Nostalgia now

by | May 14, 2015, 12:22 IST

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Nostalgia now

With over 100 years of Hindi cinema behind us, there is much to be remembered and cherished. As the generations roll on, while there is a movement towards new ideas and novelty in filmmaking, over the last five years in particular there has been an inclination of sorts to revisit eras gone by and bring back influences of the past. While there was an upswing of remixes of classic Bollywood hits in the early 2000s, it felt more like a hangover of the millennium that ended than a nostalgic trip. But in the last few years, whether it’s in the songs that have been recreated, decades that have been revisited or even in the small tributes paid to the past, we wonder if this is really shaping into a trend. And is it just the charm of the nostalgia that attracts the audience or a need to pay homage to the years gone by that attracts the filmmakers? Only time will tell...

1


2010:


The strong undercurrent of nostalgia first made a prominent appearance in 2010. Parmeet Sethi’s directorial debut, Badmaash Company transported us straight to the 90s, when Mumbai was still Bombay and showed us the era obsessed with imported goods.

 

In the same year, just a few months later, the era of the underworld dons, Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim, returned with Milan Luthria’s stylish film, Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai. Right from the styling to the production, the film brought back the 1970s to the screen and even had a rehashed version of the song Duniya Mein Logon Ko from the 1972 film Apna Desh.

 

This idea of bringing back the 70s was explored once again in the science fiction romantic comedy, Action Replayy where a young Bunty (Aditya Roy Kapoor) goes back in time to the 1970s in an attempt to fix his parents’ marriage when their love was still blooming. Though the film flopped, the loud pop colours, crazy hairdos and clothing made a comeback into the movies.

2


2011:

The trend that was seen as part of the films of 2010 didn’t percolate as heavily to 2011. But there were still influences of eras gone by to be seen in the movies, most notably in films like Delhi Belly and The Dirty Picture.

 

Delhi Belly not only paid tribute to the first superstar of Bollywood, KL Saigal, with their song Saigal Blues, but also brought back the disco culture of the late 70s and early 80s, with constant references to a fictional character, Disco Fighter, as well as the hit item number, I Hate You (Like I Love You) featuring Aamir Khan. Even the song Jaa Chudail, picturised on Vir Das, was a disco-themed dance number.


Vidya Balan brought back the golden age of Silk Smitha with The Dirty Picture. Set in the 1980s, it was not only rife with raunchy moments and euphemisms from the time but also had elaborate song sequences and production design to recreate the era.

3


2012:

The year began with a bang as Dharma Productions remade the Amitabh Bachchan film Agneepath with an all-new cast and a slight change of setting. The 90s film received a dark makeover but a number of the iconic lines, characters and scenes were retained.

 

The undercurrent of nostalgia came back much stronger with films like Barfi! and Student of the Year. While Barfi! was set in the 1970s and paid tribute to a number of iconic actors like Charlie Chaplin, Student of the Year brought their nostalgia quotient a little differently.

 

Set in a modern era, SOTY was speckled with songs from the years gone by. While Varun Dhawan made a stylish entry to a rock enhanced version of Aamir Khan’s Papa Kehte Hain, Alia Bhatt made everyone swoon with her sweet and sexy act in Gulabi Aankhen. A hip version of Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra brought the foot-tapping number back into focus, while Rishi Kapoor reprised his dafli waale act in the song, Radha. What’s more, the three new students grooved to a funky new version of the Nazia and Zoheb Hassan track, Disco Deewane. The use of the familiar tracks definitely gave this film full of newcomers a boost as they embraced the yesteryear charm.

 

4


2013:


But the craving for nostalgia was most evident and rampant in the year 2013. It began with the Neeraj Pandey film about income tax raids and frauds, Special 26, which revisited the real-life heist stories from the 1980s.

 

Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbaai Dobaara!, which was a sequel to the 2010 hit film, not only looked to capitalize on the success of the first installment, but also bring back the era of Dawood Ibrahim and Chota Rajan in the 80s and the 90s. Using the devices of costumes and music, the costumes were not only quintessentially retro but the makers also rehashed the hit Amar Akbar Anthony song, Tayyab Ali. The film did not meet with the anticipated success, but that didn't dissipate the trend, but gave it room to meander into a different direction.

 

The idea of revisiting older films, which was seen in 2012 with Agneepath, continued in 2013 as well, when hit comedy Chashme Baddoor was remade by David Dhawan. Using the basic plotline and scenes, the film was totally recreated for a modern time and worked well with audiences who found a familiar connect not just with the original 1981 film but also with the revamped version.

 

The same feat repeated itself with Aashiqui 2, a musical film that was heralded as a sequel to the 1990 hit musical, Aashiqui. Using a similar theme of resentment and star crossed love, the new plotline worked well at the box-office and the music album was a chart topper.

 

Veering away from the trend of modernizing the past in a new film, Vikramaditya Motwane’s Lootera used the touching O Henry short story, The Last Leaf, to create a tender romance set in 1950s Calcutta. With great production detail, styling and music to match, the film was critically celebrated though it did not get its due at the box-office.

 

The film Lunchbox brought its own factor of nostalgia in the widely appreciated story with the use of the music of the film, Saajan (1991). The music becomes the binding thread between the two lead characters who never meet in the film, assuming the position of a character in itself and wielding the nostalgia to further strike a chord with the audiences.

 

5


2014:


After a nostalgia-heavy year, 2014 was equally drenched in the afterglow, evident through films like Gunday, Queen and Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania.

 

The year also saw the re-release of the iconic film Sholay (1975), which was presented in the theatres in 3D. It not only gave the older generations something to revisit but also gave the younger generations a chance to witness the cult film in a true cinematic experience.

 

Continuing to bring back the 70s charm was Ali Abbas Zafar’s Gunday, which took us back to Calcutta post the 1971 Bangladesh freedom movement. Using the colourful clothing, cabaret culture and archaic settings, the film had a pseudo-modern take on the retro era.

 

The award winning film Queen also resurrected the song Hungama Ho Gaya in a funky party mix style at an important junction in the film. The 70s track from the film Anhonee was back in style and the sexy cabaret number morphed into a liberating party song.

 

Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania, despite its modern setting, was in a sense a nostalgic look at the 1995 hit film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Featuring iconic dialogues and scenery from the film, actor Varun Dhawan who plays Humpty is also seen sobbing away to the climax of DDLJ.

 

Haider too was set in 1990s Kashmir and it looked at the socio-political turmoil in the area, while being Vishal Bharadwaj’s Indianised take on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

 

6


2015:

The nostalgia trip we have witnessed over the last five years continues to take shape in 2015 as well.

 

It began with Dum Laga Ke Haisha – the simple Yash Raj Films release that was set in 1990s Haridwar and showed us not only the complications of marriage but also told a coming of age story in a post-dated setting.

 

YRF continued their affair with nostalgia and period films with Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! and Dibakar Banerjee recreated 1940s Calcutta on screen for the audience to marvel at. With music that was a collection of influences from across the ages, set in a modern tone, the production design and detailing were bang-on.

 

And the upcoming release, Bombay Velvet, which has been in the making for quite a while now, is a large scale magnum opus of sorts and looks at the 1960s as an era when Bombay was still an emerging city. The fascinating detailing as well as the Jazz style music, costumes and even the cabaret culture are set to make the film a visual treat and hopefully transport the audiences to a lost period in time.

 

The need to produce nostalgia-inducing cinema seems to be an ongoing one, what with the reported reboot of Ram Lakhan, the Sonam Kapoor starrer Neerja revisiting the hijack of the PanAm flight 73 in 1986 and many more. It only remains to be seen whether these blasts from the past in our films continue to establish a trend of successful films that bring back chartered territory as a trope or device in films or it fizzles our as yet another box-office success tactic.