Via our expressions, words, actions… we can communicate a range of emotions.
There are many things at any given time and we cannot ever convey everything about anything or everything fully.
We choose what is relevant and attempt to attract attention to that aspect through our communication.
And hence when movies or plays or any mass media communication is made, there is an intent to tell a story, a view point… Designed to evoke specific thoughts and emotions in the audience about a subject….
Sometimes they are to evoke humour… Sometimes for contempt… At times for grave contemplation… Or to sell one’s viewpoint and influence opinions…
But most of the movies – unless made with a specific intent, always end up selling dreams and purpose… Even if unknowingly…
Ramadhir Singh in the movie Gangs of Wasseypur says quite philosophically actually… That in every person’s mind, their own movie is going on where they are the hero… And the characterisation that each one gives to themselves in their own mental movie is hugely inspired by the movies that play onscreen…
It is a known fact that we are influenced by what we are exposed to… Be it people, books, food, media…
There is hence a great responsibility on anyone putting their thoughts out for making a living or on anyone in a position of influence on what impact that they are desiring on the society…
In the name of freedom of expression or personal liberty… the scales tilt too far one way… there needs to be a balance between that and the societal impact…
That is why interpersonal relationships or anyone of no influence pushing their ideas out bears a lower responsibility…
And why am I thinking about this today… Because I just saw the movie Kabir Singh and I felt disgusted at the movies attempt to idolise and sell a egomaniacal, drug addicted, alcoholic, temperamental, abusive character who had little self control – as a hero… It was just wrong…
Wrong at so many levels… To normalize abusive behaviour as acceptable just because one is intelligent… To accept lack of self control all the time because one did not get their hearts desire… To stereotype gender roles and behaviour – and not only females but give a freaking ugly shade to what is called masculinity…. To slyly pass violence in name of love…
It was similar disgust that I felt after watching Dev D.. where things were shown as part of normal life which really should not be…
If such movies end with a message of contempt for such characters then the heart of the movie is in the right place… Cinematography and its art aside… But the movies intent is corrupt… To make a faulty character heroic by at worst evoking pity for it… People don’t mind idolising being victim as well too for at times one can find solace in their mind dreaming of themselves as victims and loathe in self and public pity…
Sanju for example was an unabashed attempt to send a message to exonerate the lead character of a terrorist charge… It was a monologue from an actual human perspective to tell his side of story… And that is fine… It didn’t aim to hide under the garb of being a fictional entertainment…
There are similar idolising movies on political characters as well… And whether they are entertaining or not… whilst one may not agree with them or not… They do not aim to cheat behind a different purpose… They are for a known reason and their audience knows what they are getting… They are armed with the right knowledge…
But movies like Kabir Singh do not have any stated or known agenda – but to just entertain… And that is what is of grave concern… For then the audience goes and unknowingly accepts, imbibes and worse yearns the lead characters way of life as their normal…
Cinematic liberties, Art… To what extent and in what direction they be allowed to influence naive minds in the name of entertainment…
I am an outspoken extroverted person who loves reading and writing… But to me as a father of kids who are young and soon will be teenagers… The dread of this nonsense is beyond comparison to any value of such freedom…
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