tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668731454857654821.post7099223963250477098..comments2024-02-01T13:13:31.933+02:00Comments on ..so they dance!: This old chestnut: SRK on Hollywood.veracioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14437521137603205617noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668731454857654821.post-16241560183787874452013-02-17T17:20:36.617+02:002013-02-17T17:20:36.617+02:00Interesting analysis!
the market is "at faul...Interesting analysis!<br /><br /><i>the market is "at fault," or is changing so dramatically as to be unrecognizable.</i><br />Yep, though it's a completely false conclusion to draw, it might seem more dramatic from his point of view. <br /><br />I agree that there's a market for special effects, and work related to that, both inside and outside India's borders. I hope he also gets that SFX cannot be the unique selling point, though, because in order to do that you have to really go all out (think Avatar) in terms of technological advancement. Stories have to come first, SFX can accompany and serve the story. The spectacular animation in Life of Pi wouldn't be much if the story wasn't so intriguing.veracioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14437521137603205617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668731454857654821.post-29151789361642742612013-02-17T17:12:06.976+02:002013-02-17T17:12:06.976+02:00I agree with you that he seems to be the victim of...I agree with you that he seems to be the victim of his own success in some ways. I was checking on Wikipedia and discovered that many of the SRK films I had always heard described as "failures" (Billu Barber, KANK, Paheli, Swades), either did "average" business or were hits overseas or actually did make money. For a straight-up flop on his resume, I couldn't see anything newer than Ashoka, which is more than a decade old at this point. He's not had the brutal dry periods that some of his contemporaries have seen, where they get strings of 5-6 flops and "average" performing movies interrupted by the occasional hit.<br /><br />So, he's grown accustomed to the idea that he has pretty good judgment in choosing film projects, and so if his films aren't performing as well as they used to, it feels to him like the market is "at fault," or is changing so dramatically as to be unrecognizable. Maybe the NRIs/top 1% in India (the core of SRK's fanbase) are changing in tastes that fast, but that still leaves over a billion "ordinary" Indians for Bollywood to attempt to reach...through Hindi-language releases or releases dubbed into local languages. <br /><br />That said, I think a good effects company can make itself just as useful with regard to classical Bollywood content like surreal song picturizations or lavish period settings, as it can in regard to the action/SF stuff that SRK fans often turn up their noses at. I also find SRK's pride in his effects company's work and desire to find good, eyeball-grabbing work for them commendable, although like you I don't feel like I have a strong opinion on the business side of the issue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668731454857654821.post-5505378259304886232013-02-17T16:56:55.342+02:002013-02-17T16:56:55.342+02:00Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
It's also worth ...Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!<br /><br />It's also worth noting that CGI becomes dated really fast. It has to be done perfectly to stand the test of time. Even films that are only 10 years old can look dated when they include special effects that were good for the time but not anymore. veracioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14437521137603205617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668731454857654821.post-75802888320444287992013-02-16T19:45:07.404+02:002013-02-16T19:45:07.404+02:00I just wanted to say I enjoyed reading this post; ...I just wanted to say I enjoyed reading this post; and that I agree with your thought that "it's shortsighted of him to just think about visual effects, flashy spectacles."<br />What has drawn me in to Indian movies is the depth to stories, often the value of family or moral character over a selfish action, and just the "visual/audio feast" of the songs. Granted that is not the case for all movies in Bollywood, but for the most part they offer more depth to the story than anything out of Hollywood. I'd rather an emotional connection to the people playing out their lives in the story before me, than be bombarded with CGI and flashy, slick editing. Raye S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11067077928393009805noreply@blogger.com