The Curious Case of Hindi Film Awards

The Curious Case of Hindi Bollywood Film Awards

A Prelude to The HIndie Awards

The road to or the Awards season itself is upon us. The Oscars are coming up next year and it's a race between the fall releases this time round to see who makes the cut to win big gold at every major function.

Now as we all know, the Oscars aren't perfect. Some would argue that they don't choose the best of the best of the year, but rather the best of the ones they like under their strict and snobbish judgment. The Academy Awards are by no means based on merit. 

But for many an Indians they are held in high regard, even though our films rarely make it to the foreign category (the last time it was Lagaan in 2002). Now let's face it, degrade us for our love or reverence for the Oscars all you want, but when you see the kind of hackneyed award functions we have you would understand. 

 

And this is why Hindi Cinema isn't taken seriously...at an serious award function, you have two of the current biggest stars cross dressing for some bad humor

For Hindi cinema, the awards season means just having these award functions hosted by not a body of film academics but rather media houses and big companies looking to churn profits of their TRP's. The only film award worth looking at are the National Awards and that too only on occasion.

Mainstream awards might avoid the American counterpart of annoying campaigning but they're close to the notion of politicking and that too on a whole other level. There's no denying that awards are bought.

Heck every new year, not only are they bought but made. Weird things such as Best Marketed film to Best Superstar who can't act to save his life are awarded to some of the worst hacks in Indian cinema. It's basically a shameless way to pat each other on the back.

Despite a few mistakes and misjudgments, 2012 and 2011 actually had the best Indian awards seasons giving it mostly to the right people and choices. Then last year (well we remember what happened last year) these awards go back to pandering to the superstars and the big buck people nominating the likes of Dhoom 3, Krrish 3 and Chennai Express over the BA Pass, Shahid's and Looteras of this world. 

From 2011 to 2012 Ranbir Kapoor (Rockstar and Barfi) and Vidya Balan (Dirty Picture and Kahaani) deserving won the awards amidst the people they were nominated against

I don't need to rant long you see, it's a known fact and around the internet that these Awards just don't matter. So I'm personally going to do the same thing I did with Underdog Awards and make a Hindi version of it; called the Hindie Awards.

Now while it will officially start from next year, I'd like to give due to the films from bygone years or just the prior decade with a what if styled revisit of these awards. So be prepared for my post on the HIndie Awards for the year 2012 (2013 was already done here). Do remember that for 2012 and 2011 my nominees and maybe even winners will be close to the awards I'm hating on (hypocrisy but because those two years, the awards people somehow just got it right).    

PS: Watch out for a lengthier examination on Hindi Film Awards and how that can be solved

'Nuff Said

Aneesh Raikundalia