Passion vis a vis commercial drive…..

                                             A die hard drive 

Passion may be related to any field of activity. Basically, it’s a a’die hard” drive, that helps in attaining a mental satisfaction to the achiever. Be it the spectacular inventions and discoveries or supernatural attainments or world classic writings in shape of books etc. All these made possible by this element of “passion for the field.” In case of passion, one thing is remarkable. Upon target being achieved, not necessarily, the achiever is supposed to be benefited financially through that. In contrast, such achiever, in attaining the mental satisfaction might have suffered through financial losses.

In common, when in some specific field a person achieves a big success (may that be in shape of business success), critics and reviewers often accredit his success to his passion. Whether, a big success in this  financial mode, can be considered as a passion.  NO! When goal in some specific field is to mint the money, it’s not a passion, it’s the element of “greed.”

This fact can be comprehended by the paradigms of efficiency of stalwart film makers of film industry. World famed, renowned movies only could be painted on the celluloid, due to the ‘passion’ of the film makers of the time. In making of such movies, the film makers eventually might have suffered financially, upon their movies proven a ‘disaster’ on the commercial side. But makers had had a mental peace after producing such movies.

              Paradigms in context to Indian film makers

in this context, the one name that places itself on the top of the list is of Mr. Raj Kapoor. The grand symbolic of “Great showman” is affixed permanently with his name. This tag of “Great showman” he won only because of his “passion” for film making, off the track. He was given to take all kind of risk to attain his this ‘passion.’ Hardly people knew, because of his this film making passion (that requires a good deal of money), for a long time he chose to live in rental house. He opted to invest his money first in buying the Film studio. His film studio, ever remained a point of attraction for people of film industry, as well of common folk. The film studio was titled upon his the name of initials as “R.K, Studio.”

His  life time film making journey is remembered for his producing so many big budget movies of the time. Often some of them proven to be the disastrous flop, that, literally brought him on the road. But he never gave up his passion . An interesting example is of making of the film, “Mera naam Joker (My name is Joker).  This movie was a lengthy one, with two intervals( his a previous classic movie “Sangam” means ‘confluence’ too was a lengthy movie with two intervals).

In the making of the movie, “Mera Nam Joker”, his all money got invested, even family owned jewelry too got pledged. On completion of movie, in premier show, though movie was applauded greatly by critics and reviewers for its grandness and innovative theme. But in cine halls it was a big flop of the category of disaster. He literally came on the road.

The reason was, the theme of the movie was twenty years ahead of the time, and the mental perception of the audience could not digest the theme. The same movie, after fifteen years on its re – release made records in money minting. Up to that time, the Indian audience perception had reached to a “maturity level” fitted for the acceptance of the theme of the movie. Recently, perhaps, in the year of 2021 – 22, in a live T V show,  the only alive son of Mr. Raj Kapoor, Mr. Ran dheer Kapoor candidly admitted this fact. He said, Once upon a time’s “disastrous flop movie”, ‘ My name is joker’ has been proven an all time money minting movie for Raj Kapoor Saheb’s family.

                       Recovery by a frivolous love story

Just after this, the distress of failure of movie, “My Name is Joker,” forced Mr. Raj Kapoor to apply his hand to produce a low budget movie “Bobby.” Theme of the movie was based upon the love story of teen age. In the story, boy belonged to a wealthy family and girl patronized by a father who once had been the driver of the boy’s family. This was in consonance to the mental perception of the audience of the time.

When the love of the girl shown predominated over the boy with a happy ending, it turned up into a big hit of the time. Again, reason was, it soothed the frustrated mental perception of the Indian film goers, by the winsome happy ending of a poor girl’s love story. This low budget movie greatly helped Raj Saheb to recover from his financial loss of the last mega budget movie. This movie suited no where to his artistic film making sense, but in show business if you need to survive, you are bound to compromise.

                                 Again a big project as a passion

Once again, he was having a big project with a theme, off the track. In this movie, he delineated the story of a girl with sweet, sonorous and melodious singing voice, whose face got defaced by burn wounds. The name of the movie was, ” Satyam, Shivam, Sunderam.) The literal meaning of the title was , ‘the truth, eternal and beautiful’. This mega budget movie again proven a disastrous on the box office.

He suffered a financial set back. But he had had a die hard passion for artistic film making. That impelled him to commence with a new big project, “Ram Teri Ganga Mailiee,” (God your pious river Gange got polluted.) This helped make him tremendous come back with great success on the box office.

Mr, Raj Kapoor proved that his passion for making movies with the theme “off the track”, secured him a place in the film history. Prior to him, the only name to attain such reverence goes to the great art film maker  Mr. Satyajit Roy of Bengal. In contrast to this, so many film makers have been there in the industry. They are recognized for producing big, mega budget, splendid movies, but they lacked that cinematic visionary eye behind the camera, as Raj Saheb had the vision. In fact, the main motive of these film producers was business first then other things, whilst Rah Saheb had  just a reverse mindset regard film making.

These other film producers survived and prospered duly, but in a transition. None of them succeeded in holding the title “the great show man.” Why? Because, the motif was “money minting” only, whilst, Mr. Raj Kapoor lived the life with a passion of film making. In the year of 1988, Raj Saheb left for heavenly abode, more than thirty years have elapsed. Yet, no one has been able to replace his position which he secured as “Great Show Man.”This is indeed called “passion for profession.” Penned by — Vinay Pharasi …