Life is a strange phenomenon- it happens to us. Rather, it is happening to us- Now. A string of events and experiences, people of all kinds come and go, enter and exit the stage of our lives. We are mute witnesses or may choose to participate as an actor in the ongoing mega movie. No wonder movies imitate life or do they….
The Cinema of Life
The word “cinema” conjures mixed feelings of nostalgia especially for folks in India born in the pre-“Mall” era. Queuing up to buy tickets with the extended family gathered at a distance, anxious and eager with home-roasted peanut bags in tow- going to the cinema used to be an occasional luxury, planned for months in advance, based on reliable reviews of friends and relatives. It was never a spur-of-the-moment decision for families- those were left to the reckless bachelors and wayward men hell-bent on wasting their lives and money!
Television had not entered into the sanctum sanctorum of the middle class Indian towns. Cinema was a major escape from the humdrum of everyday monotone, the stylish cousin of the then-outdated theatre or “Jatra”, which, had lost its sheen and respectability especially for the ubiquitous “middle-class” Indian. Brought up on a steady dose of mythological stories based on India epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, folk-tales from Panchatantra and traditional lore, Indian children and adults were addicted to a well-told story, a tale of tumult involving the fight between the Good and Evil, the King and the Demon, Good and Bad. The narrative gave ample scope to the characters- the hero, heroine, the villain, the comic jester, the side role players to enact their emotions of love, anger, jealousy, greed, lust, envy and bring the story to a grand climax, where, inevitably, the Good won over the Evil, the King defeated the Demon.
Indian grandmothers were fabulous storytellers, rearing batches of wriggling children, awestruck by the loud booming voice of the King, leery screeching tone of the Demon, shy and coy sweet nothings of the Princess. The first “cinema” was often a one-woman act by the grandmother with handheld rag dolls and kitchen utensils as props! As theatre or “Jatras” held ground and entertained large audiences sitting on the ground and watching mostly all-male actors depicting scenes from the epics or mythology, often women, children and the elderly could not participate due to logistical and societal reasons.
The cinema changed all that and how! With one magic ticket, one could enter into a “Wonder-World” read dingy dark rooms with uncomfortable seats, yet it was such an escape from the dreary dungeons of everyday drudgery. The fantasy of watching the moving pictures of Gods and Goddesses, handsome heroes and beautiful heroines, the rib-tickling jokes of the comedians, the dialogues of the devilish villain, the chase, the fight, the despair, the hope and finally the big win- and everybody lived happily ever after!!
The word “Cinema” is of French origin- rightfully so, considering the French contribution to the History of Cinema. Its original meaning was the theatre where the movie or film used to be screened. Gradually the word, cinema, has encompassed the film or movie itself along with the physical hall or theatre where the movie is screened. Incidentally, the philosophers often refer to human life as similar to a cinema. The soul is akin to the white screen of the cinema on which, various stories are played out, characters enter and exit while the screen remains the same.
“One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia
Since Raja Harishchandra, released in 1913, till today, we have traversed a long path in Indian Cinema. Many of our national and personal moments are mirrored by cinematic creations, soothing our souls with melodies, companions in times of grief or glory. As we reflect on life itself, we often realize how art, especially cinema, imitates and in turn inspires life, how we are impacted by the power of well told stories. May the fairy tales of Cinema continue to spur Life to greater heights of realization!
Life, the visible horizon and beyond.. 