Lumière to Lunch boxBy

Silveri Srishailam LL.M

Columnist Email: probetimes@gmail.com

Indian cinema is celebrating centenary celebrations all over the world,

and a mega event is planned in Southern Indian city Chennai to mark

this historical occasion. The legendaries array of film fraternity is

expected to come together for this phenomenal event. It is very great

honor to India film directors, producers and actors who rendered their

valuable contributions to social change through entertainment. In Indian

freedom movement film and Drama industry played very important role

in creation of awareness and patriotism. The Indian freedom movement

leaders used films and muki-dramas to reach remote corners of India. A

cinema, with powerful tools of fiction & non-fiction that pleases,

deceives, shapes, alters, transforms public’s mind. It’s dramatic visual

effects, synthetic dreams, counterfeit emotions with background music

&sounds, technically advanced camera is an unique tool influencing the

psychic and mindset of the society.

As per historic information the

first feature film of India,

SHREE PUNDALIK directed

and produced by Sheri.

Ramchandra Gopal

"Dadasaheb" Torne film

released on 18th May 1912.

"Dadasaheb" Torne was the first

Indian to make an Indian-

language feature film. After

Raja Harishchandra (1913) – The first full-length motion picture.

Producer- director- screenwriter Dadasaheb Phalke, considered as the

father of Indian cinema. During the British rule English inhabitants

tried their level best to sidetrack Indian freedom movement, they forced

English and foreign films on the Indians. The first English moving

pictures is Lumière which was released in 1895 in England, later on in

July 1896 the Lumière films had been in showed in Bombay (now

Mumbai). India is the largest film producing industry in the world and

its cinema is becoming increasingly popular in various countries around

the globe. Indians during the colonial rule bought film equipment from

Europe. We were introduced to Victorian morality by the British, which

is what we are not.

Sex+ Violence= Cinema

The central role of the mass media in contemporary society, the

increasing attention they have recently attracted among historians is

thoroughly understandable. The rapid expansion of mass

communications and commercial amusements across the world( advent

of radio, growth of the cinema, Television, internet, social media) is

widely regarded as a powerful modernizing force both culturally and

commercially. The fundamental definition of Cinema is entertainment,

enjoyment and eradication of social evils. Cinema became the most

popular medium that speaks to an individual and to the masses at the

same time aiming to bring huge social changes. It is a socially diffused

art form, permeates families, workplaces, schools and other spaces with

its accessible language of signs and codes (dialogues, expressions,

music, songs, fights, action). Masses understood this semiotic language

of cinema easier that the language of the traditional theatre and drama.

The era from the 1940s to the 1960s are regarded by film historians as

the 'Golden Age' of Indian cinema. Most significantly much-admired

Indian films of all time were produced during this period. Modern

mainstream movies changed the meaning to sex+ violence= Cinema.

Before independence we used follow the positive aspects in Indian

cinema like artistic professionalism, efficiency in characterization ,

morals in making, ethics in story and art in photography all the above

milestones replaced in Indian cinema with drinking, smoking, sex and

violence etc. The question arises what is the value of entertainment?

Morals and values among Indian cinemas are degrading. This is true

because all the people are following epicurean traditions, culture and

values out-of-the-way. The only reason we say that film morals are

decreasing is because we know incidents which we have instigated

children for sex and violence. Hundreds of film focusing infatuation and

high school love stories as foremost for crimes motivated in children.

Too often we see a horrific murder and tactful frauds on silver screen. It

is not criticism of cinemas, just throwing light on one of its aspect.

Indians are not enjoying the fruits of ethical moral message oriented

cinemas.

It is true that Indian

movies are bent towards

westernization, but it

doesn't mean it has lost its

roots from where it came.

At the back of our minds,

still the moral values

inculcated into us by our

rites, culture and customs

stay alive. It is up to us

how far we can project these values in our cinemas. People are

becoming mechanical and stylish as they are following more and

dependent on their actors life style. Nowadays, our actors fighting with

hundreds of people at a time, human beings cannot do that in real life –

this only happens in reel life. But human beings are trying their level

best to adopt all drastic acts of their dream heroes and heroines. Recently

one voluntary organization conducted survey on growing crime rate in

India, the survey revealed that cinemas and TV serials are abetting

common man for stylish crimes like cinema pakki.

It’s our Indian cinema industry that needs to be changed, the corrupt

politicians, sloppy judiciary, politically biased media, and above all the

caste and family succession system film star son become film star, it is

suppressing talent among upcoming heroes. It is unfortunate that we

may like acting or not we forced to watch some movies, because of this

family tag. Until then those directors and film producing companies

strictly give the acting chance for talented upcoming actors the we can

safeguard the Indian film industry. Cinema moral value will always be

with a handful of people.

Reel Life & Real Life

Cinema is a remix of the real & the

unreal, the present & the past, the

memory & the dream. Like the

human mind, cinema can lie as much

as truth and myth maniacal as lucid.

Veteran Indian producers incorporated

elements of India's social life and

culture into cinema, each and every

movie was focused on social evils of society. The films used to teach us

do’s & don’ts in society. The younger generation movie makers have an

attitude of "I don't care about society ". Degraded moral values, crime

and retaliation have become a theme of cinema. In films, actors proudly

admit that they act for remuneration not for social cause. We want

common man cinemas for socio-economical change in society. Except

few Directors like Ashutosh Gowariker, Bala Pazhanisaamy and Telugu

actor –cum- director R. Narayana Murthy, most of other directors and

producers are dedicated for producing common man movies for a

genuine social cause. Tamil director Bala Pazhanisaamy is the only one

director who wins national awards for all his movies. Director Bala gave

new meaning to filmmaking in Kollywood and revolutionized Tamil and

Telugu cinema with meaningful and realistic films like — Sethu remade

in Hindi as TereNaam, Nandha dubbed in Hindi as Return of Vaastav,

Pithamagan and Paradesi. Director Bala directed only 7 movies, all

seven movies got national awards; it shows the stuff of the director.

Actor –cum- director R. Narayana Murthy is known as people’s star, red

star and revolutionary star. His trademark for left-oriented films that

expose the exploitation of society's lower backward and vulnerable

classes. His films tend to revolve around themes like the atrocities of the

hegemonic classes against the helpless or the poor and the triumph of the

proletariat. His films are very popular in the villages where they are very

successful. It very unfortunate that on the second day of Centenary

celebration of Indian cinema he is been insulted by masala movie

makers, as fans of peoples star we have to condemn the barbaric act.

Today our movie makers are living in an uncivilized society. Morals and

values are just like old stage play, they fully engaged with masala

movies. Movie makers are just fulfilling their financial desires and

needs and they don't care for any thing else. They forget their ethical

values and duties towards society and the country. We should bring

them up. We people belongs to film industry should work for the

bringing back Indian morals......through modem of movies. As common

man we expect more from movies, we see the cinemas as part of our life,

Cinema is a mirror of past, present and future society.

In a cosmopolitan culture film industry should realize its responsibility

to the ultimate boss that is the common audience, they don't celebrate

festival with heart, the reason they celebrate is to show off.

Conclusion

It is critically important to understand cinema and its various dimensions

deeply and not just as entertainment and commercial venture because of

its implication as a mass medium of communication. Once it is done,

there is need to contemplate whether cinema can be a transformative

medium? Can it be most effective in developing new epistemologies for

social change ? To what extent pedagogy cinema can be instrumental in

both teaching about transformative cinema and subversion of what is

considered as bad cinema. It is necessary to use cinema for mass

communication for social change and not a mere entertainment in the

present technologically advantaged age in which majority of population,

particularly youth, are socialized into having “accelerated perception”

with exposure to cultural change measurable only by gigabytes.

Unfortunately, this dizzying pace is too fast for reflection, self-inquiry,

ideology, consciousness and conscience. As I say this the common man

feels cinema is cinema – the heart beat of common man.

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