#HappyBirthdayNolan: 5 things Bollywood can learn from him
What's the story
Christopher Nolan, Hollywood's golden boy, celebrates his birthday today. The great director hasn't had a single flop and continues his hot streak across small and mega-budget movies. The avid cinephile has had great ideas in the past and hopefully will have even better ones in the future. On his birthday, here are 5 lessons Bollywood could try and learn from the visionary director.
Script-writing
#1: Scripts should be balanced
Nolan's scripts are popular for their layers and how they are presented to the audience. They never undermine viewers' intelligence but constantly urge them to delve deeper. The script-writing is such that characters, through their dialogues, address a larger point relevant to society; like Joker spoke about 'civilized people' when chips were down. If only, Bollywood learned a thing or two from Nolan's scripts.
Characterization
#2: Larger-than-life characters have no space in realistic cinema
Nolan tried his hands at war films and 'Dunkirk' was a bright feather in his cap. Bollywood too had their history of war films with big movies like 'Lakshya' and 'Border', however, they made the soldiers larger than life, more idealist than human. Nolan, contrarily, shows the grit and pain of a soldier, their fear, and patriotism, which make his characters more realistic.
Casting
#3: Big names don't make for good movies
Bollywood faces a major problem of casting. With the star power drawing crowds most filmmakers choose to work only with known names. Nolan, on the other hand, is particular about who he casts in roles and has a clique of trusted actors. Actors like Cillian Murphy, Heath Ledger, were never celebrated stars but they suited Nolan's roles. The rest, as they say, is history!
Cinematic acccuracy
#4: Do your research properly and use real locations
CGI is the big fad now and Bollywood is going its way with big films like 'Baahubali'. But Nolan prefers real locations to CGI, as they increase viewing pleasure. Furthermore, he has a penchant for thorough research and wants to be historically accurate. Case in point: 'Dunkirk'. Now, compare it to 'Mohenjo Daro' and you will know what Bollywood is doing wrong.
Philosophy
#5: We need more films with messages, not mindless action
Bollywood's tendency to churn out mindless entertaining action although endearing could get boring real soon. Films should come with their messages and philosophical conundrums which Nolan has mastered. For example, 'Interstellar' talked about a dystopia where space-exploration for adventure was replaced by the need to survive as a species. Similarly, 'The Dark Knight' included strains of anarchy versus civilization. Are you listening, Bollywood?