Lights. Camera.
Action: The Two Face of
Films
When we talk about a film, we generally ask about four or five things - Who is the Hero? Who is
the Heroine? Who is the Antagonist? And how did the Hero won over the difficulties? But, have
we ever thought why should a film involve a Hero or a Heroine? Why is it essential to portray that
protagonist as the one who won over the hurdles before the Silver screen? Why is it even
essential to win every hurdle? Doesn’t that represent an Utopian world? Every film is thus a
political statement trying to bias a certain kind of act, a certain kind of looks, a certain kind of
behaviour, a certain set of stories as being better than the others. While the most advanced form
of literary portrayal should be the most definitive mirror of society, we are trying to create a
artform just on the basis of commercial gain. However, in spite of all the criticisms, there is a
branch who will say, commercialization means, making something that people like. And if the
mass spectator is preferring it, obviously there is a value to the art. And that’s why the
protagonists of movies become role models like Mr. Shah Rukh Khan or Mr. Aamir Khan. And,
that’s why the most perfect man is a person with the looks of a Greek God called Hrithik Roshan,
while the genius of Ritwik Ghatak has been suppressed under the shadows of Box Office,
Glamour and an obsessive mass. In spite of all the darkness, there is still some light of hope as
we have learned to appreciate the works of Satyajit Roy, Mrinal Sen, Mira Nair, Edward Yang and
so many greats.
In this discussion, while it looks like a protest towards the commercialization, we would play the
role of a neutral observer dissecting the works some of the great film makers since the past few
decades. Starting from the Pather Pachali (eng: Song of the Little Road) and Megha Dakha Tara
(eng: The Cloud-capped Star), we will gradually try to know the stories and understand the
gradual process of events, the art of filming, the thought process and the certainty of reality
rather than the uncertain, yet expected end of the commercial audience. We will go through the
movies like 一一 (eng: Yi yi), 牯嶺街少年殺人事件 (eng: A brighter Summer Day), 河流 (eng: The
River), Namesake, Duvidha (eng: Dilemma), Protidwandi (The adversary) and many other movies.
The purpose of our discussion should not just be limited to a certain kind of movies but more
towards the reason why we should broaden our spectrum. Movie is an artform and like every
artform, it should be a portrayal of the society in a more realistic way. Besides, even it is
something more than that, also, we should have a more precise consequence for a fact rather
than satisfying the mass expectation. We will also discuss certain popular movies like Swadesh
(eng: My Country), Lagaan (eng: Agricultural Tax), Guzareesh (eng: Request) to understand how
the genuinity of art has transcended this boundary and at times captured our interest. The great
poem Rabindranath Tagore once told, “Art must be beautiful, but even before that it must be
truthful.” Through this presentation, we will try to have a glimpse of how much we are moving
towards the truth and how much away from it.
