And I Take Watching Movies Very Seriously.
We Indians are just crazy about either
of these three things: Food, Cricket or Films. I fall in the category of the
latter. I watch films with no boundaries in
particular, as long as they are offering me a work of art. From S-Korean
dramas, Japanese anime, German, French, Spanish, to the coming of age Iranian
films and obviously Hollywood. But Hindi films are slowly alienating me with
its formulaic expressions meant to do the same things over and over.
Hindi films started out as one of the
earliest film industries in the second decade of the 20th century
but even the ten decades have seemed to be too little for their (very) gradual
evolution. Their pathetic predictability and loud ways of depictions have made
the typical Bollywood
films loving audience addicted to it. Now they are so wired in that every time
a director even tries to go outside the box they are punished with a poor box
office run, which in turn makes the producers skeptical about putting their
money for such a script again. Though there’s a young breed of directors and
producers willing to take the chances with a proportionate audience
who encourage such art work, they still haven’t tasted the money the SRKs
and Salmans have.

Films do much more to me than it does to
the usual people. It gives me the hallucinations that LSD gives its addicts, it
gives me the orgasm Hugh Hefner only hopes every night. It keeps reminding me how beautiful
life can be: With realistic dramas and biographies I understand the
indecisiveness and insecurity almost every other individual has been battling
throughout human history. The fear that comes with unpreparedness and lack of
exposure, engulfing any person, has been nature’s way of saying how similar
we are. It teaches me character and gives me some along the way. An action
movie will give those pump-it-up moments of punches and kicks, asking me never
to back down, come what may and a comedy tells me how I should learn to laugh at
myself and let a lot of things pass by without being too serious about it.
Films narrate me how great people lived their lives, how historic wars were
fought, politics and fiction. Other than enriching me with fulfilling pieces of
information, they also shape a taste which I then start seeking for. After every few films, I notice, the various individual styles the film makers carry, the recurring
task forces they hire and the producers they get comfortable with.

Films are the sources that have fed my
pleasure portals for long. They are not just the modes of entertainment to me
but my temptation of escapism from the boring days of life. They keep me alive.
They are the ways God speaks to me and tries to explain, “Son, isn’t my
creation worth living for?” to which I reply, “a thousand splendid lives!”
And I take watching movies very seriously. They’re not always great. They’re not always rewarding. Sometimes I am extremely busy or tired or bored. But I watch movies to discover, to learn, to feel and ultimately to champion.
Daniel Berger
President, Oscilloscope Laboratories
Funny. I seldom go to movies, NEVER watch a movie on TV....only reason I go to cinema is to take an old man (former drunk) , because he never gets out of the house...and LOVES when I call to suggest we see a good film.
ReplyDeleteAnd YET...imeanSURAJ...I really enjoyed reading your experiences--thoughts--on the topic.
I'd rather LIVE life--and I DO--than watch someone else.
Delete;-)
Thanks Steve, but however I try I can always see one thing in your talks, you still feel really guilty of being a drunkard once don'
ReplyDeletet you?
Ya so true....even when you see superhero flicks such as #transformers or #marvel movies , Bollywood comes nowhere near it...
ReplyDeletei totally agree sir!
ReplyDelete