Ram Setu: Nationalism can't save a poorly written film
Ram Setu: Nationalism can't save a poorly written film
Chest-thumping nationalism is often used as salt that is sprinkled in copious amounts over a dish (in this case, a film) to enhance its flavour. But what happens when the dish is poorly cooked, half-fried and can barely hold its ingredients together? That is when no amount of salt, chaat masala or lemon juice can save it. Ram Setu cannot escape the trappings of the Akshay Kumar film and it does not intend to. The Abhishek Sharma-directorial clearly has an agenda to pander to the right-wing and cash in on the nationalist wave that has Bollywood by chokehold. The film does so blatantly and unapologetically. But when one is pandering to the followers of a political ideology, one should at least do it right.
Many films in the last decade and most recently, SS Rajamouli’s RRR have incorporated themes of patriotism seamlessly into their narrative. In these films, there were no chest-thumping declarations of love for one’s country or preachy monologues on sanskriti and dharma. In the climax of RRR, when the two protagonists transform into Lord Rama and Bheema, it seems that their journey of self-discovery and in the process, protecting their community is complete. Ram Setu, like RRR, has many such moments but they don’t really fit seamlessly into the narrative. It seems as if they were written as mutually exclusive events that glorify an ideology but were later force-fitted into the larger narrative. Perhaps, that is what happens when one tries to tell a story not because the story itself is worth telling but to pander to a community and cash in on a movement.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with telling stories with patriotic or nationalistic themes. Many films have done it in the past. But none of them were as poorly written and executed as Ram Setu. Ironically, the protagonist of the film Aryan (played by Akshay Kumar), says at one point, ‘iss desh mein log sach nahi sunna chahte. Bas wahi sunna chahte hain jo unhe achcha lagta hai’. The dialogue sounds a bit rich coming from a film that is telling the particular section of the audience it caters to exactly what they want to hear as opposed to encouraging criticism, dissent and healthy dialogue around religion and communalism.
Must all glorification of Hindus and their cultural heritage be done at the cost of demonizing a particular community? Is there no better way to show the historical accuracy of Hindu mythology than resorting to pseudo-science and WhatsApp University-like dialogues? Judging by how often Akshay Kumar, the poster boy of nationalism and soft-Hindutva, has played the torch-bearer and the sole protector of Hindu culture and heritage in his films, one would expect him to have mastered the role by now. All of Kumar’s roles across all his recent films are indistinguishable at this point. They are all clones of each other in terms of character traits – they just have different clothes and hairstyles. As Aryan, Kumar seems even more exhausted than usual as he tries to hammer the same point he has been trying to put across in his last 5 films, albeit this time, he has curly hair and spectacles to make him look like a studious scientist. Why can’t patriotic films deliver their message in a simple, subtle and yet a powerful way like Chak De India (2007) or Swades (2004)? None of these two films pandered to any ideology. Their message of nationalism was universal and non-divisive. Both films were also deeply rooted in the Indian ethos and culture.
Must all Akshay Kumar films be a summary of long WhatApp forwards which aren’t fact-checked or backed by legitimate evidence? Must this assault on our sensibilities as an audience continue unchecked without as much of a question on why such cinema exists in the first place?
The more important question, particularly in context of Ram Setu is – can nationalism alone save films that cannot stand on their merit? Can chest-thumping monologues and preachy dialogues compensate for a poorly written script and shoddy execution? It is here that we must remind ourselves – nationalism is salt – merely a seasoning used for garnish. For dishes (films) that cannot hold their own, no amount of nationalism or garnishing can salvage them. Ram Setu is proof.
Ram Setu, starring Akshay Kumar, is playing now in theaters.
Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
What's Your Reaction?
