the ultimate good worth applauding and idolizing, resonated in every film.

It seems that modern film-makers (a considerable few) perceive that the overused formulas have begun earning the viewers' ire. Most of them have themselves, in all probability, held similar views. More importantly, for the purpose of this article, they have begun incorporating once again, that aspect of our culture that seemed to have been bartered for box-office success. From the simple approach of Swades in exploring solutions to local problems to Lage Raho Munnabhai 's active application of ‘satyagraha' (referred to as Gandhigiri by the protagonist), there is an effort to remind citizens that there is strength in resistance without the use of violence. On receiving Best Actor's Award for Black , Amitabh Bachchan was quoted stating that “all credit to Sanjay (Leela) Bhansali and to the audience for embracing this piece of art. It is unique for a film to score with both critics and the audience. The success of Black shows the maturity of our audiences. A film like this demolishes the wall between art and commercial films. Really, Black has bridged many gaps. And that's so wonderful”. There might still be a stiff fight from historical sketches like Mangal Pandey , The Legend of Bhagat Singh or even those that depict a political uprise in modern settings like Rang De Basanti but there is discernable effort being made to wrap in every movie a message of a better alternative.