Jani Viswanath (PhD)
Long ago, a beautiful lantern glowed in the village square casting its golden yellow light all around.
Every night, villagers gathered around it excitedly. Then, with a flourish of his scented, overflowing silk robes, the most distinguished and well-travelled man in the village would enter, leaving behind a trail of fragrance drifting through the warm summer air, to captivate an audience waiting eagerly for his next story…
and that is how the magic of storytelling started.
Life has no pre-written scripts, no retakes, and no awards at the finish line – the biggest reward being every moment lived well and complete.
This was perhaps the reason why the complete opposite is true in cinema, which is a whole different world.
Theater, Drama and films have forever been an escape from reality.
They weave a web of hope and give birth to dreams that transport us to a magical land or as Jean Luc Goddard said, ‘Cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world”.
This glorified, beautiful fraud, apart from entertaining, has become integral to individual and societal growth and progress because of its capacity to shape and influence how the world sees, thinks and feels.
It has been a mere 138 years since Cinema, from a 3 second flicker recorded in 1888, has risen to a magical force of power and influence unlike any other the world has seen.
I have been watching a few old movies and series lately. Ghost 1990 & Sixth Sense 1999, Shawshank redemption, Casablanca to name a few.
I have perhaps seen most of these movies a few times, and each time it kindles an emotion within.
These films invoked emotions and stayed with you long after they ended.
Whether aspirational dreams, joy, sadness, nostalgia, anger or just simple laughter, the movies had an impact on you because of the nuanced characters onscreen.
These characters though glorified, were relatable depictions of what we yearned to be, the love or life that we desired for or even the flaws that we shared with them.
The films from the scriptwriting onwards to the shoot and the music, took a lot of thought, time and effort to make.
Audiences waited for a film to be completed and flocked to the theatres to see their favourite stars or wait for the weekend to see their favourite TV show.
Enter the world of digital alterations and enhancements. Green screens, CGI and AI where we can make a full-fledged feature film in a fraction of the time with no need of a location or complications with cast and crew.
Not to mention the multitude of OTT platforms where you have a zillion shows at the touch of a button.
The ripping away of originality layer by layer and the soul of a film is diminished and replaced by robotic perfection and excessive choice turning the audiences into disinterested, lazy, emotionless and vacant viewers who just need the noise as company.
As a sidenote, I watched Odyssey last week. I came out confused about the purpose of the film. Very forgettable to be honest.
If it was just to show aesthetic cinematography and great CGI on a large scale then I would say it served its purpose. But I couldn’t think of one name whose acting moved me or stayed with me nor could I understand the winding, strenuous plot that seemed to drag on pointlessly. If we compare it to Gladiator, another large scale epic made 25 years ago, one cannot forget the glorious music, storyline or the phenomenal acting of Russel Crowe , Joaquin Phoenix or most of the cast in it.
And this is where I conclude;
It is ok to have mind bending, reality questioning, computer generated, over the top fantasy and content, provided we don’t end up as passive, desensitized zombies who are progressively unsure of what is real and what is not anymore, or worse, don’t care to question it.
We should do more for independent cinema where the ocean of talent all across the world has little or no backing at all. There are brilliant storytellers, actors, directors, musicians, and more who never get a chance to show their work.
The reason why I stepped into film production a decade ago, to give independent talent a platform in my own small way, is to support stories that need to be told by people who need to be heard from places little known.
I firmly believe that independent cinema rooted in raw creativity and social urgency deserves not just to exist, but must be cheered on.
Jani Viswanath is a humanitarian, artist, author and film producer who believes in the power of storytelling to inspire peace and empathy. She is dedicated to uplifting lives with stories that bridge cultures and has meaningful impact across communities worldwide
