Return of the retro
The typical masala ingredients of the 1970s films seem to be back with a vengeance as reflected in many recent releases, writes Shama Rana

Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om was a classic tribute to the 1970s; and (right) the original Don featuring Amitabh Bachchan inspired the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer of the same name, with SRK trying to cash in on one of the most loved underworld characters of that decade

It seems that the 1970s film bug has bitten the Hindi film industry. The retro theme was ushered in at the onset of the decade by Main Hoon Na, a 1970s-style entertainment package. It seems it will only grow on visibility charts in the coming times. This year itself came Milan Luthria’s Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai, which portrayed the ascent of Mumbai’s underworld.

The recently released Action Replayy adds another name to the 1970s hall of fame. Vipul Shah has gone vintage with this retro comedy. Based on a famous Gujarati play of the same name, Action Replayy promised the audience an unforgettable trip down memory lane.

The 1970s was one of the most prolific and vibrant eras of the Hindi film industry. It was the time when angry young man Amitabh Bachchan, suave Dev Anand, debonair Feroz Khan, macho Vinod Khanna as well as chocolate boy like Shashi Kapoor and teen icon Rishi Kapoor had the audience (particularly the female fans) swaying to their charisma.

Bollywood is finally turning to the archives, as there seems a dearth of new ideas to put across, resonate experts in the same tone. But it’s not like that the 1970s have just been discovered. All through the past decade, the sizzling 1970s have been paid homage by a generation of filmmakers.

Directed by debutant choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan, Main Hoon Na highlighted all aspects of the Hindi cinema — action, emotion, comedy and tragedy. These masala ingredients were part of many Manmohan Desai-style of films made in the 1970s. Main Hoon Na was Hindi commercial film purely based on this era — seamstress mother, dying father, dutiful son, romance, comedy, action sequences. It was Farah Khan’s tribute to the 1970s style of filmmaking with lost and found siblings, dutiful sons, hammy villains, teenage romances and equally fun melodies to top it off.

Everything that was super successful some 30 years ago was used in the making of Main Hoon Na. Farah Khan`A0paid a handsome tribute to people, props, movies related to the effervescent era of the 1970s like Sholay, and the entire success formula of the 1970s, made by such icons like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Nasir Hussain. She also spoofed the maa ke haath ke aloo ke paranthe bit, dream sequences and Yash Chopra’s`A0trademark romance.

Then came Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om, which paid a classic tribute to the 1970s. This Sha Rukh Khan-starrer movie captured the Bollywood of the 1970s and served as a potpourri of romance, music and the idea of reincarnation. The cast of Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om went downright retro and bell-bottoms, side burns and bouffant hairstyles became the USP of the film.

This year again, the 1970s seem to have feverishly climbed the popularity charts in Bollywood. Ajay Devgn’s role was based on 1970s top don Dawood Ibrahim in Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai, where he romanced a girl sporting a giant bouffant and was flaunting clutch bags. The film, set primarily in Mumbai of the 1970s, follows the rise of Sultan (Ajay Devgn), and his eventual fall, when his prot`E9g`E9 Shoaib (Emraan Hashmi) challenges his supremacy, and usurps power to rule Mumbai’s underworld.

The promotional campaign of the movie that ran across 28 locations and 93 screens all over the country even saw the ushers in the multiplexes dressed up in a 1970s’ styled attire, complementing the theme of the film.`A0Several multiplexes had kiosks urging people to enter a retro zone for a 1970s-style fashion makeover. The posters in metros were sophisticated and stylish, while towns and villages sported colourful posters and over-the-top promotional activities.`A0

The recently released Action Replayy turned out to be a laugh riot and the lead pair, Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai looked very classy in their 1970s bell-bottoms and long tresses. The plot is inspired from Robert Zemeckis’ Back To The Future, a time-travel comedy. The movie is also a cine reunion of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Akshay Kumar after Khakee. Bunty (Aditya Roy Kapoor) loves his girlfriend Tanya (Sudeepa Singh) but doesn’t want to marry her, as he has seen his parents, Kishen (Akshay Kumar) and Mala (Aishwarya Rai) at loggerheads throughout their marital life. One day, Tanya’s grandfather, Professor Anthony Gonsalves (Randhir Kapoor), gives him the choice to either marry Tanya or forget her forever. Using Professor’s time machine, he transports himself to the 1970s and plans to rewrite his parents’ destiny. The movie is based in Mumbai and spans over five decades. Akshay’s dance numbers in the film instantly remind the audience of John Travolta in the 1977 hit Saturday Night Fever.

Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai grooving to a specially-composed number by Pritam is a tribute to the leading Bollywood couples of the 1970s: Amitabh-Jaya, Dharmendra-Hema, Rishi-Neetu, Rajesh-Mumtaz and Shashi-Parveen. This song, shot in Manali, starts in a playful manner and then goes on to salute the stylish romance that was typical of the 1970s.

The 1970s retro fever will only grow with a slew of Bollywood projects in the pipeline. Another blockbuster of the 1970s, Amar Akbar Antony`A0is slated for a remake 36 years after the original version was released. The original version had Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor as Antony, Amar and Akbar, respectively. This remake version produced by Ramesh Taurani will feature Khan brothers trinity with Salman Khan as Antony, Arbaaz Khan as Amar and Sohail Khan as Akbar.

After the successful remake of movie Don, ace director Farhan Akhtar is busy filming Don-2 in Germany, with Shah Rukh Khan to cash in on one of the most loved underworld characters of the 1970s.

Film critics may have finally predicted the doom of our film industry with the present reverse trend but the ruling retro theme is not a mere looking back for evergreen ideas and label them anew. It is a celebration of a time that exuded the true essence, exuberance and extravagance of the Hindi cinema in the present times of Mehangai Dayan doing the rounds. While critics justify their namesake by putting out the palpable explanations, our talented filmmakers have proved their prowess in the prevailing competitive scenario, this film industry has ever witnessed.