Abraham Maslow identified human deficiency needs (d-needs ) for food, sex, safety, acceptance, and esteem. These d-needs comprised the lower rungs of Maslow’s famous hierarchy. At the apex he added spiritual pursuits and called them being needs (b-needs). The belief was that only when the needs of the lower hierarchy have been fulfilled does an individual move on to the next hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s hierarchy model, though flawed, still holds relevance for understanding the needs of humans.

Cinema has been an offshoot to the history of India, a parallel track that travelled closely with the history of the country, occasionally cutting across and drifting apart from the story of the country. Cinema has never been restricted to a particular line of thought. While it is undeniable that the movies of a period represent the prevalent social and political conditions at the time, the movies do not necessarily convey the most important needs of the time. A movie is simply the projection of the thoughts of a person (The Director/The Writer), his/her depiction of an event, and the opinions regarding any issue among others.

The article “Understanding Hindi Cinema Through Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs” mentions the association of the model with the movies that have been made in India since the period of independence. According to the article, the movie making in India has also evolved with the needs of the people. The article fundamentally assumes that the basic needs of the people have evolved over the course of time, which is most certainly not the case. Even if we give the concession of assuming that the needs have to be fulfilled in the bottom up order, the presence of the needs is not conditional.

For example, arguably the greatest movie ever made in India, Mughal-e-Azam was a product of the 1960s cinema. The movie was did not touch upon the basic needs. Instead it focused on integrity, honour (of the empire), love and sacrifices, all of which occupy much higher positions in the need hierarchy. Also, the classical hits by Raj Kapoor such as Shree 420, Anari depict far more complex issues than the fulfillment of the basic needs.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Anand - Golden Words[/caption]

Great film makers such as Raj Kapoor, Satyajit Ray, Yash Chopra and others have always thought ahead of their times. In his film Anand, through Rajesh Khanna, Hrishikesh Mukherjee mentions – “Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi” (Life should be large, not long). The message that one shouldn’t measure a good life by the number of years but by the number of good deeds is evident of self-respect and morality. The movie “Do Aankhen Barah Haath” by V. Shantaram is a shining example of the portrayal of the need for morality and self-respect much before the period as mentioned in the article.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="819"] Yash Chopra[/caption]

Love is a theme that has dominated the Bollywood industry since its inception. Yash Chopra in particular, has kept the theme alive and important through the 70s till his untimely death last year. From Kabhie Kabhie to Chandni, from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge to Jab Tak Hai Jaan, the movies have talked about and highlighted the evolution of the depiction and acceptance of love. Other movies which may not relate to the period they were made also showcase the expression of love.

The movies made nowadays are in huge volumes and so diverse in terms of content and the target audience that it is not possible to classify them pertaining to any particular need of the hour. True, there have been some quality movies in terms of expression of an idea or depiction of a story, but with the race to be the highest grossing film, the “Biggest Blockbuster”, the focus of movie making has slowly shifted from the reflection of the society to “Entertainment, Entertainment and Entertainment”. And good, bad or ugly, Bollywood Movies have been and will always be known for entertainment.

snehil.agrawal

Bollywood : Above and Beyond The Maslow Needs Hierarchy Model