The curse of globalised culture: the fall of Indian cinema foretold

Abstract

Indian popular cinema, at the present juncture, is caught in a fix marked by two opposite trends—the overall decline in quality of the modern film resulting in rejection by audiences (as seen in endless commercial failures) and the nostalgic reverence among people about the classic films of earlier years, which had entertained and mesmerised them in a discourse that was beautiful, exciting and emotionally satisfying. This paper argues that the current decline in quality is part and outcome of the wider globalisation processes, consequently delinking cinema from the earlier creative roots. In this context, it makes some projections about the future of this cinema (and television) and suggests a set of future options to resurrect it from its present decline and to help the medium reinvent its past glory and social relevance.