IndiCinema

Feb 14 • Features, Movies • 292 Views • 7 Comments

Usually, I am known for the public remarks I make on how weird it is for me to accept the fact that I am Bengali when I know nothing about ‘being a Bong’ as I like to put it. However, the advantage here is that the movie-lover in me cannot be happier as my language has helped me understand the movies made my India’s finest director, Satyajit Ray.

Thanks to my friend Rohan’s generous contribution to the already-existing movies on my hard disk, I now have Ray’s Pather Panchali in addition to the other two parts of the Apu trilogy – Aparajito and Apu Sansar. These three movies were made in succession by Ray with Pather Panchali being the first one.

Definitely, these movies might not appeal to everyone but for me, they are a part of the best movies India has ever produced. Very few other movies have touched me as much these ones have. I still might not understand the intricacies of these films so well but I know that I am very picky when it comes to movies. I don’t end up loving films so easily and that itself speaks a lot about the influence these films have had on me.

In contrast to today’s big-budget films, these were made with a grant taken from the Government of West Bengal because of its predominant rural focus. When film scholars speak of the best movies the world has seen, the Apu trilogy is often listed rather than the movies that you and I heartily enjoy nowadays with Coke and popcorn.

Many of my friends agree with me when I say that such movies need to be watched but they have a point when they say that today’s audience will not pay to watch them in theatres. This is because the popular notion as we know it today is that movies are primarily meant for entertainment . However, I believe that movies of such genres need to be given more importance at least in our own country. Directors like Ray deserve utmost respect because even though it was Dada Saheb Phalke who made India’s first-ever feature film, Ray made Indian movies a worldwide phenomenon.

Nonetheless, all of today’s movies aren’t candy floss. Movies like Udaan, LSD, Black Friday, Dev D , Mumbai Diaries. are changing the face of contemporary cinema. I just hope that a time comes soon when we stop hearing about famous directors remaking movies like The Italian Job and The Hangover. Can’t we ever leave the originals in peace?

The fact is not that we don’t have the talent or the ideas. We hardly want to experiment with our movies. For instance sci-fi has hardly been attempted in India because of reasons like budget constraints. Frankly, my seniors at college and my best friend Kenneth can pull off better special effects than most Indian movies and they’re all regular people with computers at home.

Indian movies do have a long way to go but with newer genres being explored, we have arrived at a turning point. Film making is not synonymous to entertainment. It is an art form that must be treated with the respect that it deserves. And lastly? The day movies like Dabangg stop winning awards for Best Film, Indian cinema will have truly matured.

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About the Author: Aniket Dasgupta

A self depreciating film dogmatist, Aniket has the most delusional form of existence ever possible. Being a 90s kid he cribs every-time he sees a 5 year old with an iPhone and then blogs about it after which he makes a film based on that blog. And then spams everyone on facebook about it. He is just glad that he isn't related to Chunky Pandey but we are pretty sure he is. Aniket is non religious but believes that all we need is bacon.

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