CINEMA ! A RETROSPECT OR A DWINDLING MEDIUM?
AN ANALYSIS ON THE STATE OF CINEMA IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES WITH ITS RICH HISTORICAL LINEAGE! – Dinesh Khemani
Cinema has asserted its presence since more than a century now. It has evolved with time and
has experienced various developments technologically and expressively. Ever since the potency
of the medium was realised, it was then used as a medium to represent or display reality by
mechanically reproducing images through the use of camera. The filmmakers or artists who
accepted this new technological marvel were keener on exploring or rather tests the limit of this
new device. One could probably say that the films made then were more a result of fascination
with novelty that led to the quest of finding its own unique language.
Ever since cinema has come into existence, it has shaped our outlook towards life. It has
always mirrored the image of society and shaped the way we look at the world. Camera was used
then to capture reality or to document reality, not omitting the aesthetic value that forms the
essence of cinema, often termed as cinematic expression
The fine arts have established their firm roots in our society and certain aesthetic
principles have been assimilated by artists from their ancestors. Cinema being a nascent
medium is still grappling to lay its foundation as a serious visual art medium, especially
in India. The reason for this can be attributed to history.
Cinema was never considered or approached as an art form in India due to various
reasons. A nation steeped in blind faith, mythology, rituals, social evils like sati, dowry
and the political struggle for independence were the only themes reflected in the films.
Not paying much heed to the treatment of these texts or subjects, the narrative in itself
became the guiding force for these filmmakers. The conception that these tabooed
subjects could be brought to fore for masses at large through the use of moving images
to herald a change, was in itself an achievement or an obsession with novelty. A famous
legend during the screening of India’s first film screening would prove this. During the
film, when images of Lord Krishna appeared on screen, the people prostrated in order to
pay their respect. Such a reaction would bewilder us as audiences today. This in a way
determined the relationship between a filmmaker and his audience. However through
time when Bollywood turned to Hollywood for plots and industrialization was gradually
seeping into the country, filmmakers turned to entertaining or amusing plots to entice the
audience. Since then, it has always been a medium of grandeur, depicting larger than life
images, providing a fantasy land for the already jaded masses in India to aspire to. This
aspirational value of masses has always been targeted by filmmakers to be capitalised on.