Why This Sanctimony, Serious Cinema?
Serious cinema is important but only when, like everything in life, it co-exists with diverse for forms of cinema. However, when it starts bordering on Fascism then it becomes toxic. Let’s get real Mr Anurag Kashyap. According to Anurag Kashyap, cinema gives people false hopes with regards to relationships by portraying unreal and idealistic relationships. However, when anybody criticises his movies for the unruly behaviour of viewers who were raised on his cinema, he claims that movies make no impact on people’s lives. He cites examples of the failure of anti-smoking campaigns on preventing smoking. He has a valid point: most movies condemn rapes, honour killings, murders etc. but that doesn’t stop people from committing such atrocities. Why this contradiction, Mr Kashyap? Why be so conveniently selective in your criticism?
Older romantic movies were idealistic. People like him blame them for their failed relationships but think about it, back when movies were “impractical” people had much better relationships and marriages. It’s only with the rise of so-called pragmatic cinema that relationships have fallen apart. Now when movies are “realistic” and practical, relationships keep getting worse. People who blame movies for their personal problems are those who cannot accept personal responsibility. Most people like Anurag Kashyap who are anti-thesis to those idealistic movies, have a terrible history of relationships. They are needy, dependent, self-loathing ingrates who were unhappy with their lives even before their relationships. They preach dependence and neediness in relationships. The more obsessed they get with pleasing others the sadder their lives get. They are nothing more than a hipster version of Bajrang Dal, a hardliner group known for beating up couples on Valentine’s Day.
Serious film-makers bore us to death by preaching us to embrace life with its imperfections, accepting people despite their glaring flaws, yet they can’t embrace simple criticism of their films. Anurag Kashyap is at loggerheads with the right-wing but when a kid raised on his brand of cinema threatened him, he didn’t see him a shades-of-grey personality, but rather evil. Serious movie buffs throw temper tantrums whenever anyone disagrees to their cinematic beliefs. Shouldn’t people who criticise their “sensible” cinema be embraced as at least flawed creatures? Shouldn’t they accept our flaws, the way they expect us to celebrate their grey-shaded obnoxious characters? You cannot get everyone to agree to everything you believe in. This is how real world works. Serious film-makers fixate on realism in cinema, but ironically they are the ones detached from reality.
This entire obsession with grey-shaded imperfection is highly inconsistent. On one hand, they preach about putting up with flaws carefully guised as traits. On the other hand, they are busy rearing a perfect breed of children who are expected to get impeccable grades in schools, excel in sports, play musical instruments, learn multiple languages (except for Indian languages), have six-pack abs, sing, dance and do everything that an ideal lead actor does in mainstream cinema. Just look at their contradictions.
Another excuse given for serious cinema is that it toughens people to face harsh realities of life. A fan of Anurag Kashyap, studying at an eminent engineering college, committed suicide because he couldn’t deal with poor grades in college. Clearly, Anurag Kashyap’s cinema isn’t preparing people for real world. The harsh reality is that most of his ilk constitutes of sad and depressed people with some even dealing with alcoholism and drug addiction.
The self-proclaimed sensible film-makers judge, emotionally blackmail and guilt-trip people for finding happiness and success in their lives. They shame people for watching cinema for entertainment but there’s no limit to their own indulgences. They live in extreme luxury, exorbitant house and spend millions of dollars every year on their children’s schooling. And they have the audacity to judge common people for finding pleasure in simple things like movies and love. They tell people to scale down their dreams or not dream at all because in real world dreams don’t come true, which is why people find solace in their depressing and dreary movies. While all these times their fans numb their ambitions, the serious film-makers are fulfilling their own dreams. People who don’t watch their serious movies get called selfish by them and media. Think about it: they expect people to watch their movies and like them. So who’s really selfish here?
Serious cinema is not a guideline for living one’s life. Binge-watching “sensible” movies or TV series won’t help anyone make important decisions in life, it won’t bring prosperity, nor will it get anyone meaningful relationships and most importantly it won’t get anyone a spot in heaven.
Serious cinema is important but only when, like everything in life, it co-exists with diverse for forms of cinema. However, when it starts bordering on Fascism then it becomes toxic. Let’s get real Mr Anurag Kashyap. According to Anurag Kashyap, cinema gives people false hopes with regards to relationships by portraying unreal and idealistic relationships. However, when anybody criticises his movies for the unruly behaviour of viewers who were raised on his cinema, he claims that movies make no impact on people’s lives. He cites examples of the failure of anti-smoking campaigns on preventing smoking. He has a valid point: most movies condemn rapes, honour killings, murders etc. but that doesn’t stop people from committing such atrocities. Why this contradiction, Mr Kashyap? Why be so conveniently selective in your criticism?
Older romantic movies were idealistic. People like him blame them for their failed relationships but think about it, back when movies were “impractical” people had much better relationships and marriages. It’s only with the rise of so-called pragmatic cinema that relationships have fallen apart. Now when movies are “realistic” and practical, relationships keep getting worse. People who blame movies for their personal problems are those who cannot accept personal responsibility. Most people like Anurag Kashyap who are anti-thesis to those idealistic movies, have a terrible history of relationships. They are needy, dependent, self-loathing ingrates who were unhappy with their lives even before their relationships. They preach dependence and neediness in relationships. The more obsessed they get with pleasing others the sadder their lives get. They are nothing more than a hipster version of Bajrang Dal, a hardliner group known for beating up couples on Valentine’s Day.
Serious film-makers bore us to death by preaching us to embrace life with its imperfections, accepting people despite their glaring flaws, yet they can’t embrace simple criticism of their films. Anurag Kashyap is at loggerheads with the right-wing but when a kid raised on his brand of cinema threatened him, he didn’t see him a shades-of-grey personality, but rather evil. Serious movie buffs throw temper tantrums whenever anyone disagrees to their cinematic beliefs. Shouldn’t people who criticise their “sensible” cinema be embraced as at least flawed creatures? Shouldn’t they accept our flaws, the way they expect us to celebrate their grey-shaded obnoxious characters? You cannot get everyone to agree to everything you believe in. This is how real world works. Serious film-makers fixate on realism in cinema, but ironically they are the ones detached from reality.
This entire obsession with grey-shaded imperfection is highly inconsistent. On one hand, they preach about putting up with flaws carefully guised as traits. On the other hand, they are busy rearing a perfect breed of children who are expected to get impeccable grades in schools, excel in sports, play musical instruments, learn multiple languages (except for Indian languages), have six-pack abs, sing, dance and do everything that an ideal lead actor does in mainstream cinema. Just look at their contradictions.
Another excuse given for serious cinema is that it toughens people to face harsh realities of life. A fan of Anurag Kashyap, studying at an eminent engineering college, committed suicide because he couldn’t deal with poor grades in college. Clearly, Anurag Kashyap’s cinema isn’t preparing people for real world. The harsh reality is that most of his ilk constitutes of sad and depressed people with some even dealing with alcoholism and drug addiction.
The self-proclaimed sensible film-makers judge, emotionally blackmail and guilt-trip people for finding happiness and success in their lives. They shame people for watching cinema for entertainment but there’s no limit to their own indulgences. They live in extreme luxury, exorbitant house and spend millions of dollars every year on their children’s schooling. And they have the audacity to judge common people for finding pleasure in simple things like movies and love. They tell people to scale down their dreams or not dream at all because in real world dreams don’t come true, which is why people find solace in their depressing and dreary movies. While all these times their fans numb their ambitions, the serious film-makers are fulfilling their own dreams. People who don’t watch their serious movies get called selfish by them and media. Think about it: they expect people to watch their movies and like them. So who’s really selfish here?
Serious cinema is not a guideline for living one’s life. Binge-watching “sensible” movies or TV series won’t help anyone make important decisions in life, it won’t bring prosperity, nor will it get anyone meaningful relationships and most importantly it won’t get anyone a spot in heaven.
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