SANDALWOOD HYSTERIA

- ‘first day, first show’

The pomp and circumstance that accompanies the first show of a Kannada movie industry (‘Sandalwood’) release can rival that of a religious festival - from the auspicious date of release, showers of milk on the male lead’s posters and the offerings of coconuts and pumpkins broken at the ‘feet’ of the screen. Fan clubs of the male lead or ‘hero’ organise the distribution of confetti, flowers and sweets amongst the audience.Traditionally, the male lead visits important theatres before the first show begins to appease his loyal fans and perform a ‘puja’ to bless the movie with good fortune.

The predominantly male audience’s devotion to the movie stars is performative, disruptive and bordering on the hysterical. The biggest admirers try to outdo each other in a competition to establish the most ‘devoted’ fan, bringing them recognition in their fan club. They dance in front of the screen, shower the screen with flowers and whistle adoringly as their superheroes deliver hackneyed lines while inflicting righteous violence on armies of adversaries with their bare hands. Young and old are united in the spirit of revelry and can barely contain their excitement for an event that they have been anticipating for months.

While most women at these screenings are accompanied by a male family member and seat themselves in the balcony or the ‘Family’ section, a few unaccompanied women do participate in this subculture, expressing rebellion and bravery through their mere presence. On screen too, the female leads are often reduced to passive accessories with no agency, whose role is merely to complement the fortunes of the male lead. Many children are inducted into this culture where violence is glorified and casual misogyny is applauded -- the patriarchy perpetuated through this most powerful of media.[It must be disclaimed here that misogyny and gratuitous violence are prevalent in mainstream film industries across the world and can hardly be called endemic to Sandalwood.]

The shows on release day are inevitably full, remarkable for spaces that can seat over a thousand people. Watching a movie on the ‘first day, first show’ is considered an achievement among fans and some theatres take advantage of the hype surrounding an eagerly anticipated movie to screen illegal midnight and 3.30am shows; tickets sell at a premium for these slots. ‘News’ television channels camp out at theatres for the entire premiere day, navigating the frenzied crowds for sound-bites from fans whose reactions can make or break box office collections. It is not uncommon for police protection to be extended to movie theatres on the day of a release; there have been instances where theatres have been damaged by excessive and frenzied fan behaviour deteriorating into violence.

The spectacle of the ‘first day, first show’ can seem surreal. In South India, the deification of movie stars is apparent on garlanded effigies that are often larger than the theatre buildings themselves. After their film careers end, some actors have used their powerful fan base to become wildly successful politicians. In three instances in the South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu - two male and one female actor have become chief ministers of their respective states and formed political parties that have a strong footprint even after their deaths. They changed the destinies of millions and it all began here on the silver screen.

An excerpt of this work was published in the Financial Times Weekend Magazine January, 2020 and The Indian Quarterly, January 2020. You can read the full text of the article here and see the tearsheets.