Elitist movies and the general public
...hose that are happy watching the other 98% of films being produced (commercial ventures). The general public has no need for unique topics or unique points of view. They would prefer entertainment. This would constitute at least 90% of the populus. The point of all this being that a repeated question is being raised. Are such movies to be shown to the general audience. What effect will they have on the fabric of Indian society? The movie Fire,in particular, has raised such doubts. But no doubts in my mind. The movie by itself, supposedly dealt with lesbianism in a sensitive manner. I could see the lesbianism, but the manner it was approached in was, in my opinion, totally inadequate. The banal dialogues, totally unlike Javed Akhtar, could not possibly bring out what was in the minds of the protagonists. The music was non-existent. The set being what it was, it seems obvious that if a shoe-string budget could have been maintained. The movie had a dull-dark look about it, which seemed in fine synchronism with the fact that the movie that deals with sexual frustration within a family. The director had the courage to put a lot of things on film that we would not otherwise see there. On the whole, if one were to appreciate the movie, one would have to be capable of identifying and appreciating the subtle undercurrents running throughout and try and fabricate or imagine the thoughts running through the minds of the characters. All this simply because this undercurrent and these thoughts did not surface throughout the movie in the form of dialogues. Just the odd nuance of the actor here or there. All this would make it a thinking person’s movie...... obviously not what I went to the theatre for. That’s a hurricane review of the movie. One has to wonder if such a movie can be stomached by the current Indian audience. I think a cursory read of the above paragraph will render obvious the fact that the general movie-goer would not be able to appreciate the movie. The complexities and undercurrents put aside, it didn’t even make interesting watching. I, for one, wouldn’t want to see it again. If this be taken into account, we wouldn’t say that it is meant for the general Indian audience. This is in terms of their ability to judge the movie in its true character. They wouldn’t be able to understand it. However, it isn’t they who have to decide what is for their good. If one is not exposed to all kinds of movies one wouldn’t know one’s taste. The topic dealt with in the film, though, is a sensitive one. I would agree that not too many people would be able to stomach the so called topic of the film - lesbianism. We’re still a back ward society in that respect. It is not an issue that is in the public eye. Not spoken about. Not thought about. Just because no-one speaks of it, this does not imply that the story is entirely ...