A MOVIE : DIARY

  It is often said that a movie is a reflection of the society. The narrative of a movie normally reflects the society’s beliefs, thoughts and practices. Thus the storyteller picks up something from the society and weaves it into a story, the limiting factors being the narrator’s skills and imagination. Each piece of the story, its characters and narrative along with all that is integral to it is picked up from the society. This helps every person at the movie hall, generally relate all characters to someone he or she knows. Those movies set in planes alien to the society were either science fiction movies or horror movies. But normally all movies told stories that were set in contemporary society and could easily be related to.

  

  Movies are great catalysts for change. Trivial or worthy, films played a major role in shaping the opinion of the society. There are films that espoused nationalism and patriotism. There were movies that espoused faith to overcome great challenges and there were films that espoused values and virtues. For the youth movies were trendsetters for fashion. For example, hairstyle of the hero, the styles of diction, the way actors dress up are just few things that youngsters copy from the movie. Movies also told the youth the manner in which a situation is reacted to and whether it is acceptable or not. That is why, there is a school of thought, that cautions storytellers on the method of telling the story. Exaggerating a piece of action, the way the hero reacts to a situation or the general manner in which morality and such other virtues are depicted in the movie often tend to guide or misguide youth. If the popular hero doesn’t mind taking law into his hands to achieve the goal, or the popular heroin doesn’t mind breaking social taboo, the youth generally accepts it as a message. The extend of violence that has come to roost in our society to a large measure can be attributed to the current jaunre of movies and the way stories are told in these. 

 I’m not one to say that they should be no violence in the movie, I’m not the one to say that there should be no breaking of taboos, but I certainly feel that the director has the moral responsibility to remain within the acceptable frames or boundaries rather than eulogising extreme violence or waywardness. As I came out from the movie hall today after seeing a movie, that from the beginning to the end was filled with mindless violence, I was left wondering what we’re up to and the manner in which society is accepting stories. What shocked me most was not the movie but the review about it in the print and electronic media.

  I went to the movie, because someone had told me that the movie was a highly rated one and that the entire cast consisted of newcomers. I was told that everything about the movie was new and path breaking. At the movie, I was left disheartened and shaken. I wanted to leave the movie hall much before half-time but was held back because even if i wanted i couldn't leave as I could not take my car out from the parking. The movie was about a few youngsters in their village in Kerala trying out their hand in doing everything wrong and showing no remorse in attempting violence at the first possible instance. This was not the Kerala I had grown up in, it was not the Kerala that I had dreamt of. 

 If this is the real Kerala now, then it cannot be called God’s on land. Mindless violence and detached silence that sanctions and accepts such fury  are initial signs of social decay. The picture gives a glimpse of what would happen to this beautiful state if things are not set right. The loud music accompanying the drunken brawls and shouts, the manner in which life is auctioned, a scheming lawyer and a supportive policeman who assist the plot to move ahead, send shivers down my spine. If the movie has to be believed, it’s all about eating drinking and killing all willingly and painlessly sanctioned by the society. Oh my God, what’s happened to God’s own land?

  I’m neither a racist nor against female liberation. I have nothing against a girl having a drink. I have nothing against girls having a good time, but the sight of the lead female actor snaking her way home after a party did pain me somehow. Please do not mistake me. I’m not in the business of moral policing.  I’m not one who is here to prescribe, how a man or woman must behave. I’m not here to set norms and guidelines. I just felt bad seeing a beautiful girl walking drunk. You can’t grudge me that.

  What scared me more was the response of the few youths who were in the movie hall. The comments they passed after the movie shocked me. “Adi Poli” in their words, in other words superb. If mindless violence, killing, drunken brawls and meaningless lives were superb, my God where are we headed to?