“Stop complaining and just watch the film”, howled an elderly to a couple sitting just behind him at a theatre screening ‘Bodyguard’. Salman Khan broke all records with his last outing ‘Bodyguard’ – the film which boasts absurd collection figures and till date remains the highest grossing film of Bollywood.<br/><br/>Not that the old man was a die-hard Salman fan, or a movie buff, a sucker for all and anything that the industry churns out. He was a normal soul who came to have a good time, a break from the daily rigmarole of his rather insipid life.<br/><br/>As a matter of fact, he was a professor (of Physics) of a well known university!<br/><br/>I can relate with that loathe of yours when you see all that improbable stunts in Bollywood movies these days, like the one which Ajay Devgn performed in ‘Singham’ or the recent Salman Khan movies and of course not to miss the <i>baap</i> of all, the phenomenal - Rajnikanth. <br/><br/>But an entertainment product would be a complete waste if it fails to deliver the very basic thing to the audience, which is a healthy dose of amusement. And if Salman, Ajay or Rajni can provide that, why complain?<br/><br/>The professors’ idea of physics would in any case be more logical than many of us, but if a rational figure like him is willing to laugh his belly out or is awestruck by Ajay Devgn’s heart stopping Scorpio stunt, then I believe it would be really foolish to cringe instead of experiencing a moment of awe. After all, I am spending bucks here to get entertained and not whine.<br/><br/>Nonetheless the fun part of movie watching, especially the ones which are releasing these days, is only insanely and convulsively hilarious when you have parked your brains along with your vehicle outside the theatre.<br/><br/>The world is moving at such a pace that the euphoria an entertainment product creates soon gets petered out. We gauge this by a growing trend among filmmakers of broadcasting their films on TV just a few weeks, even days after its release at the big screen. <br/><br/>I guess filmmakers have figured out a new successful mantra of our time. Produce over the top pot-boilers casting the most popular hero of the town who has more brawns than brains. Weave any run of the mill story with high octane action stuff sprinkled with some cheeky dialogues and some naach gaana with an item number and you have a super hit in your kitty.<br/><br/>Selection of the hero in such films here is extremely important. For, a weak character cannot carry a strong plot but a strong character can carry a weak plot. Hence, Rajnikanth (Robot) and Salman (Wanted, Dabangg, Bodyguard) at the helm of all such flicks, which make the BO coffer ring till date. Now even Ajay (Singham) seems to understand the trick of the trade.<br/><br/>But again, why use brains on such things and not enjoy the silly yet amusing stuff they come up with? Why be pretentious if under the skin we are all the same? Have we become too sophisticated to enjoy the nuances and antics manufactured by Bollywood?<br/><br/>I guess it’s time to break that mould and come clean with our sense of right and wrong. For below the surface, I guess we are all unabashed lovers of the `mela', and these films have that carnival sensibility which actually helps satiate that basic appetite. <br/>
