Editorial

The viewer is king
HYPE can be diasastrous. We saw that last week all over again for ourselves, at a Refugee show in town. Irate moviebuffs were seen tearing down the film’s billboards as they walked out of the show, shouting abuses at the film’s unit, and even telling those in the queue for the next show, to go home.

Not that Refugee’s a bad film, mind you. In fact, it’s quite a watchable movie despite the sheer length, all three-and-a-half hours of it, the many cliches in the narrative and the jumbled second half. The saving graces, indeed, are the lead pair, as our reviewer writes elsewhere. They have what it takes, oodles of it in fact, of that we can assure you. The cinematography’s another must-watch. And the music? Well, that just about passes muster, though there’s little there that can bust the charts.

We’ve seen films that are far worse. And what’s more, they rarely ever prompted such angry protests from viewers. So what gives?

THE SHEER WEIGHT OF EXPECTATIONS
LIKE we said, blame it on the hype. Indeed, such has been JP Dutta’s publicity campaign, that people trooped into theatres expecting to see a landmark movie. Not that the audience is a sucker for hype any more. It certainly isn’t. For there have been instances galore when hype did not create even an initial for the movie. Only, this time, the viewer probably allowed himself to be taken in by the hype for several reasons. For one thing, it was directed by JP Dutta, the man who’d promised the moon and delivered it before. His last, Border was a success both with the critics and the masses, making a clean sweep of the major awards in its year, remember? And Refugee promised more, not less.

For another, it featured the debutants the nation had been waiting to see, Abhishek and Kareena. Those who’d been to the sets or were treated to sneak previews of the film contributed to the hype, claiming Abhishek is a prodigy in the making.

In the event, he hasn’t done too badly. After all, some ‘stiffness’ and camera-consciousness was only to be expected in the lad who’d been carrying the sheer weight of the nation’s expectations on his shoulders. It isn’t easy being the son of a legend as big as the Big B, we guess. At any rate, not when the son’s billed to outdo the father, as Abhishek’s been.

Kareena, too, has no less a pedigree to boast of. But for some reason, most people seemed to demand less of her than of Abhishek. Kareena comes through the better for it -- the viewer is far easier to please with her than with Bachchan Jr. Some people now even reckon she’s a bigger talent. The jury’s still out on that one, so we’d rather wait till their second releases are out before we sit in judgement ourselves.

Yes, JP Dutta did launch into highdrive, hardselling his film. Apart from the elaborate ad campaigns on TV and in the press, he even took his crew on a vist to the big towns in each region, including overseas, in an effort to publicise the film.

Guess who’s the culprit?
YET, has the fault really been with the hype, as most people suggest? Not really. Hype and bold publicity only helps increase awareness and interest in the film. It’s chopped logic to claim that hype alone can become the culprit, when all it does is help create the ideal setting for the release, and guarantee an initial.
The real culprit, make no mistake, is never the hype. In Refugee’s case, as in other much-publicised or eagerly-awaited movies such as Dil Se, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani and Hey! Ram, the weak link has been the script. If the script does not match up to the hype, it’s quite likely that the audience will come down hard on the film.

Any attempt at taking the audience for granted can only be counter-productive for the film, as has been proved so often in the past. Hype can never make up for lacunae in the project, such as a bad script, poor performances, or shoddy editing. In fact, the hype can only set audience sentiment even more against the film, especially when it realises the film does not quite live up to the billing. This is especially true of India, where word-of-mouth publicity and repeat audiences contribute in no small measure to box-office success.

Nothing, not even hype can save a bad film. After all, hype only guarantees you an initial. And what’s more, you can only fool the audience once. That’s small change, hardly worth the lakhs you spend on the publicity.

Shaju George Alex