Mainstream Films:Do they reflect society? - Page 2

I agree if we over look all the ridicules things like dancing around trees, the fight scenes and many other ridiculles twists the stories have. The actual concepts in many movies is correct portrayal of our society. Whether we have water that portrays widows of Benaras, or we have page 3 with high society living. Or Astitva we have extra marital affair . Or we have Apaharan !!!

So the concepts are close to real life ..........but are depicted with drama!!! If they didn't as some one mentioned it would become a documentary not too many people would like to watch.😛

Originally posted by: Aparna_BD

I agree if we over look all the ridicules things like dancing around trees, the fight scenes and many other ridiculles twists the stories have.

And they are exactly the reasons why I watch movies. I wouldn't term them as ridiculous. 😆

Originally posted by: abhijit shukla

Hey! I am not above watching them either. Your question was: 'do they reflect reality?' the answer is probably not...just because they are not realistic, it does not mean they do not have enterrainment value...sometimes on purpose, sometimes unintentionally...but I watch them too. For example: most men I know would not be thrilled and probably very miffed if thier respective wives gave birth to a child two years after they last saw the wife...but I loved watching 'Krisssh'...it is just that it does not reflect life as I have known it!Yes 'Water' reflects lives of widows in some segment of society and 3000 widows treated poorly are 3000 too many but in population of 1.2 Billion, 3000 is one out of 4 million. It is like one person in a city of size of LA or Ahmedabad or Paris. You would not say what what happens to one person in LA is reflective of what happens in entire LA. All widows I personaly know are treated with utmost dignity and have all the freedom a person might want!These movies (after you cut out the masala) may reflect what happens in fringes of society but the fringes are not representative of entire society by themselves. RGV, Sanjay Gupta, Madhur Bhandarkar and The Bhatt clan are talented film makers (may be not the Bhatt clan) but the characters in thier movies are not what I and you see and deal with everyday.

Abhhijit,

I agree and differ. Agree that we do not see thse characters every day in our life and maybe never in our life. But when you say they are not realistic i differ. I think they are realistic to great extend. What is not realistic is things you mentioned like singing songs around trees and stuff..but the content is realistic. Like Earth- What happened and what Aamir Khan did in that movie I am sure it was so real during partition. Apharan- That was so realistic. I am sure in Bihar and some parts this is exactly how this gang works and apharan are done. We read in news about all these Apharan cases ..they are showing the community and particular group of society which not all of us are exposed to (thankfully). Chandni Bar- I already gave example above. D.- That is suppose to be story based on Dawood's life. Ofcourse, they twist it so it's not obvious, but that's how criminal are born, that's how they get promotion and get to higher level of contract killing, and encounter. Sarkar- Suppose to be story about Bal Thackery. Great acting my Big B but the culture, cult and family they have shown in there is I am sure very similar to real criminal/politician/great figure whatever people call by different names. These movie does not show regular janta like you and me. They show this particular group of people. That makes it so real. I have not seen Water yet. Other movie is Page 3- The sarcastic incidents in that movie about high society people gossiping about their life and style and shopping at death of of on their so called friend is so true. We even see those things in regular life… its suppose to be "shradh" or someone is dead and ladies start talking about their shopping whereas business man does not leave opportunity to meet a single contact for their business. Once incident they showed in that movie was very heart wrenching for me ..about kids and child molestation. Ofcourse, people like you and me don't see this..but does that mean such thigns does not happen in our society?? I doubt.

Abhijit even if you read a good book , you will realise most fictions are based on one fictious person and his life based on real enviorment . If i talk of lets say "Namesake" a book by Jhumpa Lahiri. Its a got a fictitouc character names "Gogol" and his life having been born and brought up in the U.S while his parents were bengalis , first gen Indians who moved to the U.S.

We get to look at life from his point of view. This point of view is real as it often reflects many such Indians(especially 2nd gen Bongs) abroad their point of view. Yes, thats a small portion of society......and not the country...not the world the world. But thats what gets people interested in a character because we get to see a reflection of a society either similar to us or completely different. Either ways its entertaining reading or watching it in a film form. Infact i believe this book is being turned into a movie. Should be interesting!!

Originally posted by: abhijit shukla

If someone respondes to this, please take out a full page ad in New York Times to notify me.😉😆

Its always fun debating with you too. Can that ad in New York times say "America's most Wanted ?"😉😆

I guess there are films(if not many) based on what goes around society. The ones you have mentioned Corporate- I have yet to watch, Chandani Bar, Chameli- It's a dark side of our society, of which we are unware and where we generally don't tread(but it does happens. I have seen documentaries on red light areas of Calcutta, even one won an oscar last year or before that), Page 3-(some were very crude incidents and so many things happened around the female protagonist that's little hard to digest- but that's how things are and not to forget she was a journalist with all news around her) , Company, one with Pankaj Kapoor, Tabu , the movie is MAQBOOL- there must be some truth about it since we heard about the gangsters(not imaginary characters), their wrong-doings, employing the youth in their company, gang rivalry, treachery, police encounters, climbing higher up and their downfall, etc.

We try to live in a clean world that does not mean this things are not happening around us. A film will not be made out of our lives, that would be boring and uninteresting. People would always look for something exceptional and sensational.(other than khan starrer romantic flicks, hip movies with foot-tapping numbers)

Not only based on these shady activities we have lots of films based on true stories and some inspired from social affairs too, like Do Bigha Zamin, Ek Doctor Ki Maut, 36 Chowringhee Lane, Ardha Satya, Katha, Paar, Ankur, Manthan, Bandit Queen, Salam Bombay, Monsoon Wedding, Mrigaya, Saransh, Sparsh, Bazaar, Arth, Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Ma, Party, Ek Din Achanak, Sadgati.

There are regional films too like Shwaas, Thaneer Thaneer, Chidambaram, Pather Panchali, Aparajito, Meghe Dhaka Tara, Ekdin Protidin, Akaler Sondhaney, Ashani Sanket, Nayak, Kanchanjangha, Ganashatru, Shakha-Proshaka, Aranyer Din Ratri, Mahanagar, Jana Aranyo, Semabaddha, Pratidwandi, Neel Akasher Nichey, Paroma, Adalat O Ekti Meye(Most here I mentioned are Bengali movies, there must be good ones in other regional languages too)