In 1957,we had five massive hits Mother India,Naya Daur,Pyaasa,Do Aankhen Barah Haath and Tumsa Nahin Dekha. No five films could be more different and their success proves not only that there is an audience for each but also that a single viewer needs different fare according to his moods. The important point is that it is the story,the characters and the genre that decide the kind of dialogues that will be heard in a film. Just like I obviously cannot write the same kind of lyrics for Dil Chahta Hai,Lagaan and Sardari Begum,I cannot write the same kind of lines for a loud,uncouth Gabbar Singh in Sholay that I would write for the cool Teja and understated Vijay when they first confront each other in Zanjeer. A realistic film needs realistic,everyday lines,a larger-than-life drama has different needs. There cannot be an interchange. And both obviously appeal. Both kinds of dialogues have always co-existed in cinema. If many films of the 40s,for example,had flowery lines,there were movies from New Theatres,Kolkata,that kept the lines short and subtle. Salim-Javed were known for the intense,punch-laden lines of films like Zanjeer,Deewaar,Sholay,Trishul and Don. But none of our lines had rhetoric. They were understated as a rule,yet made an impact. It is a film that clicks or fails,not the genre,but when bad films fail,the genre is blamed and this mentality makes people stop making that kind of cinema! A genre does not decide the quality,because it is passion,hard work and enthusiasm that decide whether what you write is good or bad. Good work always succeeds in any genre,and bad output does not! So after our films became huge hits then,everyone had begun to cash in on those kind of movies and dialogue patterns. This was done out of greed for success because following a trend gave some minimum security. But most such films that came in were very bad and obviously failed. When that happened,our style of writing went out of vogue and even became taboo. Because our kind of writing ceased,a certain part of the audiences heart was not being fed. And then after a gap,someone decided to write the same kind of film again. This time,it was done out of conviction and enthusiasm as it was no longer considered a saleable trend anymore. And so it worked again! No genre is wrong in itself. Neither kind of writing is easyunless you are happy with mediocrity! Real or larger-than-life,good work needs focus and perseverance. Any art including cinema has many genres and anything heartfelt and honest will make a mark. As told to Rajiv Vijayakar rajiv.vijayakar@expressindia.com
