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instep analysis
A reality check on superheroes
Why are we so fascinated by men who fly, who change colour
or who appear out of dark alleys in black capes? Instep analyzes
our love for fairy tales and how ancient knights in shining armour
have simply changed form to modern day superheroes!
By Maheen Sabeeh
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The
phenomenon
Last year Hrithik made a comeback into Bollywood with Krrish and
what a comeback that was! Krrish worked like magic at the box office.
In leaped the black masked hero and up went the box office ratings.
Krrish won Hrithik many awards and accolades and now the film has
even won him a Filmfare nomination for Best Actor, beating Ajay
Devgan for Omkara and Aamir Khan for Fanaa in an unbelievable round
of muscles over brains. Was Hrithik really that brilliant compared
to Ajay and Aamir? Not at all. But he was the original Indian superhero,
sent with powers to slay all evil. As always, the public fell for
good over evil. Omkara and Rehaan Khan (Fanaa) were, after all,
too human and too flawed. Compared to them, Krrish was a flawless
SUPERHERO who stood tall dark and handsome in the path of wrongdoers!
He protected the innocent, punished the guilty and hey, his dance
moves may have been inspired by The Incredibles but at least he
danced. The dark Omkara and double-faced Rehaan didn't stand a chance! |
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2006 truly was the year
of everything fantastical from superheroes, mutants, dragons, bespectacled
wizards and more. They went from strength to strength and 2007 will
be no different. This year will mark the release of some of the most
high-profile superhero films. Spiderman 3, Fantastic Four 2, The Incredible
Hulk, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ghost Rider (starring Nicolas
Cage) among many others. Krrish will return in 2008 but we are sure
Bollywood will find a way to stay in sync with the world of all things
unreal. Our local princes in shining armour may not have been as savvy
as Spiderman or Superman, but it's not that Pakistan hasn't been touched
by the magic of fantasy at all. Ainak Wala Jin was our very own very
humble superhero. At a time when there was no cable for choice, kids
relied upon state TV and waited day after day for the Ainak Wala Jin.
He was a man dressed in long maroon jacket with his buddy Zakoota
and kid character Imran, both fighting Bilbatori, a wicked witch of
some sort.
Now with technology a bit more advanced, Captain Safeguard is a hit
amongst children in Pakistan. The twenty-minute commercial that is
repeated on all channels has the kids glued to TV sets. The characters
are those our kids can own up to and except for the germ busting hero
himself, they have all been localized exceptionally well. Now you
may ask why, in this era of advanced technology and cut throat logic,
are we the people of the world, smitten with muscle bulging freaks
who wear lycra and fly over skyscrapers? Why do these films continue
to remain a winning formula world over? |
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The
big question: why?
Why do they fascinate us? They fascinate us because we live
in a world that is under constant threat. Terrorism, wars, religious
battles, global warming, identity crises and much more, all
make for headline news on a daily basis. We live in fear all
the time, every day and indifference is just no longer possible.
World leaders are leading us into wars, politicians are turning
systems upside downs and all institutions one would look up
to in normal circumstances are failing us. This collapse of
reality calls for unreal solutions and hence the superheroes.
For a moment we are led to believe that solutions are possible,
though they are as far fetched as the protagonists themselves.
They touch our lives with hope, as distant as it may be.
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The
NBC television show Heroes one example of how the media is making
fantasy more convincing. It has taken the television world by storm
and competes with shows like Lost and Grey's Anatomy though the latter
too appeals to fantasy by making the doctors modern day superheroes
who are capable of saving lives in the direst of situations. Can Heroes
really save the world? Unlikely, but as long as it suggests that human
beings may evolve, it keeps the optimism up.
Another important reason is that many of these superheroes are underdogs
of the society. They personify the unpopular kid, the geek who has
been rejected by society. Clark Kent and Peter Parker are two key
examples. The Daredevil is another, as even being blind doesn't stop
him from achieving the impossible
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