[Reader-list] Why did mythologicals die?

[T. Vishnu Vardhan]

Hi this is my (delayed) sixth and final posting from the project 
'Documenting the Death of a Genre: Mythologicals in Telugu cinema'.

In the last five postings I took you through various aspects of Telugu 
mythologicals which surfaced in my research.  I posted about the importance 
of language in mythologicals, viewers' expectation from mythologicals (in 
terms of language), the aspect of nativity in Telugu cinema, mythologicals 
and genre, changing role of mythologicals from 1930s to 1980s.

In this posting I will reflect on the question Why did mythologicals die in 
Telugu cinema?  This is the same question which, I asked few people from 
the industry and also Telugu cinema viewers.

Nobody has an exact answer for the question.  But these are the few popular 
responses.

1)  A certain package of film makers and actors (like K.V. Reddy, 
Kamalakara Kameshwara Rao, N.T. Rama Rao, Savithri, S.V. Ranga Rao, 
Gummadi, etc) who were known for their mythologicals, passed away/came of 
age/stopped acting.  And nobody can replace these people either on the 
screen or off the screen.

2) The production of mythologicals is very expensive and the industry was 
not in a position to spend such a huge amount on these films and thus by 
1980s they die.

3)  The plots of mythologicals were exhausted and there is nothing new to 
show to the spectators.

4)  The tastes of the viewers have changed.  They cant take-in anymore the 
same plots culled out from Ramayana and Mahabaratha.  Also the language of 
the mythologicals is too high for the audience and they do not any more 
enjoy the long padhyalu (kind of poems).

Either stating one or more of the above reasons most of them become 
nostalgic about the age of mythologicals, especially those made between 50s 
and 80s.  And this period is also considered as the golden age of Telugu 
cinema both by the industry and the 'cinema going public'.

Further, this is the period during which a kind of star system emerges 
(which is different from an ordinary film star).  A star system which can 
mobilize people beyond the film theatre and can determine capital in the 
industry.  NTRama Rao, who is the first star to enjoy such star system in 
Telugu, apparently became the first non-congress Chief Ministrer of Andhra 
Pradesh.

Coming back to the question of WHY DID MYTHOLOGICALS DIE, what I am going 
to say is a bit controversial and is unsaid till now.  Mythological died 
because of NT Rama Rao or in other words because of the new star system.

How this is so is what I will be talking at the conference in SARAI.  Hope 
you will be ready to shoot many questions and let me see how I am going to 
defend my hypothesis.

see you soon.

Vishnu
T. Vishnu Vardhan
Centre for the Study of Culture and Society,
466, 9th Cross, 1st Block, Jayanagar,
Bangalore - 560011.
e-mail: vishnu at cscsban.org
         thvishnu_viva at yahoo.com
Tel. no. 080-26562986
mobile no. +919845207308
fax no. 080-26562991  
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