Bollywood always had formulas for the kind of films to be made in different decades. 90s and few years later, dominates the Bollywood fascination with Underworld at maximum level. During these times underworld had its visible presence in Mumbai and every business or films had its touch.
Filmmakers had a golden opportunity to depict the lives of emerging or untouched gangsters on screen, it was similar to Bollywood Masala where bullets are fired without counting, anywhere, anytime, murders in daylight, the fact that it has happened in real life gives an undercurrent to the audiences, the fact that the Police is unable to catch the gangster who hailed to this level from a poor upbringing gives a strong sense of win to the audiences.
Ram Gopal Varma goes with Satya and it just confirmed the beginning of new era in Bollywood. These stories touched the nerves of audiences and were huge hit at Box office. Underworld which was already into piracy business, even did the piracy of these films in India and other countries. Underworld stories were everywhere, newspapers, magazines, lanes and mind, this worked as a PR for films. During these times there was no track of who actually was producing these movies. It was said fugitives Don had interest in Film business and was producing movies as per his choices.
Beginning of year 2000 comes as a downfall of Underworld in Mumbai as Mumbai Police had started using technologies to track gangsters and was in no mood to let underworld survive. Ram Gopal Varma’s Company was another blockbuster which depicted the gang-war and use of mobile technology as a means to communicate and kill.
As Underworld continues to lose its shine, Police continued to caught and kill dreaded gangsters. There was nothing to feel brave about underworld. Rise of mobile and DTH technology brought new horizons for people and they moved into a new era where information was at a fingertip, content was easily available in good quality at DTH platforms. Time changed. Audiences already entered into new era of fresh TV and news content 24 by 7. Many films on Underworld came and went into darkness, taste of audiences changed, those stories stopped touching nerves of audiences. The fact that the underworld is at the end of its visible presence turned into disaster for Underworld stories.
Now audiences are youth, most of them born in 90s and later, with access to technology and information on fingertip these confident audiences doesn’t give a thought to underworld and their stories.
A few films like Once upon a time in Mumbai, Shoot out at Wadala worked only when fictional ingredients added to script, great marketing and star power.
Recent release Daddy, although a well made biopic failed to impress the audiences nationwide only because the tastes of audiences have changed. They are not excited about underworld. Shraddha Kapoor’s Haseena Parker releasing soon, as an Indie Filmmakers I hope for the best for the film but one can clearly see the buzz, Let’s see.
