Yes, I should've talked about Bollywood a long time ago
It's just that I don't know all that much about the film industry of India
Shameful, I know
But, I do know ONE movie
It's the Doom to FPS
It's the Beatles to popular music
It's Sholay
The big daddy of Bollywood Cinema
If there is one word I can use to describe Sholay
It's that its an "epic"
Watching this film is like going into a trance
It has everything
And everything is dialed up to 11
Intense action
Grandiose story
Romantic drama
Mesmerizing song and dance
Even slapstick comedy
That's why this type of films is called masala films
A mixture of genre, complex in flavor
Much like the spice it was named after
So today, we are going to examine the film from a few different angles
And see why this film feels epic
And through this
Learn to appreciate a different type of cinema
Sholay is a 1975 "curry western" action film
With elements of romance, musical, comedy
And a bunch of other stuff
In the film, two young gunslinging thieves are hired by a retired police officer
To protect a village
And capture the notorious bandit
Gabbar Singh
It's an emotional roller coaster
Sometimes funny
Sometimes tragic
Every character is tied to this epic story
Here, Sholay exhibits its first major difference to your standard Hollywood film
In Sholay, every character is defined by an exaggerated trait
If a girl is supposed to be a chatterbox
Then she's comically chatty
If a widow lives a sad life
She'll wear nothing but white
Symbolizing how her life has lost all color
If a jailer is supposed to an incompetent tyrant
Then we should move on before this video gets demonetized
But perhaps no characters demonstrate this better than the main antagonist
Look at this slime-y, sadistic bastard of a man
Forcing his failed henchmen to play Russian roulette
"The Bastard has escaped!"
Killing them after the game
Kidnapping a girl
Forcing her to dance on broken glass for his amusement
There is not a single shred of relatability in this character
In fact, the director specifically did away with the tired trope
Of bandits seeking a life of crime out of desperation
This man is enjoying the crime
And you can see it just from the smile
His dialogue is also similarly grandiose
"Take a look out here!"
"Theres are the guys who came here to protect you from me!"
See how he's making an announcement
Instead of talking to people
Every action is theatrical
In fact, every character talks like this
"Our vices taught us to wield guns."
"Our virtue will teach us how to plough."
Almost like poetry
Unlike the "relatable villain" that is all the rage these days
In Sholay,
Characters are larger-than-life
A style of writing more common in comic books than movies
The only Hollywood movie I can remember with similar writing
Happens to be another favourite epic of mine
Conan the Barbarian
The character
The dialogue
"Crush your enemies"
"See them driven before you"
"And to hear the lamentations of their women"
The larger-than-life evil
"That is strength, boy"
All evoke a similar feel
The feel of an epic folk legend
Of course, that's just the writing
The presentation of it has to match, too
And Sholay does not disappoint
One of the most impressive things about its cinematography is the range of expression
When the film calls for a quite, self-reflecting conversation
It quietly glides along
Relying on background action to keep the film from feeling static
And when the action is at high gear
The camera moves
And it's down right stylish
The wide shots are picturesque
And the close-ups punch you right in the eyeball
This carefully crafted intensity is perhaps done best in the opening train robbery scene
Take this shot for example
The punch in exaggerates the power of the bullet hit
Then it zooms back out
With he gun occupying the most eye catching position
Giving you an "Oh Sh*t" moment
And bam
Cut to the reaction
The kinetic energy of the camera and the editing carefully amplifies every actions
See how the camera whips down the barrel
And the gun fires right at your eye level
It's not exactly dropping a moon on you
Yet it feels very high octane
Of course, unlike the moon
The stunt works in the films are done for real
The highspeed falls onto water or down a hill are all dangerous
And, in turn, thrilling to watch
It's a continuation of the legacy set by the greats like Buster Keaton
But bigger and faster
It's why the Mission Impossible series feel so epic
It's why the Fast & Furious franchise remains relevant
In the same vein
Sholay uses these same camera technique
And the same realistic stunts
To present this bombastic action adventure
And finally, let's talk about audience expectation
It's one of those often overlooked aspect
That heavily alters the perception of a film
Go into Mission Impossible expecting a nuance and thought provoking story
And you are likely to be disappointed
The same applies to Sholay
And to an extent, masala films in general
Unlike traditional Hollywood movies that try their best to be "immersive"
To not break to fourth wall
Masala films throw away all of that
And opt to prioritize entertainment first
In some ways, Sholay is a series of shows
Connected with a narrative
Whenever the action scene finishes
There is a dramatic scene to intrigue you
Followed by a song and dance sequence for fun
And when it ends
Boom!
A literal explosion kicks off the next action scene
Audience are expected to enjoy the presentation
While the narrative is just a bonus
Immersiveness is wholly optional
The film is a party
Going to see this film is an event
And that mindset, has a special bonus
It's not Ethan Hunt hanging off the side of a flying plane
It's Tom Cruise
Those aren't bandits falling off a horse
They are performers
The lack of immersion works in the film's favor
As it makes the spectacle feels real
Or rather, makes you realize that it IS real
And in terms of the narrative
The film doesn't demand you to put yourself in any character's shoes
The audience merely observes the characters from a safe distance
You may come to love the characters
But you don't have to feel like the characters
That, in turn, allows these character to be much grander
Comically exaggerated
And still remains acceptable
Everything in the film can be heightened to an epic scale
Because of the mindset the audience has
If you can't tell, I love Sholay
And I love movies like Conan the Barbarian
Mission Impossible
And even the Fast & Furious
There is a lot of judgement against these types of movies
Movies that favor spectacles over stories
I can end this episode by saying things like
"Movies that seek to entertain also have their values"
Blah blah blah
But I think the easiest way for you to open your eyes
And come to appreciate these types of films
Is for you to just watch Sholay
We already saw its technical competence
The character writing, the camera, the stunts
And the pacing
It has clear intent and great execution
And if you still think films like these are low hanging fruit of the film world
Consider this:
The film took two and a half years to make
With the train robbery scene alone taking 7 weeks
That's the dedication of artists