What's the good word?

Jitesh Pillai / TNN / Apr 3, 2005, 15:18 IST

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With films like Black and Page 3 redefining the idiom of filmmaking and more importantly, its lingo, Jitesh Pillai wonders if Hinglish is the brand new argot.

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">It is close to official now. Hinglish is in. Sanjay Leela Bhansali''s Black is poised to become a money-spinner. Page 3 is a certified hit. Clearly, Hinglish has become the flavour of the season. The metros and satellite towns are zinging with Hinglish films. Namaste, to a brand new world. The duniya of Hinglish films. A masalafied version of Hindi and English. Sometimes dangerously teetering between English and Hindi as spoken in Sujoy Ghosh''s Jhankaar Beats or Madhur Bhandarkar''s Page 3. As ad man Bharat Dabholkar says, "To me, Hinglish is when you try writing in proper English but cannot find the right English word for what you wish to say and instead, use a single Hindi, Marathi or Sanskrit word." Adds VJ Cyrus Broacha, "It is the language of today''s youngster, the medium he relates to." The trend initiated by Nagesh Kukunoor''s Hyderabad Blues and Kaizad Gustad''s Bombay Boys came to be repeated by several niche filmmakers, but met with little or no success. Says trade analyst Indu Mirani, "See, no one film these days cuts across to a universal audience. Everything has become niche. </div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal">"So the directors too are catering to a niche audience. It''s a rare Main Hoon Naa or an Andaaz that has done exceptional business even in the rural areas." The new millennium ushered in a plethora of good, bad to middling Hinglish films: Hollywood Bollywood, Joggers'' Park, Mumbai Matinee, Let''s Enjoy, Fun, Flavours. States filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, "Earlier, audiences had no choice, you could only watch Doordarshan, so the entertainment offered to them was a one course meal. "But today, they have many more options. The spread of entertainment is like a lavish buffet. So obviously, they are going to pick and choose, especially if they''re spending Rs 150 to Rs 200 for a film." Another important factor: Big budget films like Swades, Lakshya, Musafir, Yuva, Kisna, Kyon Ho Gaya Na... crashing. So distributors aver that it''s safer to pin their hopes on small budget films that elicit quick and easy recovery. Says the big daddy of film distribution, Shyam Shroff, "Costing is the main factor. Theatrically, they may not do great business as they are meant for a certain section of the audience, but there are other streams of revenue available. "If you play your cards well, you may recover your cost with profits." No two ways about that. But for rare exceptions like Black or Page 3, essentially Hinglish films are enjoyed by a multiplex audience. </div> </div><div class="section3"><div class="Normal">But multiplex rates are prohibitive. Would bringing down the rates bring in more people? Shroff avers, "As a distributor, you don''t have control over ticket pricing. You should be smart enough to play the game within the given parameters. "Some states insist on not charging lower than the neighbouring single screen halls. In subsequent weeks, lower pricing of tickets could help movies." Of course, the man du jour Madhur Bhandarkar, who made Page 3 has his own take to the entire Hinglish jamboree. "My subject demanded that my characters speak in Hinglish. I thought that going by the title of my film, it would only be a multiplex film. "But what shocked me is that my film worked in Ranchi, Patna and Ahmedabad and a small centre like Faridabad. So if it''s a good film, the idiom really doesn''t matter." Right on then, from Mumbai to Rourkela, the lingo is Hinglish. Kyunki sab chalta hai at the movies.</div> </div>

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