Under Lens: Motilal vs SRK

I beg your pardon for making the title look like some debate about the skills of legends of their time. It is not about their stardom or acting skills. It’s about their approach to it.
Years ago when Motilal died, he died in rags. This revelation was shocking for many people as he always maintained ‘great rich man’ repute. Even in his odd days, he was not even mediocre, forget about being poor. But death unveiled every dark truth about his financial bankruptcy.

Earlier, the fate of a movie changed lives of the makers. A glimpse of the dark truth is shown in Jaya Bhaduri (Bachchan) and Dharmendra starrer ‘Guddi’ where Dharmendra introduces Guddi to a ruined film set.
Shailendra ruined his career and life making ‘Teesri Kasam’. Many legends saw same writing on the wall and some were forced to face it. Example- Lalita Pawar.
But today, the scene has changed. People in industry have understood the dynamics of box-office and today even a poor run makes enough to compensate the makers. Sometimes, even before the premiere, the money invested is pocketed. Today stars not only rule the box-office, but are almost unaffected by the weekend verdict.

SRK owns an IPL franchisee. Despite of string of flops, Salman gets fat cheques for his movies. Starlets are ready to experiment and corporate a gambling high even in hostile recession time. This turnaround means the change of approach in the work style of the industry- from experimental ad-hoc to truly professional.

However, this change is not too age-old. About 15 years old story. The main architect of this phenomenon has been Amitabh Bachchan who foresaw the future and ensured his safety. Shahrukh followed the steps of Bachchan and invested in the right places right from the beginning. With the arrival of the age of the multiplexes, the risk factor reduced further and corporate found it safer to experiment.

It’s smart to learn from your past and predecessors. When you ride high... keep one foot on land.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh