Film Discussions : their standard makes me angry
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ABHIJEET SINGH (India)
Email: 11.abhijeet[at] Gmail [dot] com
Film Discussions
Films and discussion go hand in hand but is the discussion of some level that is the big question.
Yes, There is a lot of discussion on films these days and why not its a large & a popular medium there should be a lot of discussion but at the same time a healthy one, discussions have been limited to criticism and even the writing on films have been targeted to individuals rather then a film on the whole. Press conference, Interview, Review or a General discussion on film mainly in the Electronic media moves away from the topic in a flash what comes into play is the personal life questions,
I have many a times observed a film critic for a leading news channel talk about things like the Hand bags of the actress her makeup, etc apart from reviewing the film on the lines it should be and then she thinks for some time & rates the film well i have nothing personal against her what we have been doing so far is discussing films without meaning i think even the film appreciation has been limited to the film’s commercial value we need to define a film’s review and its business separately & not mix these things. In the media the discussion has been biased as most of the critic’s write on the film from there personal point of view and rather then the public.
On the other hand what we come across is the comparison between Hollywood and Bollywood which have been on for a long time and i guess will go on in the future, I agree that there are a lot of bad films we have but at the same time we have some good cinema too and some qualities that are to be appreciated there are very few people who talk about those films.
Discussions are meant to be meaningful, if you dont extract a positive point from a discussion its a waste of time and that is what most of the people i meet think.
I would also like to mention about a very good film society at cinemax Andheri called enlighten where every sunday they show all time classics and some times even invite film personalities to discuss the film, I keep on going to this place with my friends to watch the great films they show during my last visit we had a opportunity to see psycho by Alfred Hitchcock it was a really a good bit of cinema & i was thrilled to see such a good old film on the big screen, after the movie we were told that Mr. Sriram raghvan and vivek agnihotri were there for a discussion on the film so i happily joined the discussion hoping of a good session of talking about psycho but i was disappointed when even the Media students were asking questions such as I was able to predict the end were you? why don’t we make such films in India?
Then someone came up with a view that the discussion is going altogether in the wrong direction atlast Mr. Sriram raghvan himself had to come up with a good topic to carry on the discuss in the correct direction and finally we managed to get something out of it. My only reason to share this observation is to bring out that if the people wanting to be in the medium of media are not aware of there content of talking on films then how can we expect the audience to grow up and accept different kind of films.
To sum up i strongly feel that film journalism needs to be more responsible and need to have some quality and not to take away the credit i would like to mention my opinion on the good work done by some channel’s, websites and newspaper who have contributed in the right way and specially to a channel which has great shows & qualified knowledgeable people hosting it and even providing platform for short films,documentary and have comments from film directors on them which adds to the viewers knowledge and also a learning chance for those in the medium.We do have things which can contribute to the growth but its just the right utilisation of things and a responsible behavior we need to fulfill in order to achieve a better environment of talking and appreciating cinema.
Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, Bollywood, Hollywood, Psycho, Sriram Raghvan, Vivek Agnihotri
Anurag Kashyap
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Good Its a great article
Amitabh Keshav
I totally agree with Abhijeet’s article.
This discussion needs to be discussed openly and an awareness needs to be made.
Great article. I totally support you.
Khushi
Well here is a article which a true film maker will love…no nonsense and to the point.. Most of us today are blind to the fact that there is more than what meets the eye when we watch a movie..there is more to appreciate and criticize than just the make up or the 6 pack abs..if critics would be more technical in there critique then I am sure we wud have a better audience..the critics must realize the power of the press and should me aware of what impact of what the write can cause to the audience.. newaz.. a fab fab article.. I respect the individual who has tried to throw light on this issue.. thank you for this artice.. would like to read more of your stuff.. cheers
You don’t have to a member of this society to come for the shows, right? I’ll be in Bombay in June and I will certainly come for a show if I can.
its the sign of the times abhijeet :-)
Not only Film Discussions…
Almost all kinds of discussions… I am just back from Lord Jeffrey Archer’s landmark tour which had an interactive session…
What were the questions asked:-
How do you write stories..?
You write keeping in m mind the fact that whether it can be made into a film..?
Many people read your books but then they don;t write them…?? Lol..
And many more…
Actually you know in India all they care is that whether the film will be a hit!!!Most of the articles of the critics also revolve around this.That explains Welcome getting good reviews.Also the presence of the “stars” overshadows the story,screenplay part where the focus of the critics seem to be how that particular star looked,danced etc.Actually film review in India is still in the nascent stage and it will take a loooong time before some constructive reviews start in India.Here I must mention that reviews in “Hindu” newspaper are good.
ya i agree with your article … the standards have not been up to the mark.
Most times, critics don’t give even two minutes to review a film.
One of the main, I think, for not asking reasonally good questions is lack of preparation.
What time do they have these film shows??..now this is quite interesting..
hi everyone thanks for ur comments…. Anirudh you need to be a member of this society or u need to know a member with whom u can walk in as a guest…….. Sourav the show timings r 10:00 AM every sunday
What are discussions for ? Every question does not need to be well though out and made to sound “smart” ?
That is just plain wrong , I actually commend people who actually have the guts/tenacity/are ignorant enough to ask the questions that come to their mind, the ones that they feel are important. Different people take home different things from any given discussion.
See you think that bags and accessories are unimportant but to the one who wants to be a costume designer or something of the sort , that kind of review is very important !
Why do some self important snobs think that this or that is the right question and who gets to define the paradigms of intellectuality ?
I think everyone’s contribution needs to be respected , one – they are actually there on a Sunday morning for a reason , that shows dedication , two – what they want out of the experience may totally be different from what you want.
Ask what U need to know , don’t expect everyone else to be of your wavelength (hi or lo)… Learn to work with others , otherwise instead of being a part of a discussion , go and have a personal chat …
Don’t be that SNOB who sits at the back quietly observing everyone and laughs at everyone else’s “supposed ignorance” … Take part , indulge , object , agree , disagree , agree to disagree … make an experience out of the whole ordeal instead of sitting and measuring the “smartness/worth” of EVERYONE else’s questions and answers … Make the most of your time and leave … Sheesh ! Sriram Raghavan … What a joke !
Let your “lesser brothers and sisters” live too … God !
thanks for your very imp. feedback but bro i would really like to reply to you i am not talking about open Discussions i am talking abt “Film Discussions” jst films as we here r concerned with them and not degrading anyone i have mentioned even the good work done by some people. I have nthing against anyone on giving remarks on Handbags and stuff but that is the only things she did in that review and she is suppose to be a film critic & shld talk abt the film too after comments her r over, correct and every review of hers has the minimum comment on the film she prefers talking abtr the other stuff more. And on the other part plz read it carefully i am nt commented on people who know less or who r part of the general audience but talking abt media students who i knw and are well aware of everything and posess enough knowledge abt the craft of filmmaking i wrote this coz i was surprised to hear such questions frm them when we had a discussion on a particular film with respected proffessionals. and to remind you again that “I am talking about the standards and all the people who i have commented r a part of this industry in some or the other way and this nt the level which they pretend to hav if u talk to them. So plz think before u write go through the article well before giving out comments.” And thats wat the articles r for to share ur exp. and hav a freedom of speech which is ment to be in a right direction and help people gain from it . So get this through and plz u learn to respect people coz if u think abt sriram raghvan as a joke or anyone else then take ur article to ur self and start applying it i think u will help ur self. Anyways thanks for writing. Tc ..
i would really like to reply to you i am not talking about open Discussions i am talking abt “Film Discussions”
Hmmmmm .. Alright then … (Rolls eyes and leaves!)