Who defines Bollywood's “NO BRAINER”?

We are all quite fond of the no-brainer flicks in Bollywood that have come up recently. As the term suggests, no-brainers don’t need you to look beyond the screens and think. Either they make you cry or laugh which means they toy with the emotional element of our brains.

I mean, think about it. A very bad no-brainer film can make you cry too. Do you know why? That’s because you went into the theatre expecting something and came out getting nothing. However, we are of the generalized opinion that if the film is a no brainer, it will have no substance and therefore it will be less like worthy.

The audience for Bollywood understands the ‘no-brainer’ genre the best because of this man called — Akshay Kumar. This is not to say that all his work is of this kind, but let’s say – most of it is. By most of it, I meant his films of the recent times.

Here’s a list of his films to help you identify with the above argument:

1. Housefull 3
2. Singh is Bling
3. Gabbar is Back
4. Housefull
5. Khiladi 786
6. Rowdy Rathore
7. Singh is King
8. Housefull 2
9. Hera Pheri
10. Phir Hera Pheri
11. Entertainment
12. Boss
13. Hera Pheri 3
14. Desi Boyz
15. Welcome
16. Shaukeens
17. Tees Maar Khan
18. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi
19. Garam Masala
20. Bhagam Bhaag

You’ve just been given a list of 20 films that don’t need you to run your brains and guess what? All of them star Akshay Kumar.

I am hoping you have a fair idea that such films in itself have created a genre for themselves and surprisingly our very own Akshay Kumar gets hold of a majority of them. This is an observation that needed some analysing.

WHY DO YOU THINK HE HAS BEEN A PART OF ALL THESE FILMS?
As far as an honest inference goes, I’d say this new genre is getting better reception from the audiences and this man has been able to understand that. He has understood the already altered mindset of the people in India. The more the script needs you to think the lesser is the audience’s interest. It is because of this that the industry now also defines a “100 crore” film club.

Our actor is on the other end of a demand-supply chain in the film industry. The development of a new genre in a film industry is always pointing to the fact that there is ‘VARIETY’. However, it will continue to baffle all of us as to how Akshay Kumar of all the people there are, understood this way before anyone else could.

This means that his success does not depend on his popularity. His success depends on the masses. Wholly and solely on the masses.

His films of the different kind includes:

1. Airlift
2. Baby
3. Special 26
4. Aankhen
5. Namastey London

…and so on and so forth.

The nature of his success is deep rooted in what we want to see, the nature of his success depends on the diverse audience that resides only in India.


Written by Smita Ganguli
Aspiring cyber journalist but too damn opinionated.