CHAPTER 8: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

8.1: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

Bollywood Journalism is a beat in reporting that has made its mark in the world of
media by its sheer existence for almost eight decades now. It was the hard work and
passion of two individuals – Baburao Patel and Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, who could
foresee the impact of entertainment journalism as a beat covering Indian cinema and
Hindi films in particular. Bollywood Journalism on a whole, played a very important
role in bringing Indian cinema, later on called Bollywood, to where it is today. From a
field that was looked down upon by the audience, to today being lapped up by
people is in itself a big achievement. There were times when people objected to
women entering the film world. Today, there are movies made with actresses being a
protagonist in it. Padmaavat is the biggest example of it. Deepika Padukone leads
the film and is on the poster of it while the producers of the movie – Viacom18
Motion Pictures, without battling an eyelid, have invested a whopping Rs. 200 crore
into making this magnum opus. While this has happened due to various reasons,
including the progression of the society who are now more open to seeing women
work, a major reason for this is the change in mindset that has been brought about
over the years with the mix of journalism and films. On a whole, Bollywood
Journalism has witnessed its ups and downs. But it is the stubbornness to bring
about a revolution in the movie world through their passion for cinema has kept this
beat ever evolving. Magazines on cinema came in at a point when audience was fed
with news about the political environment about the country and the Independence
movement was at its peak. Finding space to give news about who is making which
film and how the movie is being made amidst that political scenario was indeed a big
task. But Film India magazine managed to make a space for itself in the growing
world of journalism and slowly and steadily paved its path up. While there were many
other regional magazines that followed the same path, the first one always needs a
strong backing and a brave approach. The foundation laid by Film India magazine
will be remembered for years. The next magazine that has changed the history of
Bollywood Journalism, is undoubtedly Filmfare. It is operational even today and that
in itself is historic. Though the magazine has over the years got diluted in the way it
has been reporting stories, its existence for over sixty years now is commendable. If
one takes a glance at the different issues of Filmfare over the years, you will realize
the exact transition that Bollywood Journalism has undergone. The different issues
of magazines from 1952 till 2018 show us the steady change that has been
witnessed in Bollywood Journalism. Long in-depth interviews have given way to
short snippets, trade news is now replaced by gossipy news and interviews focus on
a star’s personal life instead of his professional achievement. The ‘serious’ tone that
was lent by Filmfare to Bollywood reporting, soon changed and sensationalism and
gossipy reporting was brought in, thanks to the eyeballs it attracted.

Going by the responses that have been received in both the surveys and the
interviews, it is evident that Bollywood Journalism has indeed undergone a major
change. Though the changes aren’t evidently visible to the outsiders, for those who
have been a part of the Bollywood world, they have surely witnessed the transition
and are in a better position to judge whether the changes have been for good or bad.
In terms of technology, the changes that Bollywood Journalism has undergone is
extraordinary. From complete print coverage in the form of magazines and
newspapers, to getting a one hour slot on news channels to later getting a full-
fledged Bollywood news channel for 24 hours, it has been a phenomenal journey.
The journey from channel to website and today the viral reach that Bollywood
Journalism has thanks to the social media apps and their ‘millions’ of followers, is
noteworthy. With every new innovation in the technological world, there were
changes in media world including Bollywood Journalism. The hefty cameras and
their tripods are slowly being replaced by high end smartphones with clearer
cameras and a selfie stick or a monopod. While earlier the investment in the camera
was not affordable for all, today, a mobile phone with a 4G network can be
purchased by anyone, thus making reporting easier. Knowledge about social media
is an added bonus. Smartphones, internet and social media together have made it
easier for a Bollywood reporter. Anyone can report news, cover events and press
conferences. All they need is an invite. However, this also means that in terms of
content, Bollywood Journalism has gone down the hill. Reporters with minimum or
zero knowledge about films, cinema and stars have become an integral part of
reporting, which is a sign to worry about. Since they don’t have the knowledge about
films and its history, them reviewing a movie is a bad idea, as it is unfair for
filmmakers and the stars who are working in it. Without thorough knowledge of a
subject, one cannot criticize a chapter which is an integral part of that subject. Also,
because of lack of knowledge and reading, the reporters these days are not well
researched and that isn’t a good sign. A popular journalist Kavitha Rao, in an
interview had admitted about her apprehensions when asked to comment on the
younger journalists these days. She revealed, “I think many young journalists don't
read enough before they write. In India especially, we are taught by our schools to
write in a flowery, old-fashioned style using words like "peruse" and "scribe".The
other thing I'd like to say to young journalists; Don't be overprotective of your style.
Let your editors rewrite if they have to. We all think we are wonderful writers, but I
don't know a journalist alive who would not benefit from a good editor.”79

In fact, in the interview, when I asked Tushar Joshi about the quality of reporters who
are taking up Bollywood Journalism now, his reply has kind of concerned me. He
says, “I would say, by and large, they are untrained. No one trains to be
entertainment reporters. People are required to learn on the job. And that's
problematic. There needs to be a well chalked out academics to create better
reporters if we consider a healthy future for entertainment journalism.”
However, despite the flaws, Bollywood Journalism as a beat has evolved and today
is one of the most read. People are curious to know what Anushka Sharma wore for
her wedding with Virat Kohli, whether Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are
dating each other etc. And till the time Bollywood refuses to slow down, Bollywood
Journalism isn’t going to stop. It shall evolve with time, covering a larger spectrum
with newer technology and a greater audience.
 8.2 RECOMMENDATIONS:
Every research discovers and suggests a few recommendations through its course
of the study. After this research, the following are the recommendations that the
researcher has concluded to.

1. The first and foremost recommendation is that the technology is dominating the
media world and the adaptations to the evolving digital world should be made, so as
to continue staying relevant to mass media.

2. Bollywood Journalism resorted to the techniques of sensationalism and yellow

journalism back in the 1970s. And while one would wonder that it couldn’t stoop any
lower, we were shown the coverage of Sridevi’s demise by the mainstream
Bollywood media. From following the ambulance carrying the late actress’ body to
making a news package with a journalist sitting in a bath tub, the Bollywood
journalism showed it all, giving a new meaning to yellow journalism.

3. With the ever evolving technology, everybody with a mobile phone these days is a
journalist. Hence the frequency of fake news has increased marginally. While
digitization is a step forward, compromising on the ethics of Bollywood journalism is
a big no and that should be avoided.
 8.3 FUTURE SCOPE:
Next we move to the future scope of Bollywood Journalism and which new doors
does this research open for other researchers in this field.

1. This research has been conducted at a time when both the traditional media and the
new media have existed and the slow transition between them has happened. In
future, the inter-relation between the traditional and the new media can be explored
along with the focus on the further technological advancements that happen in the
new media.

2. In future, researches can be done on the impact that new media has had on
Bollywood journalism and how it has changed the reporting techniques.

3. Researches on the differences between traditional media and new media can be
explored further.

4. With the growing demand of video content, differences between print Bollywood
journalism and video Bollywood journalism can be studied further.
 8.4 LIMITATIONS:
1. Sample size is small because there are not many active journalists in Bollywood
journalism. The number of journalists in this beat are niche.

2. Unlike Film journalism that referred to Indian cinema as a whole, Bollywood

journalism as a term restricts this beat to coverage of Bollywood films aka Hindi
movies.

While there are many magazines, newspapers and websites in regional languages
covering Bollywood, our focus majorly has been on the English language media that
covers Bollywood beat.