On Happy Endings

In a country where a majority with a decent education, and almost the entire uneducated lot, dream of becoming doctors, engineers, civil servants or, as per the latest trends, chartered accountants, people are often shocked to hear my ambitions of filmmaking, furthermore, serious encouragement is scarce. Not only in India, but even outside, this industry is seen as one of glamour, and money, mostly meant for people born with diamond spoons, who can afford to chase unreasonable dreams using backhand methods or connections, to defeat the kind of casting couch which most definitely exists in India.

      What people are grossly unaware of, though, is the kind of craze that Indians have for the film industry. You could walk in a slum, and ask kids to name all the famous actors and actresses, and you might be surprised that their knowledge surpasses yours. What is even more shocking is that, they could go without meals for a few days just to buy tickets for the cinema, but not watching the latest popular film is out of the question. I once went to perform a street paly in the rawatpur slum area and a five old there was singing ‘dope shope’ a top-of-the-charts pop song, but he didn’t know his Hindi (mother tongue) alphabets.

      The importance of films in a country, which sleeps dreaming about their idols, wakes up to the hopes of a better day from the escapist happy endings they watch, and laughs and cries with the characters on screen, cannot be underestimated. Even a sappy film, may not change lives, yet is more than capable of bringing smiles and positivity to the lives of over thousands. According to a research, the harder the survival here, the more positive impact a film has. In fact a popular case even highlighted that a little boy who faced severe abuse, found happiness and the strength to survive in the films of his favourite actress.

     As far as the films themselves are concerned, they are mostly senseless comedies with happy endings. I would look down upon them condescendingly, not without disgust, till I was blessed with the understanding of why these films were all sold out, and films with the harsh realities of the life had a much smaller receptivity. I would watch these art house films in almost empty theatres, admire their direction and wonder why people appreciated nonsense over sense.  I always loved movies like the godfather, or cult films like fight club, and hoped to one day become a story teller of that stature. Even with the ambitions of film making, I didn’t see how could work successfully in the Indian film industry, till I realized what it means to the majority.

     Films with long standing family feuds come to a teary reunion, two lovers meet after decades, still as much in love, even in Romeo Juliet inspired love stories, families ultimately have a change of heart with no causalities and in Shakespeare’s words, which most Hindi films adhere to, ‘all’s well that ends well’. Popular movies include corrupt cops, who loot the mafia to help the poor, or over- honest ones who become weapons for the common man, and clean up entire countries of all crimes. Movies where men become chief ministers for a day and in that time bring about improvements not possible with hard work in years are most loved. Then of course there are multiple movies like comedies of errors, where people just get mixed up in comical cross communications, ultimately ending in happy resolution.

     Some question the kind of damage these films are bringing to the society. Most without much awareness would even comment on the false hope of utopia that these movies strive to provide. Intellectuals like to believe that our society is inflicted with escapist attitudes, with people who want to bury their heads in the sand like ignorant turkeys in times of trouble. In fact a popular art house film with India’s first ever, political song, also mocks this attitude by claiming that, (translation), ‘we attempt to create heaven by shutting all doors’. It makes me wonder, how delusional people can be to believe in these happy endings, and the kind of people I am referring to cannot afford maybe even one square meal a day, and some survive on 10 dollars a month or even less. The answer then to my question is quite clear. A kid who has never worn slippers in his feet cannot believe that one day he will wear a pair of reebok shoes, yet watching a kid his age do that on screen makes him happy. Their attitudes, thus, are not escapist, because even delusions have a limit. The horrors, which they have faced, cannot possibly lead them to hope for life like a bed of flowers.

     If these films do not enchant people, by promising them utopian societies, or encouraging escapist attitudes, why then are they so popular? Its merely because what people can never even hope to achieve in life, they find great happiness in watching on screen. Films, no matter how impractical they seem, are justified in this context to the kind of audience, whom they give happiness to.  A happy ending is something people smile at, its something even their hearts smile at, people go to bed for an entire week smiling to themselves, about the movie, till there is another one out to watch. I just hope that next time one of us walks into the theatre, we shouldn’t be overly judgmental, and comment on the quality of films in the country or on the always predictable happy endings, for there may be people quite far away, in the front rows, where you’d never imagine sitting, who have skipped other innate needs to be here. Such is the magic of films in our country that there may be a child who’ll leave with stars in his eyes, a man who’ll have a more peaceful sleep than usual, and a woman who’ll forget about the scorching heat, and smile while doing her hard chores.