“Cinema is universal, beyond flags and borders and passports.”
By Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
A movie is considered as a one-way communication. They distract us from our monotonous problems by diverting our attention to the visuals and in the process often extracting emotions or providing relaxation, there by entertaining us. They also allow social interaction by providing an opportunity to discuss common topics of interest. More often than not we relate to the characters of the movie, thus creating a sense of connection and sometimes even reinforcing our values. Movies intensify on some aspect of life such as comedy, romance, war etc. It plays the role of magnifying glass and it is a platform to quench curiosity towards a serious subject.
Recently, a new flow has come into the industry by through some respective directors and actors who are ready to pick a socially relevant topic that could benefit our society. I truly believe that movies are no longer just a simple source of entertainment. On the other hand it is a great technique to convey a message or a story or a concept, which ultimately has a superior impact on your life than what you’d expect.
India has so many topics to discuss, like women’s education, women’s empowerment, use of the toilet, cast discrimination and achievements of India. India government is continuously working to highlight those topics, but somehow it cannot reach maximum people. But cinema has an attractive way to spread a matter or an initiative you can easily circulate in a broadway.
- For example, recently released Toilet Ek Preem Katha is a political satire that deals with the issues of sanitation and lack of toilets in the rural parts of India. The concept of the film is picked from our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
- Amir Khan’s ‘Dangal’ has not only inspired millions of girls across the country but is also making a mark worldwide. The movie portrayed Mahavir Singh Phogat who is an incredible father and a dedicated wrestler who led his daughters to victory in the field of wrestling.
- Padman tells the life story of Tamil Nadu-based social activist Arunachalam Muruganantham, who revolutionized the concept of menstrual hygiene in rural India by creating a low-cost sanitary napkins machine.
- The door was a movie which has spoken about widow re-marriage.
- Lipstick Under My Burkha the movie clearly articulates the restrictions of women in both Hindu and Muslim families.
- The movie Airlift highlighted the incident where one lakh Indians, who were stuck in Kuwait after Saddam Hussein led Iraq declared war against Kuwait.
- Gabbar is Back the movie delivered a very good message to treat everyone equally and no compromise with corruption in society.
A good film does more than entertaining or fills seats at the cinema. It has the power to change hearts and minds and sometimes society more widely. I believe one film can give information in a creative way which can create huge awareness about an issue. The best part is some directors showing their interest towards important topics more than box office collection. Surprisingly, most of these movies were blockbuster hits, even though they were based on unconventional subjects. This only shows that the audience is also accepting these movies and hence, we can safely say that, the Golden Age of Indian Cinema is coming back.
-Poulami Das
