Today I came across an article being discussed in LazyGeek’s blog. The Outlook article (link) talked about the hypnotized slumber the Indian audience are being subjected to, diminishing their capacity to perceive & recognizing quality. The article touched upon certain valid points and missed others completely.
To recognize that there is a problem is the first step in trying to solve a problem. Being labeled cynical or intellectual is fine – but it takes a pair of good eyes to recognize diamonds among glasses, so if you are happy with the way public art is being fed to you – fine, but as an artist (tho a different medium) it pains me to see this decline. Here are a few statements thrown at those who try to comment on the dismal state of this wonderful medium.
- Filmmaking is a form of Escapist entertainment and about business not to further art form
I disagree – but I have to used this cliched but valid argument – ‘who is to say that alternative films have to be boring ? ‘ Anything as long as we don’t see reused templates – we need bold experiments like science fictions, fantasy magicals, short films, experimentals, simple emotional stories, reflections and pure entertainers. But before you point out that any good literature is a template (Hero overcomes odds to win a moral goal), by template I mean the same characters/structures/introduction scenes/seductive songs at regular intervals as you see in any Vijay/Vikram movie.
You may ask why do we need to change when we like what we see ? When we are always fed with fodder, we can never appreciate or even comprehend and savor the good taste of a gourmet food. I am certainly not talking about so called ‘art’ films where you watch a old man wash his face for 20mins. What I mean by ‘Art’ – is films which break the monotonous ‘routines’ and redefines the audience palette.
I certainly have been guilty of enjoying certain masala films – Kaakka Kaakka, Mumbai Xpress, purely as a form of entertainment. But that alone can never enrich the audience – its like a diet of eating only sugar – always sweet and as a kid you love it – but does that mean its good for you ?
To enrich, educate, sway, narrate, excite and open the eyes of the audience – these are just a few possibilities of cinema, which is and always will be as a mass medium. They should be responsible gate keepers dishing out a balanced diet – not to always give out bubble gums and sugar candies.
- You don’t go to a Circus to learn about life or enrich your life, you go there to see elephants ride bicycles.
Yes, you don’t – but the medium of cinema is a socially responsible medium, and not merely an entertainment medium. If you see the history you will notice cinematic medium used to elict revolutions and as a propaganda machinery. Elephants riding bicycles don’t do that. But cinema has degraded so much that you could be forgiven for making such analogy.
The 80s, 90s brought in the bubble gum culture – mindless sugary stuff – which didn’t do any good to refine the audience taste, but just kept feeding dope regularly. Now audience is addicted, they don’t want anything new or better – they want their dose of sugar.
But it is heartening to see a few experimental movies up North (I am NOT talking about over hyped Kadal or Black). Changing the mindset of a generation takes time – but someone somewhere has to take the first stab.
