news details |
|
|
| Bold and brazen: Revival of er@ticism on celluloid | | | They might not evoke
the respect that A-
grade movies get, but one cannot take away credit from the imagination that's used in the content and titles of B-grade films. hitlist takes a quick look at the B-grade film industry which seems to be more active than ever before.
Some of the most bizarre and funny titles registered with film associations generally belong to B-grade films. It is obviously a tactic to attract eyeballs and draw audiences inside theatres that still thrive on these kind of films. The industry went through a lull for a while, but now it's back with ahem, a bang.
A decade ago, filmmakers such as Kanti Shah, Kishan Shah, Dilip Gulati, Komal Gulati, the late Jeetendra Chawda, the late Joginder, Chandani Gupta, Sanjay Khandelwal, Kumar Adarsh, Ravi Patwa and Robin Ghai were credited with making popular B-grade films. Some of these players are back in the scene now, and are busy making similar films.
B and C-grade films make a comeback
Trade analyst Atul Mohan says, `Yes, sleaze is trying to make a comeback. A decade ago, we had at least one or two films release in a week. Back then, most filmmakers in this category were working round the clock to churn out one film after another. We had 40-50 films releasing in a year. These cost around Rs 3-4 lakh to make and managed to garner business worth around Rs 10-12 lakh. Then supply exceeded demand, and technology too grew rapidly with mobiles and computers becoming affordable. Sex-driven content was not only relegated to films.`
He adds that the basic plot in most of these films was a revenge drama with a generous dose of sex. The market for their films was so big that producers would make a film every two months. An announcement about their next film would be made on the day their latest film had released.''
In the last five years, these films reached a saturation point and it became more difficult to find audiences for their films. Some filmmakers diversified into other fields; some opened post-production studios and others moved to the Bhojpuri film industry. With the slow disappearance of these films, C-grade English films were dubbed and presented with titles such as Chulbul Haseena, Sexy Secretary, Haseen Raatein and Mast Sali. But looks like times are changing again in their favour and some are now making sequels to their earlier hit films.
Competition heats up
Producer Sanjay Khandelwal is busy making Vatsyayan Kamasutra 2, a sequel to his earlier hit film, Vatsyayan Kamasutra. Kumar Adarsh, who is making the sequel to his film, Secrets of Sex, claims he is responsible for the revival of this section of the film industry. He says, `A trade magazine said that because I started work on this sequel, others are back to making similar films.` However, Adarsh hates his film being dubbed as C-grade. He says, `Secrets of Sex Part 2 is an educational film on sex. I have used the abbreviation SOS in the title to hint at an emergency and thus draw the audiences' attention. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
