The Sitcom Syndrome

Bill Watterson's Calvin of 'Calvin and Hobbes' comic strip, complains to his dad asking him why his life is not like the one he sees in sitcoms on TV, where everyone seems to have something funny to say to the others. Wit is the all-pervading ether in the sitcom's medium. To me, that is the main difference between Indian Cinema and World Cinema. Indian Filmmakers strive hard to please their audiences in every scene, like those characters in the sitcoms do. Ironically, it is a bloody difficult thing to do, but still, we manage to achieve that in most of our successful Films. Credit to our Boys, really. Films of World Cinema(read European, Iranian, Japanese and recently Korean cinema) on the other hand, mostly stick to their themes and their characters play within the context of their ideas, without digressing too much for coming relief. There is a certain compactness and wholesomeness to these Films as a result, and they are deeply satisfying.

Bommarillu is like that too, to a large extent. The fun parts in the Bommarillu Film are very intrinsic to the central idea itself. In the first half as well as in the second half, most of the fun comes by in the scenes involving Siddhu and Haasini, the two lead characters, when they are playing to the requirements of their emotions in the Film. Even when Siddhu's friends are being funny, they are funny exploring the scene within the requirements of the scene in moving the story forward. That is very good. That is Film Making 101 really, if you did not know! Bommarillu is a lesson in how Filmmakers can afford to respect the audiences' intelligence and not try to be overtly funny or pleasing, and still be able to please them. Bingo!

There is nothing anyone can really hold against Director Bhaskar for Bommarillu, except perhaps that its central theme 'a dad's overbearing love for his child' has a semblance to that of the Film 'Nuvve Nuvve' but I dont think it was borrowed, it was most likely coincidental, in fact I dont care even if it was borrowed, 'cos Bommarillu is such an honest Film and remarkably, there isn't a single false note in it. Watching this Film is such a joyous experience for me and it is making millions others happy as well. My heart leapt when Siddhu and Haasini did that "Mmmm" thing. Us, Film lovers live for moments like that. Thank you Bhaskar and the rest. It is simply brilliant Film writing and brilliant Film making without making a conscious effort to play to the galleries. I watched the Film twice in the first two days and it was equally engrossing even the second time. I have no doubts in my mind that Director Bhaskar is a finished product. The future beckons him. I can totally understand why Jeevi brought up DDLJ and KKHH in his 'now famous' review. It is a very apt remark.

Director Bhaskar has mentioned Majid Majide's 'Children of Heaven' as the Film that has changed his way of thinking about Cinema. I can totally understand where he is coming from. Good for him and good for Telugu Cinema. By the way, are we witnessing a new wave in Telugu Cinema with the likes of Sekhar Kammula, Sukumar (Arya), Chandra Sekhar Yeleti, Bhaskar and even Surender Reddy (Athanokkade) and Sekhar Suri (A Film by Aravind) beginning to redefine the old paradigms of story telling and preparing audiences for better times? I hope so and I can hardly wait; actually I can't wait to see many more joining the bandwagon. If it could happen to Iranian Cinema and very recently to Korean Cinema, why not to us, to the Telugu Cinema? Here is to Telugu Cinema then, Cheers!

Other Ticket to fame articles:
• Of herds and shepherds
• What goes inside
• An Ode to Honesty
• Riding the movie express
• Flirting with Mallika Sherawat
• I am gonna be next Mani Rathnam