The Idea of entertainment in different cultures: Cinema

Role of cinema in society and the reason why cinema has become such a strong part of the
arts?
Cinema is a reflection of both the present and past of society. Movies are nothing but stories, the
ideas about something which people want to express, something they want to speak to someone.
Cinemas are a means of communication. This communication, stories, come from societies- not
just where society is today but also where society has been in the past.
Movies have different meanings to different people, that’s what is so phenomenal about them.
According to my opinion, movies are a way to seek distractions and get relief from unpleasant
realities. Movies are about sitting in a theatre for two hours, watching a story unroll with
unknown people, developing emotion for what is happening watching that happen. I don’t have
to worry about what is going on outside when I walk into the movie theatre. I lose myself in what
I’m watching. Movies are a way to educate the audience also. They tell us things we might not
know, depict us facts we never could have known. They provide us a way to explore the past, the
present, and the future.
Movies have become so popular because the images are not static, they move and tell a story that
emotionally connects you. Movies have become global because every country has stories to tell
about their culture, about their past, and the vision of what the future will look like. In the last
couple of decades, many movie theatres were built all over the world which gives people a place
to go, to escape, to enjoy, to learn.
Earlier, society had the stories, but they don’t have any place where they can go and enjoy them.
Now people are also seeing movies as a business. They invest, make movies and make their
money back through theatres.
Then the internet came along…
The world is changing very fastly than you expected. It is constantly changing which is going to
produce more movie-making. The internet provides people a way to showcase their creative
ideas and thoughts. On YouTube, we can see the most talented, energetic young people from all
over the world who film their ideas, thoughts and put them online. They are surely going to be
the future of the film industry. The internet has brought the world together. A person sitting in
India can put a video on the internet which can be watched instantly all around the world. We
simply couldn’t have done that in the past. I personally believe that through movies audience are
taken to places where they can’t go on their own- be it cultural, or travel or learning.

Impacts of current affairs, social issues on film

Movies are a source of fun, relaxation, enjoyment, and entertainment. But there are some movies
which make us feel witnessed something special and historical, something that touches our
hearts. Some movies tend to leave a lasting impression on us, leaves a great impact on society.
Some movies help to speed up the pending justice, some manage to change a couple of lives,
some filled us with emotional turbulence, and some give our life an absolute new direction.
Movies sometimes can create controversy, and also depict some difficult stories.

P.K (Rajkumar Hirani, 2014)- A thought evoke movie directed by Rajkumar Hirani that aims to
remind that God Is One and how fraud Godmen and priests are trying to make money on the
name of religion/god and exploit common man.

Mardaani (Pradeep Sarkar, 2014)- The movie touches various social issues like child sex rackets
and child trafficking. This movie also shows the empowerment of women as Rani Mukherjee
played a cop role (a male-dominated field of work). The movie sends a social message regarding
the vulnerability of street kids and how quickly they are robbed of their innocence by ruthless
procurers.

Vicky Donor (Shoojit Sircar, 2015)- A movie that broke many taboos of society. It talked about
how artificial insemination and sperm donation is the need of the hour. It also showed breeding
infertility is the most ironically societal pressure.
What makes a ‘great film’?
A film sounds to be great if we can look at it years later, and still enjoy it.
For producing a great movie, we always start with a good story and a writer who puts that story
down on paper, and then cooperation between every member that goes into making a movie…
The Director, actors, make-up artists, cinematographers, visual effects specialists, and more.

Movies are collaborative, and in order to make a great movie first we have to begin with the task
of story creation and writing. After that the Director role comes into play. He brings his mindset
for casting the actors according to the story, characters, and building of the entire team which
includes choreographers, music director, singer, etc. It is obvious that all movies are not
successful always. Some movies are good, some are average and some of them are bad. No
director wants to make a bad movie. Sometimes the result didn’t turn out the way the director
wanted. There are so many people who are creative and talented who started off with movies
which didn’t work but later have gone to have great careers. Look at Aanand L. Rai who started
his career with a forgettable psychological thriller Strangers (2007), starring Jimmy Shergill, and
went on to Thodi Life Thoda Magic (2008) with Parmeet Sethi in the lead role. Success came
with Tanu Weds Manu in 2011, stayed with Raanjhana in 2013 and multiplied with Tanu Weds
Manu Returns in 2015. The last three films have together earned nearly ₹ 250 crore.

Movies contribution to globalisation

Movies are very important and relevant in terms of globalization. Movies have the power of
spreading cultural awareness around the globe. Today, many movies are based on the universal
themes but also have depiction of cultural distinctiveness. Indian movies obviously contain
cultural ties to Indian ideals but it also contain universal themes that people in other parts of the
world can relate to such as good versus evil, love for one’s family, etc. International movies give
people an insight into the cultural views of others and they also bring people together at some
level with the help of universal human themes.
What has been the impact of the internet, social media and allied technologies on films and
the business of movie-making?

I believe that by word of mouth, movies perform well and make money. Advertisement and the
right movie to start with play a crucial role but word of mouth is much powerful. We all know
that bad word of mouth can destroy any product. Of all marketable products, movies have the
shortest marketable life.
For example, I made a new biscuit and put it on the shelf in the supermarket. If it doesn’t sell, I
can move it to another place to increase visibility. If still it doesn’t sell, I will lower the price. I
have the time to try various competitive strategies in order to get people to try the product. But in
the case of a movie, we have one chance. This the reason the movie business is such a dangerous
play. One should have a very strong heart to get involved in the movie business. We have seen
many times that after one-two weeks of the opening of a movie, it is hard to find where it is
playing. This is because if the movie doesn’t work immediately, it will be taken off from the
screen.
In today’s world, we communicate via the internet. The audience of the movie, especially the
younger people, spends up to 15 hours a day connected to the internet. The comments about the
movie get posted on the sites straight away. Whatever someone posts about the movie, others
might feel the same way. The internet has given both good and bad. Once a movie review is out
on the net- it’s out, it never goes away. Internet is such a powerful thing which sells as well as
kills. Movies are released internationally now a days. If it doesn’t perform well in India, it
wouldn’t perform internationally also.
With the internet, there is a chance of piracy also because we can distribute things easily on the
internet. Piracy is a horrible illegal act. It is very difficult to stop movie piracy and protect the
property rights of the people who make a living from the movie.