India's answer to Superman

For time immemorial, since my childhood, the inferiority of Bollywood has been a part of my psyche due to a naturally conditioned response arising out of the fact that many of our films were a pale copy of Holllywood flicks, where entire story line and scene by scene mimicry was resorted to by our Indian Films. The role played by the film critiques was not insubstantial in running down the products churned out by out Bollywood factory , that over the years has been drilled into the very core of our national consciousness.

My long held beliefs and hang-ups on the second-class status of our masala pot-boilers was pleasantly blown to smithereens when I took my parents, wife and daughter for a back-to-back movie outing to Fun Republic, when we saw Krrish and Superman on two consecutive days. Krrish was seen first, followed by Hollywood's Superman. Krrish was the culmination of a super-hero that I had always dreamt of as a boy. The only desi superhero for me was the monkey-God Hanuman, whose stories my grandmother had told me that was further enhanced by the very pictorial Amar Chitra Katha Comics. Other than that Dharmendra( in the movie Dharam-Veer , Sholay and the lamentable Teesri Ankh) was one of the contenders for a superhero for me during my childhood, who came a poor seventh after Phantom, Tarzan, Mandrake, Superman, Spiderman and Batman. I had been pining for a Indian super-idol since the days of yore. Seeing Hritik Roshan as Krrish brought satiated all the unfulfilled desires to have a cent percent Hindustani Hero. The first shot of Krrish when he races with a stallion was a master-piece in choreography, that took the breath away. I feel a lot of research would have gone into designing the costume for Krrish, since it is non-esoteric and every kid on the street can identify with the character, unlike the Superman who wears an costume with his chaddi worn outside his pants and stops a wing-less and rudderless Airbus with 400 passengers crashing onto the baseball field with his very bare hands and ends it with a corny line "hi, I am Superman". If Rakesh Roshan has not made Krrish, we Indians would have been forced to swallow Hollywood superheroes who have absolutely no bearing with our ethos and aspirations. Superman, was seen in the Gold Class paying Rs 110/- per head whereas for Krrish we were forced to watch it in the Bronze Class shelling out only Rs 60/- per head, due other classes being sold out. But believe you me, Krrish seen on a cheaper ticket with the screen looming in front of our eyes was much more enjoyable that Superman seen from the elite seats. Our visual hardships could not succeed in taking off the sheen form Krrish. Superman was a pale shadow of the previous Superman Movies starring Christopher Reeves since he was a much better hero than the present bloke who sleep-walked through his Superman role. Our Priyanka Chopra was cut above the frigid girlfriend of Superman who was as dry as a Indian rusk and had got knocked up by her office colleague during the absence to the costumed Hollywood superhero.

Krrish could sing and dance but can you imagine Superman breaking into a jig? Krrish had a storyline that was riveting and Nassiruddin Shah as the bad guy was leagues ahead of the villain in Superman. Scene for Scene, stunt for stunt, Krrish was indeed a superior hero to the caped Superman. The scene when Krrish rescues a small child form a burning circus tent has a better emotional quotient than all the damsels in distress saved by Superman. Finally even the international audience is waking up to the potential of the Indian Superhero. Move over pale-faced caped Hollywood Superman, our very own son-of the-soil bronze superhero Krrish has arrived.

Author's Note

Superman