Films and Indian Culture
The cinema is unrivaled as a mass communication medium in a country of India’s dimensions and diversities, especially in rural areas. Media produces more films every year than any other country except .he U.S.A, whose cinema city-Hollywood — is widely known as the world’s biggest center of its sort and a trend-setter on the silver screen. But the tragedy is that most of the Indians films, whether in Hindi or the various regional languages, depict scenes of luxurious life in palatial houses or the “Five-star” culture associated with artificial living and the most prosperous section of society.
These films present scenes of violent crime and other types of abnormal behavior, besides incredible conditions. True-to-life stories, reflecting the normal conditions in the country, are filmed only once in a while. For the most part, it is false, misleading glamour all the way, costumers, ultra-modern make-up and deportment and Western ways of living, with pop music, cabaret scenes, sexual dances, and romantic episodes are seductively presented.
These produce false impressions, arouse abnormal feelings, develop eve-teasing, and in some cases prompt criminal acts. Indian Film-makers often copy Western Films and think that scenes showing semi-naked, attractive girls jumping about, displaying their “waves” and running after each other can ensure commercial success. It is the lure of the box office that has turned films into an instrument for the exploitation of the masses by catering to the baser instincts.
Indian social standards and our culture values are entirely different, but so distorted have the tastes of the cinema-goers become that films which are bases on harsh Indian realize, rather than the world of make-believe and hypocrisy, do not become popular and have to be taken off after short runs of a week or ho such films turn out to be losing propositions. The formulator popularity adopted by almost all film producers comprises colorful sing and dance sequences, with catchy turns thrown in one every possible occasion. Surely these do not represent Indian culture while parents and sincere teachers endeavor to instruct children on the right Ines, stressing the importance of truth, character, honesty, devotion the duty, ethical values, good moral and respect for elders, the films are based on unrealistic stories and depict situations which are wholly un-Indian.
India’s rural population of farmers and villages provides a vital contribution to the economy of the film industry. They cannot possibly look upon the values and issues expounded in the Hollywood style. The globalization of both east and west film styles can be seen to be successful when Hollywood takes on the ideas of Bollywood. Indian Industry should Kama lesson that when they stick to their techniques, films lagan are produced to get nominated for an Oscar. The current duplication and imitation only produce excessive and unnecessary sex and violence which does not sit well with the majority of the Indian audience. The Indian cultural ethos and its people are not as flexible as the west, therefore, films deemed too westernized will always be rejected, regardless of the extent of the globalization of cultures. Moreover, the quality of Indian films continues to deteriorate. There is no sign of the renaissance in the Indian Cinema, scenes of violence are being continually presented on the silver screens as if villains indulging in the use of the gun and fighting hand-to-hand battles are fundamental to our cultural background. Indeed, Indian culture is not at all spiritual or religious or wholly asceticism. But it does not stand for high ideals of duty and conduct and noble ideals. It has a universality of outlook and has promoted a synthesis even when confronted with conflicting views. Most Indians films do not reflect this culture.
