“Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint”- A dialogue which I use for relaxing myself in times of crisis. I have always been a filmy person, giving comebacks in the form of dialogues or expressions from various films, dancing with the same honesty, and getting inspired by films like Rocky. Cinema has been a pivotal aspect of my life, like everyone else.
Cinema has been one medium where I could escape the world, unravel, and live a different life altogether. It has always been a popular form of art, telling a story with an amalgamation of rich inputs of music, screenplay, cast and script, which mirrors the contemporary society in which it functions. A word, which we never thought would hold any relevance, is now impacting our lives in the most extraordinary ways.
From emotional dramas to candyfloss romances to action-thrillers, cinema has had a long journey and we have been fortunate enough to witness it.
From movies like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, which instilled an unusual hope that our crush would turn around if he/she loves us. “Palat, Palat” and so it goes… Or to movies like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which presented the world the idea that ‘Pyaar Dosti Hai.’ It’s not just the romantic movies like Titanic that brought out the hopeless romantics out of each one of us, emotional dramas, action thrillers, horror stories or even the comedies that we love to binge-watch, impact us dramatically. The evergreen songs on which we shake a leg even today, or the everlasting beauty of the actresses which we wanted to acquire, to those dialogues which are still imprinted in our minds, cinema has succeeded in creating surreal or even tangled wave of images which one still feels nostalgic about.
In its long journey of more than a century, cinema has transformed itself from being a taboo and absolute no-no to a virtual way of life. Such a dynamic change has also regulated the content of films and presented the growth which India and the globe are experiencing. From women-centric films like Kahaani, NH10, Queen, Laggies, and The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo that have challenged the status quo, to films like Raazi and Mangal Pandey: The Rising that glorified the history of India and instilled pride and honour within each individual, we have come a long way.
Cinema has been one way of manifestation changing the whole social dynamics, it has been a catharsis for almost everyone. It’s not merely a visual treat to the audience. The experience of watching a film in the theatre with no noise, eating, relating to the character and the story, and imbibing the strong message is something which we all look forward to. It has produced some of the finest stories and characters, the ones which are eternal.
Where every day thousands of people audition to get into the films, where a film makes crores at the box office, where ratings matter, where critical appreciation matters, and where the content speaks for itself, the growth of cinema has been unstoppable and powerful– elucidating various aspects of an individual and presenting the darkest social secrets.
Cinema has become an important part of human life. Where every day hundreds of films are being directed and presented, we can surely say that Picture Abhi Baaki Hai Mere Dost.
–Romita Handa, Sat Paul Mittal School, Ludhiana
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