Rissent put it, “It’s not about just loving a film, and one must love it for the right reasons.”
Why I lament again and again as stubborn child on the lack of the better films in the mainstream cinema? I find exact words for my pain in writings of Nitish : 'In every other profession, work or hobby people have the right to be intelligent but in cinema its considered a sin- Intellect is bad for health and bad for cinema.'
If cinema is for entertainment only, then literature should be used as medium of entertainment only. Premchand should be rated below Chetan Bhagat and gossip columns should be inserted into our academics for enhancing the escapism only.
The purpose of a film should not be to alienate people in escapism. Cinema is there for reflecting our lives, dreams, ambition and hidden desires on the celluloid. Better films are needed to fill the void of good commercial cinema. Further, quoting my friend Nitish: It's our duty to inform that Andre Bazin existed and so did Ritwik Ghatak from villages to towns, to cities and metroes to everyone and anyone... who have a second to spare.
Dynasticism in bollywood or politics generates a conservative non-thinker spoiled brat that comes from sucking too hard on a silver spoon for generations. Hence the fortress bollywood remain unbreached for new ideas and concepts. Let us evolve as an audience and give chance to film makers to evolve or extinct from the face of the Indian cinema. I believe that we have lot of unique things to offer to the world through this cinematic medium.
Why I lament again and again as stubborn child on the lack of the better films in the mainstream cinema? I find exact words for my pain in writings of Nitish : 'In every other profession, work or hobby people have the right to be intelligent but in cinema its considered a sin- Intellect is bad for health and bad for cinema.'
If cinema is for entertainment only, then literature should be used as medium of entertainment only. Premchand should be rated below Chetan Bhagat and gossip columns should be inserted into our academics for enhancing the escapism only.
The purpose of a film should not be to alienate people in escapism. Cinema is there for reflecting our lives, dreams, ambition and hidden desires on the celluloid. Better films are needed to fill the void of good commercial cinema. Further, quoting my friend Nitish: It's our duty to inform that Andre Bazin existed and so did Ritwik Ghatak from villages to towns, to cities and metroes to everyone and anyone... who have a second to spare.
Dynasticism in bollywood or politics generates a conservative non-thinker spoiled brat that comes from sucking too hard on a silver spoon for generations. Hence the fortress bollywood remain unbreached for new ideas and concepts. Let us evolve as an audience and give chance to film makers to evolve or extinct from the face of the Indian cinema. I believe that we have lot of unique things to offer to the world through this cinematic medium.
For going into detail of the topic,go through these web links....1- A cinephile, Anuj explores on the perennial advise everyone has "Why don't you go and make movies in Bombay" for changing the scenario of Indian Cinema.
2-A unique comparison of Independent Cinema with free software movement.- "Do You want to make a film (Open Cinema Foundation)"
3-Muzaffer Ali explore the place of Bollywood in the world cinema and ground realities about fall of Indian cinema into abyss.
4-Corporates are not only exploiting natural resources, they also endangers cinema by making it as consumer product like coke or Pepsi. Hence a look on independent cinema in this equation by K. Hariharan
5-Discussion on cinema and literature by Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and UR Anathamurthy and on the need for filmmakers to live the written word before attempting it on celluloid.
--- Finally, an article to support cinema as greater medium than literature by thorough analysis.
India like every year is missing in action at Cannes Film Festival but not film stars with Indian media asking questions to stalwarts of world cinema “Do you watch bollywood movies?"
I want these bollywood crazy media guys to be rebuked by a white Caucasian guy heavily and telling them to watch cinema of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, John Barua, Kumar Sahini, Mani Kaul or Shyam Benegal. And atleast know the name of Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak or Mrinal Sen. I want to see the ashamed and amazed faces of bollywood stars and crazy Indian media on knowing existence of these unknown genius of Indian cinema by distant foreigners. Is this mine day dream or just hidden pain....
Its really a good set of links and topic been on and off reader at your blog and great to see it developing into an interesting platform to grow on cinema and understand it better.
ReplyDeleteI too firmly believe that a director in a case should never completely stage what is written in the text(script or adaption). But rather he(she) should use the text to build his own foundation of cinematic space. This is a major difference between a good and a bad director. A bad director will simply shoot what is written. A good director will take the material and do a staging in relation to camera, surrounding and space that will completely be of his own. For eg: Ray(Pather Panchali) or people like Renoir, Bresson, who took adaption but made it into a work of cinema. That is devoid of the literary source.
Well, apart from "The Baader Meinhof Complex" I don't know many serious German movies... there is a movie called "München 1972", I think, but as soon as I come up with something I'll tell you!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean you became associated with socialism? Are you a socialist/communist now or do you mean you've changed your mind and become right-winged?
Yah, thanks the trip was great :D
Have a nice evening!
Leonard
@Joshua,I am not full time devotee to cinema but tries to understand it fully in leisure time.This article was just written to provoke that cinema adapts from another medium and sometimes excel in the presentation.I hope that you have liked this compiled article.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean my thinking pattern is getting obsolete? (I know what the word 'obsolete' means)
ReplyDeleteWell, I do an awful lot more than think of politics if you mean that, haha :) Have you read "Angels and Demons"? It's a really good book and I'm going to see the film on wednesday :D