Personal Indulgence

I am back but with a new blog. Each of the blogs had a specific objective and once that has been achieved it is time to move on. This blog will have one goal- to post on any subject that has a bearing on emotions. Also, to post it as quickly as possible to see that it stays fresh and invites comments. For example, the first post is already up and it comes out of the movie viewing experience on Saturday (21/07/2018). Movie is truly, a private experience but in a public space. Watching movies has been my passion from a very young age. As a child I was dragged to many a movies as my mother would not have any other choice. As I grew up, the choice of movies was suddenly in my hands and the very first movie I decided to see, at the age of eight, was Sholay. The rest, as they say, is history. I haven't stopped watching movies since and they still continue to create magic on the big screen. Watching movies on the small screen has not dented the theater-going experience. Television ha...

Movies have a purpose. They are either made to entertain or educate. Rarely can a movie do both. Dhadak comes close. The plot is simple. Boy meets girl, both fall in love but have to elope due to the opposition from the girl's side. There is a subtle underlying current of caste hierarchy that is the cause for the friction. There is a bit of political shenanigan thrown in for good measure. In the end we realise that the movie was made to send a strong message against honour killings that are still widespread in modern India. Can a movie put an end to social discrimination and the ensuing violence in the name of upholding family name? Hard to imagine. The power of moving pictures is well documented and amply theorised. It is a very powerful political tool and in the right hands movies have brought about revolutions. The propaganda machinery has used movies to brainwash entire nations into accepting a myth. And then, there is the socialisation process where movies have slowly but su...